James R | On 28, Apr 2022

BBC Four is celebrating the Beeb’s centenary with a season dedicated to game-changing programmes from its archive.

The channel will show a selection of programmes from the BFI’s BBC Television 100 Gamechangers list – alongside other gems – in a regular Wednesday night slot. The BFI’s 100 BBC Television Gamechangers list highlights the BBC shows that have had a “transformative impact on television and society over the last century of broadcasting.”

This will include: Our Friends In The North (1996), a drama about four friends, played by Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee and Mark Strong, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Hanif Kureishi’s landmark coming-of-age drama set in South London in the 1970s; Jeanette Winterson’s BAFTA award-winning Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1996); The Billy Plays (1982), part of the BBC’s Play For Today series that ran from 1970-1984; Boys From The Blackstuff (1982), the acclaimed series by playwright Alan Bleasdale that follows five unemployed tarmac layers in Bleasdale’s home city of Liverpool; and A Man from the Sun (1956), an early exploration of the difficulties faced by West Indian immigrants in Britain.

James Stirling, BBC 100 Executive Editor, says: “BBC Four will delve into the BBC’s library of rich content to share a selection of the boundary-pushing and era-defining dramas from the BFI’s list with audiences throughout centenary year.”

The season will start on 25th May, with the classic dramas shown every Wednesday at 10pm. They will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

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