The BBC, public intellectuals, and the making of Five Views of Multi-Racial Britain

This article retrieves and assesses a significant moment of public engagement on race and racism in Britain in the 1970s. Known as Five Views of Multi-Racial Britain it linked the national broadcaster, the BBC with prominent social scientists who delivered lectures to camera. By going back to the archive films, along with interviews with the producer of the BBC series, the discussion sheds new light on the making of the programmes, connecting a piece of media history with the role of public intellectuals on racism. The idea of positioning highlights the significance of context, effects, performance and relationality, identifying the interconnections of self/other and institutional positioning. This provides a multifaceted perspective on the emergence and form of the series in the febrile political climate of the period.