Screw you Captain Kirk. Despite the long-held belief that the first ever televised interracial kiss was on Star Trek (between Kirk and Uhuru in 1968), the BFI has just uncovered an example that predates this by six years. And, rather than the furthest reaches of outer space, this kiss took place in Brixton.
You In Your Small Corner was first broadcast on ITV in June 1962 and told the story of a young man called Dave (Lloyd Reckord) arriving in Brixton from Jamaica, stopping off on his way to begin studying in Cambridge. In London he meets Terry (Elizabeth MacLennan), a young woman on the rebound and the two become lovers. The film was one of Granada TV’s Play of the Weeks written by Jamaican-born Barry Reckord and starring his brother, that examines the racial and class difficulties that affect the couple. The play was first staged at London's Royal Court before being remade as a TV film.
And yes, pedants, we realise Granada's studios were in Manchester.
The discovery was made in the BFI National Archive ahead of a discussion on Race and Romance on Television to be held at BFI Southbank with actors Art Malik and Adrian Lester taking part on 24 November as part of the BFI’s LOVE season.
