Multicultural TV on ITV

We review the beginning of ITV’s multicultural output.

  • Total running time 90min

Speak for Yourself: London Race Relations Action Group (extract)

LWT 1974. 27min. Digital

Here and Now

ATV 1981. Director Terence Daw. 27min. Digital

Skin: Black Actors

LWT 1980. Director Nic Phillips. 28min. Digital

Urban centres bloomed with multicultural plurality. From London to Birmingham, young Black Britons pushed their talents, eventually finding outlets on variety television programmes. Initially, ITV attempted to rival the BBC with community access programming like Speak for Yourself. Eventually, the channel found its own lane as an early pioneer of the multicultural variety format. Variety programming such as Here and Now, was one of the first iterations in the midlands. The episode veers from covering Vitamin D deficiency to young Black musical and sporting talent.