BBC’s New Factual Commissions Spotlight Dementia & More

The BBC has ordered a slate of factual programs, including the tentatively titled Vicky McClure: My Dementia Choir, as well as shows featuring Lucy Worsley, David Olusoga, Lenny Henry and Ed Balls.

Vicky McClure: My Dementia Choir is set for BBC One and sees the BAFTA-winning actress embark on a personal journey to discover the extent to which music can help fight dementia. McClure said: “I’m so pleased to be given the opportunity to be involved with this project. This is important television. We will all discover more about the incredible effects music can have on people living with dementia. One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite artists, Bob Marley, is: ‘One good thing about music—when it hits you, you feel no pain.’”

How Women Won the Vote with Lucy Worsley (working title), also for BBC One, is a film that marks 100 years of women in the U.K. being allowed to vote. Worsley commented: “I’m thrilled to be marking the 100-year anniversary of women getting the vote with this 90-minute film for BBC One in such a dramatic and exciting way.” Another commission for BBC One is Lenny Henry: The Commonwealth Kid (working title). Sir Lenny Henry will set off on a tour of the Caribbean, visiting the Bahamas and his homeplace of Jamaica to hear what the Commonwealth means to the people who reside there. Henry remarked: “I’m delighted and excited to revisit where my parents grew up and explore things I don’t know about Jamaica and the Bahamas, especially in the context of the Commonwealth.”

The House (working title), presented by David Olusoga, is a new history series for BBC Two that tells the story of a single Georgian-style townhouse from the time it was built in 1840 up to the present day. Also for BBC Two is Ed Balls: My Deep South Road Trip (working title), which sees the host immerse himself in the lives of those who helped put U.S. President Donald Trump in power. Balls stated: “It’s one thing to swap being a politician for reality TV and embarrass your family in the process. It’s quite another thing to swap reality TV for the U.S. Presidency and turn the world upside down. I’ve always loved visiting the American south—the food and the music are fabulous and there’s so much to learn from its history. But I was as shocked as anyone else by the way the south helped sweep Trump to victory. So, I’m looking forward to visiting the communities at the heart of the Trump revolution, getting to know the voters who elected him and finding out what they think of him one year on.”

Other new programs, which are all tentatively titled, include Kensington (BBC Two), Heart Transplant (BBC Two) and From Ice to Fire: The Incredible Science of Temperature (BBC Four). Kensington examines how this part of Britain became home to drastic economic inequality. Heart Transplant follows four patients undergoing surgery to give a complete overview of the transplant procedure from start to finish. From Ice to Fire: The Incredible Science of Temperature, meanwhile, is a three-part series in which Helen Czerski looks at the technical aspects of temperature.

Alison Kirkham, the BBC’s controller of factual commissioning, said, “This has been a brilliant year for factual on the BBC, from our success at the BAFTAs earlier in the year, where we swept the board in six categories, to us topping the recent Grierson shortlist with 29 nominations across 14 categories. We’ve had critical and ratings success with Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, Diana, 7 Days, Hospital II [and] Chris Packham: Asperger’s and Me among the many highlights, as well as the upcoming Blue Planet II.

“The new titles I’m announcing today demonstrate my ongoing commitment to bringing audiences high-quality, challenging and timely content with a breadth, scale and impact not found anywhere else. From the latest in cutting-edge science to history programs offering fresh perspectives on the past as well as series tackling some of the big issues facing us today, I hope that these new commissions will entertain and inspire viewers and open their eyes to the world in new ways.”