Episode 1
4 Extra Debut. Iconic debut memoir, beautifully evoking Angelou’s life as a child in America’s Deep South in the 1930s. Stars Adjoa Andoh.
Dramatisation of Maya Angelou's iconic debut memoir.
This beautiful evocation of her life in the Deep South begins in 1931.
As an infant Maya and her brother, Bailey are sent to live with their grandmother in Arkansas. Annie, whom they call Momma, runs the only store in the black section of Stamps and becomes the central moral figure in Maya's childhood.
Dramatised in five parts by Patricia Cumper.
Narrator ( Older Maya) ...... Adjoa Andoh
Maya ...... Indie Gjedsal
Bailey ...... Roshawn Hewitt
Momma ...... Cecilia Noble
Uncle Willie ...... Richard Pepple
Steward ...... John Lightbody
Girl ...... Francesca Elise
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written.
They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest, and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th-century black America.
Director: Pauline Harris
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2018.
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The Amazing Maya Angelou
Joyous and haunting, mysterious and memorable - her life story is incredible.
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Behind the scenes photos
Adjoa Andoh (Narrator), Indie Gjesdal (Maya) and Pippa Bennett-Warner (Young Maya).
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Narrator (Older Maya) | Adjoa Andoh |
| Maya | Indie Gjedsal |
| Bailey | Roshawn Hewitt |
| Momma | Cecilia Noble |
| Uncle Willie | Richard Pepple |
| Steward | John Lightbody |
| Girl | Francesca Elise |
| Director | Pauline Harris |
| Producer | Pauline Harris |
| Author | Maya Angelou |
| Adaptor | Patricia Cumper |
Broadcasts
Mon 18 Jun 201810:45BBC Radio 4- Mon 18 Jun 201819:45BBC Radio 4
- Mon 21 Feb 202214:15BBC Radio 4 Extra
- Tue 22 Feb 202202:15BBC Radio 4 Extra
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10 incredible Maya Angelou quotes to live your life by
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Subscribe to the podcast
Dramatisations of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies, plus specially selected archive.
