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Maya Angelou's Autobiographies

Dramatisations of Maya Angelou's evocative and life-affirming autobiographies, that are amongst the most beautiful, joyous and haunting portraits of 20th-century black America ever

Radio 4,30 episodes

Episodes

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A Song Flung up to Heaven
Episode 1
Maya is to start working for Malcolm X, but tragedy strikes when he is assassinated.
25 Feb 2019,14 mins
A Song Flung up to Heaven
Episode 2
Maya moves to Los Angeles where she witnesses the Watts race riots of 1965
26 Feb 2019,14 mins,
A Song Flung up to Heaven
Episode 3
Maya’s ex appears and their love reignites, but a night out at the movies spells a change.
27 Feb 2019,14 mins
A Song Flung up to Heaven
Episode 4
Maya is reunited with Martin Luther King and agrees to work with him.
28 Feb 2019,14 mins
A Song Flung up to Heaven
Episode 5
Maya Angelou is set to work for Martin Luther King when tragedy strikes.
01 Mar 2019,14 mins
All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes
Episode 1
The fifth volume of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary memoirs.
07 Jan 2019,14 mins
All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes
Episode 2
Maya is attempting to assimilate into Ghanaian life with a job at a university.
08 Jan 2019,14 mins
All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes
Episode 3
Maya dates Sheikhali, a rich trader from Mali, but cannot accept his proposition.
09 Jan 2019,14 mins
All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes
Episode 4
Maya marches in Accra whilst Americans led by Martin Luther King march in Washington DC.
10 Jan 2019,14 mins
All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes
Episode 5
Maya finally discovers her African roots.
11 Jan 2019,14 mins
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 1
Maya gets an unexpected visit from singing legend Billie Holiday.
26 Nov 2018,14 mins
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 2
Maya moves to New York to develop her writing but realises there is much to be improved.
27 Nov 2018,14 mins
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 3
Maya meets South African freedom fighter Vusumzi Make, and her life changes forever.
28 Nov 2018,14 mins
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 4
Maya’s in love but bored so she creates a group for women to effect change.
29 Nov 2018,14 mins
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 5
Maya works as associate editor of a newspaper in Egypt but faces a crisis with Vus.
30 Nov 2018,14 mins
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
Episode 1
Maya Angelou's third volume of memoirs, covering her tour of Porgy & Bess
01 Oct 2018,14 mins
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
Episode 2
Maya gets a job as a dancer in a strip bar.
02 Oct 2018,14 mins
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
Episode 3
Maya auditions for Gershwin's world-famous opera, Porgy and Bess.
03 Oct 2018,14 mins
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
Episode 4
Maya tours internationally with Porgy and Bess
04 Oct 2018,14 mins
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
Episode 5
Maya returns home after a long international tour with Porgy and Bess.
05 Oct 2018,14 mins
Gather Together in My Name
Episode 1
It's 1945, and Maya is a 17-year-old single mother.
06 Aug 2018,14 mins
Gather Together in My Name
Episode 2
Maya is a single mother sliding into the world of prostitution.
07 Aug 2018,14 mins
Gather Together in My Name
Episode 3
Maya returns to her grandmother in Arkansas.
08 Aug 2018,14 mins
Gather Together in My Name
Episode 4
Maya teams up with Poole for a new dancing career.
09 Aug 2018,14 mins
Gather Together in My Name
Episode 5
Maya slips into the world of prostitution and narcotics.
10 Aug 2018,14 mins
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Episode 1
Maya and her brother Bailey are sent to live with their grandmother in Arkansas.
18 Jun 2018,15 mins,
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Episode 2
Maya goes to her mother in California and becomes the victim of a traumatising abuse.
19 Jun 2018,15 mins
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Episode 3
After her traumatic experience, Maya finds hope in Mrs Flowers.
20 Jun 2018,15 mins,
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Episode 4
Aged 15, Maya visits her estranged father on a chaotic and surprising trip to Mexico.
21 Jun 2018,15 mins
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Episode 5
Maya starts work on the San Francisco trams and her life changes forever.
22 Jun 2018,15 mins