Main content

Punk's Legacy: Don Letts, This Is Grime, Women in Punk, Scottee

40 years on from Anarchy in the UK, what is the legacy of punk? Do grime artists, queer drag, and riot grrrl bands exist because of punk's inclusivity and attitude?

Musician, filmmaker and DJ, Don Letts has curated a season of films about punk for the British Film Institute, in London. He explains how Punk on Film brings together a broad range of documentary, archive footage and feature films that draw attention to the diversity of the punk movement, its lineage, and influence today.

A significant aspect of punk was that allowed women to defy the music industry's notions of beauty and sex appeal. Women became performers in their own right, wrote their own songs, played their own instruments, and even became the main protagonist of movies about the music industry - such as Hazel O'Connor in Breaking Glass. We hear about the role of women in punk from Hazel O'Connor, vocalist and guitarist Jess Allanic, and Dr Helen Reddington.

Photographers George Quann-Barnett and Marco Grey - from Wot Do You Call It - and Olivia Rose discuss the importance of documenting the grime scene, which they argue is the most unique and significant music subculture to explode in Britain since punk.

Plus Scottee, an artist who describes himself as "fat and working class, with a penchant for ladies clothes", argues that queer drag and performers like Bourgeois & Maurice and Jonny Woo - with their kitten heels, bondage outfits and 'attitude' - are the punks of today.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Angie Nehring.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • Don Letts

    Duration: 06:33

  • Women in Punk

    Duration: 08:47

  • Grime Music

    Duration: 06:27

  • Scottee

    Duration: 04:10

Don Letts

Don Letts
is playing at the BFI, London throughout August. 
Image courtesy of BFI. 
Main image credit: BFI

Women in Punk

Women in Punk
Anarchy! McLaren/Westwood
Image credit: Marcin Krupa 

Scottee

Scottee

Grime Photography

Grime Photography

This Is Grime is by Hattie Collins and and is published by Hodder & Stoughton

Women in Punk

Credits

Role Contributor
Interviewed Guest Don Letts
Interviewed Guest Jess Allanic
Interviewed Guest Helen Reddington
Interviewed Guest George Quann-Barnett
Interviewed Guest Marco Grey
Interviewed Guest Olivia Rose
Interviewed Guest Scottee
Presenter Samira Ahmed
Producer Angie Nehring

Broadcast

  • Fri 12 Aug 2016 19:15

±«Óãtv Arts Digital

The best of British culture live and on demand.

Inspire

Inspire

A season discovering where artists find inspiration and helping listeners get creative.

Podcast