‘Funny, thought-provoking and relevant’
Expectation & Munz Made It for YouTube
Comedian Munya Chawawa takes a road trip to address Britain’s attitudes towards race and black culture, capitalising on the heightened awareness and anger over these issues since the death of George Floyd.
With celebrity guests from the world of online content creation along for the ride, highly topical issues such as institutional racism, the demonisation of black culture and celebrities, unconscious bias, microaggressions, cultural appropriation and more are tackled with humour, helping a broad audience understand some of the challenges faced by Britain’s black community.
The unique and genre-busting format combines elements of travelogue, chat show and sketch comedy, and gave young black talent such as Yung Fily, Harry Pinero and Nella Rose a much-needed platform through which to share their personal experiences.
A diverse production team also helped to ensure the show hit on the most recent and relevant developments and conversations surrounding black issues – for example, examining the impact of the Welsh government’s decision to include the teaching of black, Asian and minority ethnic histories in its national curriculum.
“Funny, thought-provoking and relevant,” said one judge, while another described it as “a genuinely entertaining take on serious topics”.
The judges also praised Chawawa as a “shining new talent” and were impressed by the low cost of such a “brilliantly produced” format.
SHORTLISTED
Eating With My Ex
Thames for BBC
Frank, emotional and intimate conversations offer an insight into people’s relationships and deal with the complexities of modern dating, from sexuality to infidelity. The third series of the format struck a chord with young people who saw themselves and their experiences reflected on screen.
Life & Rhymes
CPL Productions & Licklemor for Sky Arts
The second series of Life & Rhymes brings spoken-word performance onto a mainstream plaform and celebrates the best poetry and spoken-word talent in the UK. With audience participation an important part of the format, the warm, inclusive and diverse show explores topics such as racism, gender, sexuality, mental health and grief.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Talkback for Sky Max
The return of the much-loved music quiz quickly became one of Sky’s biggest ever entertainment launches. The revamped format features new rounds and fresh faces from comedy and entertainment, such as Daisy-May Cooper, while retaining the sense of unpredictability and anarchy for which the original was known.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
World of Wonder for BBC
The third series of the reality competition highlights the struggles and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community, with the queens sharing personal stories of being ostracised by society, bullied at school and living with HIV. They also have important discussions about building a supportive community, the need for more role models for young queens of colour, and understanding gender identity.
The Culture Capsule
BET UK for BET International, YouTube & My5
Set in an Afro futurist-style headquarters, KG The Comedian welcomes guests to debate which iconic black cultural artifacts deserve a spot in the time capsule. Through a simple format, the show educates audiences about black culture and gives a platform to black British talent on and off screen.
No comments yet