Period drama serial The Fight Against Slavery told the story of how people were freed from the tyranny of slavery within the British Empire. The drama took us into the heart of darkness in the mid 1700’s when people were first starting to campaign against slavery, especially William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson who dedicated their lives to the cause. By the last 1790’s the French Revolution was having a major effect on the West Indies were many slaves rose up in rebellion.
The Fight Against Slavery tackled it’s dark subject matter with some degree of sensitivity and objectivity. It looked good too with location filming in both Jamaica and Sierra Leone.
As they did with quite a bit of their educational output the BBC produced a companion publication also called The Flight Against Slavery, this was written by Evan Jones and Terence Brady.
production details
UK / BBC Two / 6×55 minute episodes / Broadcast 19 March – 23 April 1975
Writer and Introduced by: Evan Jones / Producer and Director: Christopher Ralling
cast
John Castle as John Newton
Dinsdale Landen as David Lisle
John Gill as Manesty
Terry Scully as Granville Sharp
David Collings as William Wilberforce
Ronald Pickup as William Pitt
Ronald Lacey as Charles James Fox
THE EPISODES
1. THE OLD AFRICAN BLASPHEMER (19 Mar 1975)
2. ONE MAN’S PROPERTY (26 Mar 1975)
3. A MATTER OF INSURANCE (2 Apr 1975)
4. TIGHT PACKERS AND LOOSE PACKERS (9 Apr 1975)
5. A GRATEFUL PEASANTRY (16 Apr 1975)
6. FREE PAPER COME (23 Apr 1975)
