Many readers will have fond memories of Floella Benjamin as a children’s TV presenter in the 1970s and ’80s. The ensuing decades have seen her widely recognised as an acclaimed writer, actor and children’s rights activist. Floella is associate producer of brand-new play Coming To England. A candid account of her family’s journey from Trinidad to the UK, the show premieres at The REP in March...
Floella Benjamin has seen countless first nights of shows, but the premiere of Coming To England at Birmingham Repertory Theatre will be special because the family musical is based on a book she wrote about her own childhood.
First published in 1995, Coming To England tells of Floella’s journey as a child from her home in Trinidad to begin a new life in the UK. Aged just 10, she discovered an England very different from the one she had pictured, meeting with racism and prejudice.
But Floella was determined to overcome any barriers, becoming a favourite of millions of children when she presented Play School and Play Away in the 1970s and ’80s, then going on to become a writer, producer, actress and children’s rights activist. Her contribution to the UK was recognised with an OBE in 2001 and her appointment as a life peer in 2010, as Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham. She was also made a Dame of the British Empire in 2020.
As an associate producer of Coming To England, Floella has been closely involved with the production and is looking forward to sharing the story with audiences.
Floella was prompted to write Coming To England by the enquiries of her own children: “When my children were little, they said, ‘Mum, what was it like when you were little?’ I realised there wasn’t a book which described my life - someone who was born in one culture, leaving that culture to come to another land and trying to make sense of a new world I found myself in. So I decided to write that book.
“I knew I wanted to write it through the eyes of a child, to talk about the childhood experience, and it took me a while to get into that feeling of childhoodness. Then I sat down one night at about 11 o’clock and suddenly I got transposed into being that child. I just started writing, and I wrote until about four or five o’clock that morning.
“I wrote everything, and there were tears and laughter, and when I showed my children what I’d written, they said, ‘Mum, this is incredible’.”
Floella’s jazz musician father came to England first, followed by Floella’s mum and two of their children a year later, leaving Floella and three of her siblings with foster parents in Trinidad for 15 months. Once her parents had saved enough money, they sent for the remaining children.
“I was 10, and four of us children came over on the big ship on our own. When we got to England we lived in one room in London - eight people in one room, but Mum said, ‘Don’t cry, because this room is full of love’.
“When I went to school it all started - the name-calling, being pushed up against a brick wall. Being bullied is traumatic, but I didn’t cry. Then, when I got home, I told my mum these strange racist words. I saw a tear roll down her cheek, and she said, ‘We’re living in England and some people will hate you because of the colour of your skin, but I want you to go to school and learn, and then one day you will be great.’
“I remember at the age of 10 rubbing my hand and realising that I was no longer a person but would always be recognised by the colour of my skin; as a colour. That’s quite tough to take as a 10-year-old.”
But Coming To England is a story about remaining positive.
“My message in Coming To England is that there is always hope. No matter what you go through, everything happens for a reason and every disappointment leads you to something better.
“This show will be so joyful - the music, the sets, the colour; it will be like a cauldron of excitement. It’s a rich tapestry of sadness, frustration, laughter and joy, all coming together as the big H - hope.”
It was Floella’s husband and creative partner Keith Taylor who first suggested adapting the book for the stage. Floella turned to writer and dramatist David Wood, who has adapted a host of children’s books for theatre, including Tom’s Midnight Garden, The Twits, The BFG, Babe and The Tiger Who Came To Tea.
“David sent the script through, and I remember sitting down with a cup of tea in the kitchen and turning the first page. Immediately I was lost in the script. It was perfect. The whole thing came alive off the page, and I could see the scenes and hear the music and hear the voices in a theatre. He just captured it.”
And then, in February 2020, Floella was approached by Sean Foley, artistic director of the Rep.
“He said, ‘I’ve seen the script and I want to put it on at Birmingham Rep. Birmingham is the best city because it’s one of the most diverse in the country, and this is where this show should have its world premiere’.”
This spring, Floella will finally see her story on stage.
“It’s a story about people moving from one culture to another, and that will resonate with people everywhere.“It’s for children to have understanding and empathy and consideration, knowing there are consequences to their actions, and hopefully they won’t be horrible to someone. It’s not just about the colour of their skin. It could be because they’ve got ginger hair, it could be because they’ve got big ears, it could be anything. This story is about being different and how you deal with differences.
“It’s a family show - it’s for adults as well as children, because 'childhood lasts a lifetime'. You always remain a child, and this will transport adults back. They will remember their childhood and the songs they used to sing as a child.
“I will be so excited on the opening night. I’m 72, but this is a first for me, seeing my own story as a musical. I hope the audiences will be just as excited as I am when they leave the theatre. I can’t wait to sit in the audience and hear the reaction of the crowd. I’m sure it will be a magical evening, and I will be sitting back in my seat with pure enjoyment.”
Coming To England shows at The REP, Birmingham, from Thurs 31 March - Sat 16 April, 2022
Floella Benjamin’s story, on stage at The REP
Many readers will have fond memories of Floella Benjamin as a children’s TV presenter in the 1970s and ’80s. The ensuing decades have seen her widely recognised as an acclaimed writer, actor and children’s rights activist. Floella is associate producer of brand-new play Coming To England. A candid account of her family’s journey from Trinidad to the UK, the show premieres at The REP in March...
Floella Benjamin has seen countless first nights of shows, but the premiere of Coming To England at Birmingham Repertory Theatre will be special because the family musical is based on a book she wrote about her own childhood.
First published in 1995, Coming To England tells of Floella’s journey as a child from her home in Trinidad to begin a new life in the UK. Aged just 10, she discovered an England very different from the one she had pictured, meeting with racism and prejudice.
But Floella was determined to overcome any barriers, becoming a favourite of millions of children when she presented Play School and Play Away in the 1970s and ’80s, then going on to become a writer, producer, actress and children’s rights activist. Her contribution to the UK was recognised with an OBE in 2001 and her appointment as a life peer in 2010, as Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham. She was also made a Dame of the British Empire in 2020.
As an associate producer of Coming To England, Floella has been closely involved with the production and is looking forward to sharing the story with audiences.
Floella was prompted to write Coming To England by the enquiries of her own children: “When my children were little, they said, ‘Mum, what was it like when you were little?’ I realised there wasn’t a book which described my life - someone who was born in one culture, leaving that culture to come to another land and trying to make sense of a new world I found myself in. So I decided to write that book.
“I knew I wanted to write it through the eyes of a child, to talk about the childhood experience, and it took me a while to get into that feeling of childhoodness. Then I sat down one night at about 11 o’clock and suddenly I got transposed into being that child. I just started writing, and I wrote until about four or five o’clock that morning.
“I wrote everything, and there were tears and laughter, and when I showed my children what I’d written, they said, ‘Mum, this is incredible’.”
Floella’s jazz musician father came to England first, followed by Floella’s mum and two of their children a year later, leaving Floella and three of her siblings with foster parents in Trinidad for 15 months. Once her parents had saved enough money, they sent for the remaining children.
“I was 10, and four of us children came over on the big ship on our own. When we got to England we lived in one room in London - eight people in one room, but Mum said, ‘Don’t cry, because this room is full of love’.
“When I went to school it all started - the name-calling, being pushed up against a brick wall. Being bullied is traumatic, but I didn’t cry. Then, when I got home, I told my mum these strange racist words. I saw a tear roll down her cheek, and she said, ‘We’re living in England and some people will hate you because of the colour of your skin, but I want you to go to school and learn, and then one day you will be great.’
“I remember at the age of 10 rubbing my hand and realising that I was no longer a person but would always be recognised by the colour of my skin; as a colour. That’s quite tough to take as a 10-year-old.”
But Coming To England is a story about remaining positive.
“My message in Coming To England is that there is always hope. No matter what you go through, everything happens for a reason and every disappointment leads you to something better.
“This show will be so joyful - the music, the sets, the colour; it will be like a cauldron of excitement. It’s a rich tapestry of sadness, frustration, laughter and joy, all coming together as the big H - hope.”
It was Floella’s husband and creative partner Keith Taylor who first suggested adapting the book for the stage. Floella turned to writer and dramatist David Wood, who has adapted a host of children’s books for theatre, including Tom’s Midnight Garden, The Twits, The BFG, Babe and The Tiger Who Came To Tea.
“David sent the script through, and I remember sitting down with a cup of tea in the kitchen and turning the first page. Immediately I was lost in the script. It was perfect. The whole thing came alive off the page, and I could see the scenes and hear the music and hear the voices in a theatre. He just captured it.”
And then, in February 2020, Floella was approached by Sean Foley, artistic director of the Rep.
“He said, ‘I’ve seen the script and I want to put it on at Birmingham Rep. Birmingham is the best city because it’s one of the most diverse in the country, and this is where this show should have its world premiere’.”
This spring, Floella will finally see her story on stage.
“It’s a story about people moving from one culture to another, and that will resonate with people everywhere.“It’s for children to have understanding and empathy and consideration, knowing there are consequences to their actions, and hopefully they won’t be horrible to someone. It’s not just about the colour of their skin. It could be because they’ve got ginger hair, it could be because they’ve got big ears, it could be anything. This story is about being different and how you deal with differences.
“It’s a family show - it’s for adults as well as children, because 'childhood lasts a lifetime'. You always remain a child, and this will transport adults back. They will remember their childhood and the songs they used to sing as a child.
“I will be so excited on the opening night. I’m 72, but this is a first for me, seeing my own story as a musical. I hope the audiences will be just as excited as I am when they leave the theatre. I can’t wait to sit in the audience and hear the reaction of the crowd. I’m sure it will be a magical evening, and I will be sitting back in my seat with pure enjoyment.”
Coming To England shows at The REP, Birmingham, from Thurs 31 March - Sat 16 April, 2022