The QuaranTea Break Podcast
Ep 9: Stephen S. Thompson – talking BBC One drama Sitting In Limbo, the effects of the Windrush Scandal, and lockdown life
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Episode notes
Happy Monday TQBP listeners! How are you doing this week? I hope this week will be a good one for you. Pop the kettle on for EPISODE 9 with novelist and screenwriter Stephen S. Thompson. He’s just created one of the finest dramas of 2020, Sitting In Limbo, which airs on BBC One at 8.30pm on Monday June 8 (available thereafter on BBC iPlayer). It’s based on his brother’s experience of being detained and threatened with deportation during the Windrush Scandal. It’s a film I’ve been thinking about for weeks.
I really enjoyed my conversation with Stephen, which we recorded a few weeks ago. We chat about his film and writing something so personal. Stephen talks about how he got his brother on board and how Anthony has dealt with the long-term effects of going through this traumatic experience. We talk about scenes that involve video chat and how they’ve taken on a whole new meaning in the current climate. And we, of course, wade into the usual lockdown chat with a telly recommendation that harks back to a previous podcast guest.
The people effected by the Windrush Scandal are still seeking compensation, and the damning report released just a few weeks ago has not received the attention it deserves. Please write to your local MP (use this handy tool: https://www.writetothem.com) to encourage the report to be discussed in more detail, and please spread the word about Sitting In Limbo because it’s an eye-opening account into how this scandal destroyed people’s lives. If you’d like to read the original Guardian article by Amelia Gentleman about Stephen’s brother Anthony, you can find it here: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/01/man-detained-threatened-with-removal-after-52-years-in-the-uk.
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See you very soon, and please stay indoors.
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