Empire Road
Encyclopedia
Empire Road is a British television
series, made by the BBC
in 1978 and 1979.
The series was the first British television series to be written, acted and directed entirely by black artists. Styled like an ethnic version of Coronation Street
, Empire Road depicted life for the African-Caribbean
, East Indian and Asian residents of a racially diverse street.
Prominent cast members included Norman Beaton
, Corinne Skinner-Carter
[Wayne Laryea] and Rudolph Walker
. The programme also provided early TV exposure for Julie Walters
who appeared in a few episodes. The series was made at BBC Pebble Mill
with location work in the Handsworth
area of Birmingham
.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
series, made by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1978 and 1979.
The series was the first British television series to be written, acted and directed entirely by black artists. Styled like an ethnic version of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, Empire Road depicted life for the African-Caribbean
British African-Caribbean community
The British African Caribbean communities are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were primarily indigenous to Africa...
, East Indian and Asian residents of a racially diverse street.
Prominent cast members included Norman Beaton
Norman Beaton
Norman Lugard Beaton was a Guyanese actor long resident in the United Kingdom....
, Corinne Skinner-Carter
Corinne Skinner-Carter
Corinne Skinner-Carter is a Trinidadian actress, based in the United Kingdom. She began acting professionally in the 1950s. She has worked in black British film and television, and is possibly best known for her role as Audrey Trueman in BBC's EastEnders.-Career:Skinner-Carter came from Trinidad...
[Wayne Laryea] and Rudolph Walker
Rudolph Walker
Rudolph Walker, OBE is a British character actor. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Walker came to the United Kingdom in 1960....
. The programme also provided early TV exposure for Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
who appeared in a few episodes. The series was made at BBC Pebble Mill
Pebble Mill Studios
The BBC 's Pebble Mill Studios were located in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham, England. The views from the roof overlooked Cannon Hill Park, a nature centre, as well as Birmingham's city centre...
with location work in the Handsworth
Handsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
area of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.