Simon Schama, never one to shy away from a weighty topic, turns his historian’s eye to the ever-evolving notion of British identity in the second episode of his new BBC Two series. In “Whose Britain Is It Anyway?” Schama examines how the arts have grappled with Britain’s post-imperial reality, a nation transformed by the end of its global dominance.
This episode isn’t about dusty relics and forgotten monarchs. Schama focuses on how artists responded to a Britain reshaped by the influx of people from its former colonies. From the arrival of Lord Woodbine, a calypso artist who stepped off the Empire Windrush in 1948, to the literary impact of Hanif Kureishi, Schama charts the cultural shifts that have redefined what it means to be British.
Music, of course, plays a vital role in this story. Schama sits down with Jerry Dammers of The Specials, exploring the band’s “two-tone revolution” and its attempt to bridge racial divides through music. The episode also features a conversation with Clive Myrie, who offers a personal perspective on the Windrush scandal, a shameful chapter in British history that highlighted the government’s mistreatment of Caribbean immigrants.
Can art truly help a nation reconcile with its past and forge a new, inclusive identity? That’s the central question Schama poses. He doesn’t offer easy answers, but the episode illuminates the complicated relationship between art, culture, and national identity in a rapidly changing world.
“Whose Britain Is It Anyway?” airs Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 at 9:00 pm on BBC Two.
