The Life And Rhymes Of Benjamin Zephaniah

reader

benjamin Zephaniah

author

benjamin Zephaniah

abridger

sara Davies

producer

celia De Wolff

reader

benjamin Zephaniah

author

benjamin Zephaniah

abridger

sara Davies

producer

celia De Wolff

reader

benjamin Zephaniah

author

benjamin Zephaniah

abridger

sara Davies

producer

celia De Wolff

reader

benjamin Zephaniah

author

benjamin Zephaniah

abridger

sara Davies

producer

celia De Wolff

reader

benjamin Zephaniah

author

benjamin Zephaniah

abridger

sara Davies

producer

celia De Wolff

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Childhood

20180430

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, beginning with his childhood growing up in Birmingham.

It was a childhood coloured with love and violence.

But it was also where his love of poetry first evolved - and his relationship with his parents went in two very different directions.

Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Abridged in five parts by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2018.

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, beginning with his Birmingham childhood.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Childhood

20180430

20240408 (R4)

The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, which begins with his childhood growing up in Birmingham.

It was a childhood coloured with love and violence, but it was also where his love of poetry first evolved and his relationship with his parents go in two very different directions.

Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, beginning with his Birmingham childhood.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, which begins with his childhood growing up in Birmingham. A childhood coloured with love and violence and his introduction to poetry.

Hustle

20180501

Growing up in Birmingham with a violent father and a loving mother, Benjamin, now a teenager, escapes the family home with his mother and starts a new life.

Church becomes an even greater part of their lives but it's not long before he finds himself on the wrong side of the law...

Autobiography written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. Growing up in Birmingham he learned to hustle.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Hustle

20180501

20240409 (R4)

The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah.

Growing up in Birmingham with a violent father and a loving mother, Zephaniah, now a teenager, escapes the family home with his mother and starts a new life. Church becomes an even greater part of their lives, but it's not long before he finds himself on the wrong side of the law.

Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. Growing up in Birmingham he learned to hustle.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. Now a teenager, he escapes the family home with his mother, but it is not long before he finds himself on the wrong side of the law.

Seeds

20180502

Having spent much of his teens on the wrong side of the law and with time in approved school and borstal, Benjamin realises quickly there is more to life than this.

Always interested in politics and religion, he finds Rastafari and quickly recognises that it enables him to explore both.

Autobiography written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. His passion for poetry and politics grows.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Seeds

20180502

20240410 (R4)

The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah.

The seeds of his passion for poetry and politics begin to grow. Having spent much of his teens on the wrong side of the law and time in approved school and borstal, Benjamin realises quickly that there is more to life than this. Always interested in politics and religion, he finds Rastafari and quickly recognises that it enables him to explore both.

Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. His passion for poetry and politics grows.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. The seeds of his passion for poetry and politics begin to grow and religion takes on a greater role in his life as he finds Rastafari.

London

20180503

No longer content in Birmingham, Benjamin moves to London, where he finds himself culturally, religiously and politically inspired.

Rastafari has opened his eyes to his ability to be both religiously and politically aware, and his writing is being recognised as he begins to perform his poetry in pubs against a backdrop of racial tension brewing in cities across England.

Autobiography written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. The poet and political activist meet.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

London

20180503

20240411 (R4)

The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah.

No longer content in Birmingham, Zephaniah moves to London, where he finds himself culturally, religiously and politically inspired. Rastafari has opened his eyes to his ability to be both religiously and politically aware and his writing is being recognised as he begins to perform his poetry in pubs against a backdrop of racial tension that was brewing in cities across England.

Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. The poet and political activist meet.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. No longer content in Birmingham, Zephaniah moves to London, where he finds himself culturally, religiously and politically inspired.

Pain

20180504

As the writer flourishes, the man, now a husband, suffers at the cruel hands of infertility.

Desperate to have a child and be a father, Benjamin and his wife embark on IVF but, as his career flies, his belief in his ability to conceive comes to an end.

That pain will never leave him but he decides to take on the taboo and talk about it in his poems and his writings, opening the doors for other people's pain to be understood.

Autobiography written and concluded by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. A poet yes, but a parent not to be.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Pain

20180504

20240412 (R4)

The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah.

As the writer flourishes, the man, now a husband, suffers at the cruel hands of infertility. Desperate to have a child and be a father, Zephaniah and his wife embark on IVF but as his career flies his belief in his ability to conceive comes to an end. That pain will never leave him, but he decides to take on the taboo and talk about it in his poems and his writings, opening the doors for other people's pain to be understood.

Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah

Abridged by Sara Davies

Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. A poet yes, but a parent not to be.

The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. As the writer flourishes, the man, now a husband, suffers at the cruel hands of infertility.

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	Childhood	20180430		Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, beginning with his childhood growing up in Birmingham. It was a childhood coloured with love and violence. But it was also where his love of poetry first evolved - and his relationship with his parents went in two very different directions. Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah. Abridged in five parts by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2018. Poet Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, beginning with his Birmingham childhood. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.
01	Childhood	20180430	20240408 (R4)	The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, which begins with his childhood growing up in Birmingham. It was a childhood coloured with love and violence, but it was also where his love of poetry first evolved and his relationship with his parents go in two very different directions. Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 Poet Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, beginning with his Birmingham childhood. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography, which begins with his childhood growing up in Birmingham. A childhood coloured with love and violence and his introduction to poetry.
02	Hustle	20180501		Growing up in Birmingham with a violent father and a loving mother, Benjamin, now a teenager, escapes the family home with his mother and starts a new life. Church becomes an even greater part of their lives but it's not long before he finds himself on the wrong side of the law... Autobiography written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah. Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. Growing up in Birmingham he learned to hustle. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.
02	Hustle	20180501	20240409 (R4)	The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah. Growing up in Birmingham with a violent father and a loving mother, Zephaniah, now a teenager, escapes the family home with his mother and starts a new life. Church becomes an even greater part of their lives, but it's not long before he finds himself on the wrong side of the law. Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. Growing up in Birmingham he learned to hustle. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. Now a teenager, he escapes the family home with his mother, but it is not long before he finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
03	Seeds	20180502		Having spent much of his teens on the wrong side of the law and with time in approved school and borstal, Benjamin realises quickly there is more to life than this. Always interested in politics and religion, he finds Rastafari and quickly recognises that it enables him to explore both. Autobiography written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah. Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. His passion for poetry and politics grows. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.
03	Seeds	20180502	20240410 (R4)	The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah. The seeds of his passion for poetry and politics begin to grow. Having spent much of his teens on the wrong side of the law and time in approved school and borstal, Benjamin realises quickly that there is more to life than this. Always interested in politics and religion, he finds Rastafari and quickly recognises that it enables him to explore both. Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. His passion for poetry and politics grows. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. The seeds of his passion for poetry and politics begin to grow and religion takes on a greater role in his life as he finds Rastafari.
04	London	20180503		No longer content in Birmingham, Benjamin moves to London, where he finds himself culturally, religiously and politically inspired. Rastafari has opened his eyes to his ability to be both religiously and politically aware, and his writing is being recognised as he begins to perform his poetry in pubs against a backdrop of racial tension brewing in cities across England. Autobiography written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah. Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. The poet and political activist meet. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.
04	London	20180503	20240411 (R4)	The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah. No longer content in Birmingham, Zephaniah moves to London, where he finds himself culturally, religiously and politically inspired. Rastafari has opened his eyes to his ability to be both religiously and politically aware and his writing is being recognised as he begins to perform his poetry in pubs against a backdrop of racial tension that was brewing in cities across England. Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. The poet and political activist meet. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. No longer content in Birmingham, Zephaniah moves to London, where he finds himself culturally, religiously and politically inspired.
05	Pain	20180504		As the writer flourishes, the man, now a husband, suffers at the cruel hands of infertility. Desperate to have a child and be a father, Benjamin and his wife embark on IVF but, as his career flies, his belief in his ability to conceive comes to an end. That pain will never leave him but he decides to take on the taboo and talk about it in his poems and his writings, opening the doors for other people's pain to be understood. Autobiography written and concluded by Benjamin Zephaniah. Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. A poet yes, but a parent not to be. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography.
05	Pain	20180504	20240412 (R4)	The celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah died in December 2023. As a tribute, Radio 4 is broadcasting the 2018 Book of the Week recording of his autobiography The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah. As the writer flourishes, the man, now a husband, suffers at the cruel hands of infertility. Desperate to have a child and be a father, Zephaniah and his wife embark on IVF but as his career flies his belief in his ability to conceive comes to an end. That pain will never leave him, but he decides to take on the taboo and talk about it in his poems and his writings, opening the doors for other people's pain to be understood. Written and read by Benjamin Zephaniah Abridged by Sara Davies Producer: Celia de Wolff A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. A poet yes, but a parent not to be. The acclaimed poet and writer reads his autobiography. Benjamin Zephaniah reads his autobiography. As the writer flourishes, the man, now a husband, suffers at the cruel hands of infertility.