southwestfolk

A new four-part documentary series focussing on British Folk music starts on Channel 5 this Sunday.

My Music consists of four, hour-long programmes which focus on the music of Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby, Eliza Carthy and Athena respectively.

Tom Ravenscroft, son of the late John Peel, will narrate the programmes, which will feature contributions from Billy Bragg, Jennifer Saunders, Stewart Lee and Willy Russell, as well as many of the artists from today's folk world.

Executive producer Michael Proudfoot has secured exclusive behind the scenes access to all artists – as well as in-depth interviews that reveal the highs, the lows, the history and aspirations of these influential musicians. Michael said: “We wanted to get under the creative skins of these artists. The songs they write and the music they make are products of the places in England that they live in, so the My Music documentaries are not just music shows, they are about the English landscape, or in Athena's case the Greek landscape.

“We wanted to show how music gets created, how songs are written and how it can be done these days without being part of a major record label."

Folk music proved popular for Five last year, when one-off documentary Kathryn Tickell's Northumbria drew around 750,000 viewers.

The first show concentrates on Dartmoor heart-throb Seth Lakeman and airs this Sunday (April 6th) at 11am, so don't stay up too late the night before!

richard wrote:My Music consists of four, hour-long programmes which focus on the music of Seth Lakeman ......

Thanks for the tip Sir Richard. I recorded it on Sunday and have just watched it in my early lunch-hour today

Inspiring stuff. Loved his four-string guitar, and his skills at violin, banjo and 'proper' guitar, and of course his singing.

Looking forward to the other three programmes, if they give such a great insight to the performers.

By the way, great rocking with the "Coalition of the Willing" at the Rose of Denmark on Wed 9 April. What was it that upset the Harmonica player? I think he'd had a bit too much 'spirits', but he seemed to calm down later.

Cheers ..... Trevor.