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BBC Sounds


The award-winning and critically-acclaimed podcast from George the Poet delivers a fresh take on inner city life through a mix of storytelling, music and fiction.


Have You Heard George's Podcast?

In the series debut George invites his listeners to step into the speakers and join him on a meandering ride aboard his own train of thought. The Poet muses on the interplay between crime and music in his community, painting an audio-portrait that is in equal parts complex and compelling.

1. Listen Closer

George explores the roles of family and formal education in the lives of marginalised young people. With more elaborate scene-setting, his lyrical stream of consciousness flows over a soundscape that is increasingly cinematic and journalistic. The Poet argues that inner city music acts as a pressure valve for voiceless young people who face systemic disadvantage. Expanding on the points of the previous episode, he advocates for youth having space to "speak their truth," and for listeners to take consideration of the problematic realities behind this art.

2. Popcorn

A young teacher's daily struggles provide the backdrop for this harrowing reflection on the Grenfell Tower tragedy. 

In a move from journalism to drama, George departs with the documentary-style narration of previous episodes to deliver a heart-wrenching story of resilience and neglect in London's inner city.

Enlisting the help of rising star Jade Alleyne, poet Sophia Thakur as well as his own brothers, Freddie, Michael and Kenny Mpanga, George introduces a small universe of characters whose witty exchanges offer insight into their respective environments. 

Featured songs: Chika Dole - Touch Abi Ocia - Running Written by George the Poet Original score by Benbrick Produced by Benbrick and George The Poet

3. A Grenfell Story

George continues his Grenfell story.

Written by George the Poet
Original score by Benbrick
Produced by Benbrick and George The Poet

3.5 Grenfell II

Following a highly publicised run-in with the police, George looks at the fraught relationship between his community and law enforcers. With poignant contributions from family and friends, the Poet tells the story of the historic and ongoing tensions that contributed to the England riots of 2011. 

Featured songs: Mucky - It's On Me
Ghetts - Menace 

Written by George the Poet 
Original score by Benbrick 
Produced by Benbrick and George The Poet

4. It's On Us

Have you ever wished you could teleport? Or mind-read? Or time travel? All of these are easier than you think. Every time you press play you step into another world and open yourself up to someone else's experience. This might not sound like a groundbreaking discovery in an era of constant verbal and visual bombardment, but the potential of this truth is limitless. In his own wildly unconventional way, George the Poet uses music from his environment to convey this point. All you have to do is press play.

Featured songs: 
Mucky - It's On Me
Maleek Berry - Gimme Life
Bonnie Beretta - Team Bonnie
Guala - Guala Gala
1011 - Next Up?

Written by George the Poet
Original score by Benbrick
Produced by Benbrick and George The Poet

5. Press Play

A stroll down memory lane takes George to the beginning of his journey with poetry, before a call from a friend reminds him how far he still has to go. Asking about an idea George had previously shared, (“Sanyu”), the friend complains that George is overthinking, hoarding his potential and ultimately shortchanging the world. What follows is a Disney-style dive into the life of an idea in George’s mind. From the clubs of Kampala, to the corners of the imagination, to the frontline of Ugandan politics - the journey is crazy.

Featured songs: Radio & Weasel ft. General Ozzy - Potential; Radio & Weasel - Ngenda Maaso; Radio & Weasel - Kuku; Coco Finger - Emikono Wagulu; Rabadaba - Bwekiri; Isaac Blackman - To the Ceiling; Bobi Wine - Badman from Kamwokya

Written by George the Poet
Original score by Benbrick
Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet

6. The Journey Pt 1

On a mission to find the best use of his platform, George casts his gaze 2000 miles across the Mediterranean Sea to explore the modern Libyan slave trade. Ugly truths about corruption, accountability and the rule of law force him to consider Ugandan politics in comparison to the last years of Gaddafi's Libya. Eventually, he finds hope in an unexpected message from an old friend. Featured songs: Mega - Chariot Written by George the Poet Original score by Benbrick Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet.

7. The Journey Pt II

The season finale sees a return to the inside of George's Mind. Episode 6 introduced Sanyu, a young idea on a mission to break out of the Poet's overcrowded headspace and reach his audience with her most meaningful contribution. After escaping the "Research and Development" faculty of George's Mind, Sanyu participated in a version of Episode 8 that simply wasn't all that, by her standards. Determined to deliver unprecedented value to the audience, Sanyu decides to "save" Episode 8 from averageness, fighting off insecurities and the ever-changing conditions of a creative mind. The ensuing adventure is a story of hope, fear and sacrifice relevant to anyone who dares to dream big. In many ways, Sanyu embodies the message of the podcast, put most aptly by Victor Hugo: nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

Featured songs:

Ambush "Man Can't"; Dun Dee "Ooh Wee"; KwayorClinch "Renting"; Mucky “It’s On Me”; Jorja Smith "The One"; Maverick Sabre & George the Poet ft. Jorja Smith "Follow the Leader"

Written by George the Poet
Original score by BenbrickProduced by Benbrick and George the Poet

8. Sanyu's World

Award-winning podcaster and spoken word artist George the Poet comes to the BBC’s own Radio Theatre for a one-off live show exploring what rap can teach us about education.

For George, rap was always a vehicle for knowledge. But it isn’t always taken seriously by an establishment that often sees it as unconstructive. Rap was an essential part of George’s own development as a poet, and studying Sociology at Cambridge University allowed him to look more closely at what rap can do for marginalised communities. This show charts George’s own story of education – his evolution from Grime MC to Cambridge student to spoken word artist – and pays homage to the rap music that shaped him and his peers.

George brings a number of friends to the stage to explore what rap can teach us about education.

DJ Target is a 1Xtra DJ and a founding member of UK Grime collective Roll Deep. In his book Grime Kids he charts the creation of the groundbreaking music genre that gave voice to a generation.

Neuroscientist Dr Becky Inkster and psychiatrist Dr Akeem Sule are co-founders of Hip Hop Psych. Hip Hop Psych dissects hip hop lyrics to analyse the mechanisms of mental health problems, signals which are sometimes overlooked because of their mode of communication.

Temi Mwale has been committed to the fight against youth violence since her childhood friend Marvin Henry was murdered. At 17, Temi founded the 4Front Project, a grassroots organisation based in the estate she grew up in, which delivers specialist programmes that support personal development, legal empowerment and social action across vulnerable communities. 

Holly Branson joined the Virgin Group as an active member of the Leadership team in 2008, after achieving medical and physiology degrees from University College London and realising her dream of working as a doctor. She is Chair of Virgin Unite, a Founder and trustee of education charity Big Change and Co-Chair of WE Day UK. In 2018, Holly published her first book, co-authored with Marc and Craig Kielburger: WEconomy: You can find meaning, make a living, and change the world. 

Sonita Alleyne OBE is the new Master of Jesus College, Cambridge. She is the first woman to be the Master of Jesus College and the first black person to lead any Oxbridge college. Sonita is the co-founder and former CEO of media production company Somethin’ Else. Alleyne’s board roles have included the National Employment Panel and the London Skills and Employment Board, chair of the Radio Sector Skills Council and non-executive director of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
 
Featuring an exclusive poem from Chapter Two of the podcast with music written by Benbrick.

With performances from the BBC Concert Orchestra and Maverick Sabre.

An extended version of this programme is available as a podcast on BBC Sounds, and on iPlayer.

Produced by Anne Isger

Special: Welcome to the World of George the Poet

George talks to John Wilson about some of his most formative cultural influences including the grammar school that taught him the essay-writing skills he still puts to use when making his podcast. He reveals how Tupac Shakur’s 1998 song Changes ignited his interest in hip hop, and discusses the impact of rap and grime on his own verse. He also remembers how his local community radio station gave him his first break and encouraged the development as a performer.

Producer: Edwina Pitman

Special: This Cultural Life

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