Empire Road 45 years old

Empire Road was a British television series, made by the BBC in 1978 and 1979. Written by Michael Abbensetts, the show ran for two seasons of eight episodes each. The series was the first British television series to be written, acted and directed predominantly by black artists. A soap opera, similar in format to Coronation Street, Empire Road depicted life for the African-Caribbean, East Indian and South Asian residents of a racially diverse street in the city of Birmingham. Prominent cast members included Norman Beaton, Corinne Skinner-Carter, Wayne Laryea, Joseph Marcell and Rudolph Walker. The programme also provided early TV exposure for Julie Walters who appeared in a few episodes. The series was made at BBC Pebble Mill with location work in the Handsworth area of Birmingham. The eponymously named theme song was recorded by Matumbi and also released as a single in 1978.

Credits

Cast

Name	Character
Julie Walters She was 28 , now 74 years old	as Jean Watson
Norman Beaton He was 44 , 60 years old when he died
Rudolph Walker He was 39 , now 84 years old
Wayne Laryea He was 26 , now 72 years old

Crew

Name	Job title

Empire Road (45 years)

Ended

First Air Date: 1978-10-31
Runtime: [30] minutes
Number of Episodes: 16