Join us for a special Black History Month event by De La Warr Pavilion and Ten66 Television with Playing The Race Card continuing the Black Joy theme.
We’ll screen two iconic works decades apart set in Peckham, Southeast London, showcasing the changing presentation of Black British lives on screen.
Desmond’s (1989-1994) was a very popular and well-loved sitcom set in a Peckham barbershop, reflecting real-life issues with humour and heart. Created by Trix Worrell, it starred Norman Beaton as Desmond and Carmen Munroe as his wife Shirley. The show was incredibly successful, and was Channel 4’s longest-running sitcom at the time, with 3 to 3.5 million viewers per episode. The barbershop served as a community hub, addressing real-life issues, including black-on-black prejudice, while bringing plenty of laughs. It was filmed using traditional methods, with a live studio audience, fixed cameras and canned laughter.
Fast forward to 2023, and Rye Lane is a glorious and joyful romantic comedy. Set in the midst of Peckham and bursting with colour, this film contrasts with the gritty, every day and down-to-earth feel of Desmond’s. It follows a romance unfolding over a single day, a storytelling technique popularized by Richard Linklater’s Before series. Created by a predominantly Black creative team, Rye Lane stars David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, and was written by Tom Melia and Nathan Bryon, with direction by Raine Allen-Miller and photography by Olan Collardy.
There will be a Q&A to discuss these changes and the growth of opportunities for Black creatives.
TIMINGS
6pm Building Opens
6.30pm Auditorium Doors
7pm Introduction by Joseph Constable and Claudine Eccleston
7.05pm Screening of Desmond’s episode
7.30pm Q&A with writer and director Trix Worrell
8pm Break
8.10pm Screening of Rye Lane
SEATING INFORMATION: If you are coming to a seated event, you will notice that we have temporary seats in the stalls. This is because we have started early preparatory works on the auditorium as part of our bigger capital project (https://www.dlwp.com/luf/). Major works are still some time off, and you will see that our programme runs well into 2025, but we will keep everyone updated on the next stages of the project as soon as we can.
Trix Worrell is a writer, director, and BAFTA nominee. He created, wrote, and directed Desmond’s and Porkpie for Channel 4, and What You Looking At for London Weekend Television. He directed the internet drama Dog Endz and the critically acclaimed one-woman show Little Big Woman. He has also scripted for major awards, including the MTV Europe Awards, MOBO Awards, and the BBC2 Windrush Ceremony.
Worrell founded Wicked Film Company in the mid-’80s and Trijbits & Worrell in the early ’90s, working with New Line Cinema, Fox, Universal, Disney, ABC, and Ridley Scott, among others. His productions include The Young Americans, Roseanna’s Grave, Hardware, and Boston Kickout. His current company, Distant Voices, has produced two ITV Christmas Specials with The Lost Voice Guy and the comedy Jokes Only A…Can Tell for Channel 4.
He is a British Comedy and Royal Television Society Award winner, an honorary member of the British Comedy Academy, and the first recipient of the Screen Nation “Vantage” award. He was also named one of the “100 Great Black Britons Throughout History.” An excerpt from Desmond’s was featured in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
