Grime Kids: The Inside Story of the Global Grime Takeover

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The rise of grime music is a story best told from the inside. That’s the ethos that underpins Grime Kids, a retelling of the genre’s early days by someone who was there from the very beginning – DJ Target. Bishop, the quiet thinker, learns an important lesson in appreciating the relationships in his life over flashy things. Grime Kids is a brand new, fictional story created by Ikoko, inspired by DJ Target’s non-fiction book of the same name. Ultimately, the series is about music, friendship and figuring out what kind of man you want to be when the world still sees you as a kid. A love letter to east London The series is markedly different from the book and traces the lives of five fictional characters, growing up in the early 2000s, desperate to have their voices heard through music.

Grime Kids, Series 1 - Episode guide BBC Three - Grime Kids, Series 1 - Episode guide

At that time, in that place, it was something magical,” he says of east London in grime’s early years. Dane is the ambitious dreamer and leader of the crew. He’s determined to turn his dreams into a reality and finds his first love Genevieve along the way. The Rap Game UK mentor DJ Target is one of the show’s executive producers and says the series will allow viewers a glimpse into “how a young person at that time lived, got about and navigated to get to their dream”. Yus Jamal Crooks will be making his TV debut, alongside Shanu Hazzan (EastEnders), Juwon Adedokun (We Love Moses), Gabriel Robinson (Silent Witness), and Tienne Simon ( Silent Witness). A love letter to east London, the series is set and filmed in Bow, celebrating the culture, community and creatives that gave birth to a then new genre: grime. What can you expect from the series?

Junior, Dane’s best friend, is the ‘dad’ of the group. During the series, he learns to confront his grief over the death of his mum head on and put aside old resentments and see the best in people. All the biggest names in grime feature in the book, Wiley, Tinchy Stryder, Skepta, and Risky Roadz among them, and plenty more besides. All were there and all mattered. There’s very little ego in Grime Kids. It delights in sharing a life-changing time and is grateful for the opportunity to do so. Each individual has his own defining characteristic, a story to tell and a reason to look for something more than what life can provide. Set in the early 2000s, Grime Kids explores how the environment in which a person grows up affects their choices, actions and the kind of people they surround themselves with. It touches on the different approaches to parenting – from the overly strict to the neglectful to the ones incredibly dependent on their children – and how the absence of parental authority can urge young individuals to look for family elsewhere, whether it be through their friends or the idols they look up to. The writing highlights these different dynamics through toxic friendships, jealousy and familial rifts. Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC Three says: “It’s a great pleasure to announce the incredibly talented cast of Grime Kids - a fantastic new story rich with life, told through the eyes of teens in the best summer of their lives. I can’t wait for BBC Three viewers to get to know them.”

Grime Kids OUT NOW on Twitter Grime Kids OUT NOW on Twitter

BFI Flare Special Presentation: HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS (North Macedonia-Poland-Croatia-Serbia-Kosovo, dir.-scr. Goran Stolevski) The festival will present a diverse programme of films, shorts, series and immersive works from 92 countries, featuring 79 languages playing across the 12 days of the festival. This includes 99 works made by female and non-binary filmmakers – 39% of the programme.The 67th BFI London Film Festival, which is scheduled to be presented over twelve days from 4 to 15 October 2023, has announced the full programme line-up. DJ Target added: “I’m beyond excited for this story to be brought to life on screen. It’s a real testament to how far UK music has come over the years, which is something that needs to be celebrated. Working with Theresa Ikoko and the mighty Mammoth Screen is a real honour, and I can’t wait for everybody to see this.”