Books / News
BBC One documentary looks at literary Bristol
A new documentary on BBC One looks at how novels have reflected and portrayed the different periods and areas of Bristol over the last 250 years, and how important this literary culture has been to the city’s identity.
Bristol’s 30 minutes of fame in the Books That Made Britain series – which has 11 regional versions from across the UK – is presented by Radio 1 DJ and bookworm Gemma Cairney.
Plunging into the dank depths of the city’s history via literature, Cairney finds that beneath the creative culture and independent spirit of Bristol today there’s a dark and troubled underbelly coupled with a murky and immoral past.
The episode moves chronologically through depictions of Bristol, beginning with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island set in the mid-1750s and based on real events from the past, with dark naval narratives underpinning the novel’s adventures.
Cairney discusses A Respectable Trade with author Philippa Gregory. The novel, published in 2011 but set in 1787, focuses on some of the sordid economic foundations of Bristol including the unequal social status of the city’s workers and inhabitants, while also implying that these class tensions are still existent today.
Cairney briefly reflects on Bristol’s disturbing slavery past before juxtaposing novels set in the 18th century with more contemporary examples.
Where’s My Money is up next, Mike Manson’s apparently light-hearted account describing rough and tough Bristol in the 1970s. It tells the story of the employment struggles and romantic interests of the book’s protagonist, whilst alluding to the regret and resent felt towards Bristol’s exploitative past.
The episode concludes with Melvin Burgess’ Junk, a novel set in the 1980s that has been dubbed “the children’s Trainspotting“, with teenage tales of struggle and strife that accompany growing up in an urban environment.
Books That Made Britain is on BBC One at 3.45pm on October 16. For more information and to watch on iPlayer, visit www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0801pg0
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