This film is part of Free
The Rise and Fall of Nellie Brown
An incredibly joyous TV musical about a young woman's search for her long-lost cousin.
Overview
A delightful Christmas musical about a young Jamaican woman who flees her humdrum Liverpool lodgings in search of her glamorous London cousin. Broadcast live on 28 December 1964, this rare TV musical is one of few to have survived from the 1960s. A tale of Afro-Caribbean immigration, the show is unusual for its time in that it doesn't labour the issues around racial tensions in Britain, but simply celebrates Christmas and family.
The star of the programme, Millie Small, had scored a worldwide pop hit in the spring of 1964 with her breakthrough single My Boy Lollipop. She's joined by established entertainers Elisabeth Welch and Ron Moody and popular 1960s TV faces like Kenny Lynch and Brian Mosley (Corrie's Alf Roberts) in this entertaining musical fantasy full of Christmas cheer.
Related
The Body Beautiful The Body Beautiful
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1990 24 mins
Autobiographical account of a mother-daughter relationship, exploring beauty standards and female sexuality.
Flight of the Swan Flight of the Swan
Drama 1992 12 mins
A young black ballerina rejects prejudice and finds her African spirit in Swan Lake.
Grove Carnival Grove Carnival
Documentary 1981 18 mins Location: Notting Hill
West London echoes to the sound of reggae and steel pans in this kaleidoscopic record of the 1980 Notting Hill Carnival.
Timbuktu (Q&A) Timbuktu (Q&A)
Inside Film 2014 24 mins
The director of Academy Award-nominated Timbuktu talks about his personal connection to the true story of quite rebellion against religious extremism.
A Family Called Abrew A Family Called Abrew
Biopic 1992 40 mins
Meet the Abrews, a unique showbiz family whose imprint on British culture began in Scotland in the 19th century
West Indian Carnival West Indian Carnival
News 1980 6 mins Location: Leeds
In this celebratory short film, Leeds is transformed with colour and spectacle during the annual West Indian Carnival.
Steel 'n' Skin Steel 'n' Skin
Performance 1979 36 mins Location: Liverpool
Black music and culture in the community
S.S. Saxonia in Liverpool (1901) S.S. Saxonia in Liverpool (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
All ashore! Passengers disembark and crew offload after a long Atlantic crossing.
Who Helps the 'Home Help'? Who Helps the 'Home Help'?
Advert 1952 2 mins Location: Liverpool
Mrs Elizabeth Baker unwinds after a busy day with a nice cup of drinking chocolate.
Activities at the Sir Robert Jones Memorial Workshop for Cripples - Liverpool Activities at the Sir Robert Jones Memorial Workshop for Cripples - Liverpool
Charity appeal 1936 26 mins Silent Location: Liverpool
Bookbinding and a bagatelle: training for disabled people in the interwar years.
But Seriously But Seriously
Student film 1962 14 mins Location: Liverpool
It's a hard life being an misunderstood genius - I really should get out more.
Sphinx Reel - Highlights of Commem Week Sphinx Reel - Highlights of Commem Week
Student film 1952 12 mins Location: Liverpool
Student life and all that jazz - a visit to Liverpool University in1952.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.