Season 2008 2008

Originals is a series of BBC FOUR films profiling a generation of inspirational musicians. The subjects of the films are Robert Wyatt, Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy, Stan Tracey, John Mayall, Gil Scott Heron, Emmylou Harris, Nick Drake, John Martyn, Vivian Stanshall, Gram Parsons, Hawkwind, Long John Baldry, Dinah Washington, Tammy Wynette and George Clinton. These films have been made over the last few years for BBC FOUR and they portray a generation of artists who've gone their own way, had extraordinary personal journeys and built bodies of work that are the foundation of evolving genres like country-rock, British jazz, folk and blues and hip-hop. Many of the films have intimate access to their subjects and while they all celebrate the work of the artists concerned, they are far from hagiographies. These are great artists but they aren't perfect people, their work is extraordinary but there's been plenty of joy, sorrow and trauma on the way.