BBC One To Air New Drama ‘Sitting In Limbo’ Tonight On Systemic Racism

In the midst of an unprecedented worldwide anti-racism movement many broadcasters and streaming services are promoting content on racial equality and continuing the conversations around systemic racism through relevant programming. 

The BBC’s Sitting In Limbo follows Anthony Bryan’s story who was from the Windrush era (1948-1971) of Caribbean expats. Signifying the generation of people that were pitched to come to the U.K. by dignitaries, politicians, and clergy from the Caribbean post the Second World War to help rebuild the country. On their subsequent arrival they were victims of numerous murders, rapes, assaults, robberies, and discrimination.  

After arriving in 1965 at the age of 8 and living, working and paying taxes in the U.K. for a number of years a notorious stance on immigration in 2016 from then Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Prime Minister Theresa May saw a number of individuals from the Windrush era – including Anthony – struggling to prove their British citizenship. 

With the current climate the upcoming piece is drawing attention as potentially adding more cogency to the growing anti-racism message. 

On its announcement writer, Stephen S. Thompson said to the BBC: “Like everyone caught up in the Windrush scandal, Anthony has been severely traumatized by the experience. It has badly affected his confidence and left him questioning his very identity. As his brother, I saw what he went through first-hand. I couldn’t bear the idea that he had suffered in vain and it made me determined to tell his story. For me, this is personal.”

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama added, “I work very closely with Charlotte Moore (Director BBC Content for BBC One) to seek out the most compelling and inspiring British real-life stories to tell. Stephen’s script is terrific and we’re honored his first screenplay for TV will be on BBC One.

“Anthony’s story is incredibly important and one that needs to be told with urgency.”

Sitting In Limbo follows a number of other programs being promoted from the recent past that educate on the historical context around black communities to help educate society. 

Noteworthy projects currently streaming on Netflix
NFLX
are 13th, What Happened, Miss Simone?, Strong Island, Becoming, Teach Us All and Self Made. Amazon Prime
AMZN
streaming The Hate U Give, I Am Not Your Negro, African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross and Just Mercy, with King In The Wilderness and Whose Streets? being added by HBO Go and Hulu respectively. 

Sitting in Limbo airs on BBC One tonight at 20:30 BST and subsequently on BBC iPlayer.