The BBC is dedicating a whole season of programming to the love of reading, and this is big news not least because there aren’t any literary television programmes on British screens at all!
Over the new few weeks, BBC2 will be airing Book Nights every Saturday night and with them featuring a host of literary names including Sue Townsend, Michael Palin, Marlon James, Andrew Marr and more. Thankfully most of the shows will be available on iPlayer shortly after broadcast so if you can’t listen live, you don’t have to miss out.
This Saturday at 9pm on BBC viewers will be able to watch The Secret Life of Sue Townsend (Aged 68 ¾), a witty and honest portrayal of the author’s life. The show will be narrated by Julie Walters, Stephen Mangan, Ian Hislop and Isy Suttie as they join Sue’s friends, family and her beloved Leicester community to tell her story. That’s a treat in itself but immediately afterwards, Artsnight presents a reunion with When Julie Walters Met Willy Russell to talk about how Russell became one of the most successful playwrights in the history of British theatre.
Over the next few weeks, across television and radio the shows will continue, from the Paperback Heroes by Andrew Marr, Imagine featuring Man Booker winner Marlon James, the Books that Made Britain and much much more!
Then, on the weekend of 5th and 6th November #LoveToRead will be taking over BBC Radio too with adaptations, readings, author interviews and a big feature at the British Library!
It’s the first television event of its kind in my living memory and the number of programmes and hours of bookish chat probably equates more hours than the last twenty years of literary inspired television!
You can find the full details on the BBC’s Love to Read page, and the schedules for all the shows.
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Just watched The School that got Children Reading, disappointed the school librarian hardly got a mention. We try all these techniques and sometimes get successes like Javone. With enough time and one to one input it can be done. We know all about the research into the benefits of reading, we’re just not heard.