Sir Lenny to film drama in Birmingham
A NEW drama starring Sir Lenny Henry is to be filmed in Birmingham. My Name is Leon is currently being shot in the city and will be shown on BBC One.
As well as Dudley-born Sir Lenry, the film also stars former Dr Who Christopher Eccleston and Black Mirror’s Malachi Kirby.
The 90-minute drama is an adaptation of the novel of Kit de Waal’s novel of the same name.
It is set in Birmingham in the 1980s and tells the story of nineyear-old Leon, a mixed race boy who hopes to reunite his family after being taken into care and separated from from his blond and blue eyed baby brother.
Viewers will follow the character’s relationship with his foster carer as the production explores issues of identity and belonging.
Sir Lenny, aged 62, who will be the executive producer, said: “I discovered the book while performing the audio book and was so moved on the first day’s work I rang my office at lunchtime and said we’ve got to try and do this. Thankfully, after five years, we’ve pulled it together with a great writer (Shola Amoo), director (Lynette Linton), cast and crew. I can’t wait to see the results.”
My Name is Leon will air on BBC One at a future date.
AN action plan to allow almost 1,100 more graves at a Solihull cemetery could generate £3.5 million in council sales.
Further work is needed to avoid Widney Manor running out of land within a few years – after unforeseen issues limited the impact of a previous extension.
The Bentley Heath site was expanded in 2011, but the council has admitted groundwater means the amount of extra space suitable for burials was far smaller than originally thought.
It was revealed earlier this month that all the remaining plots could be filled by the middle of the decade, with the council working on solutions to increase the cemetery’s lifespan. Officers confirmed that they were looking at ways to tackle the water issue and allow them to “bring as much of the area back into use for burials”.
A combination of ground-raising and drainage is seen as the best way forward, with further surveys, permits and the planning process expected to cost up to £65,000.
If the scheme was successful it would enable the use of more than 1,000 more plots and add another decade to burials at Widney Manor.
It is estimated that the additional spaces would sell for a total of around £3.5m.
Councillor Alison Rolf, cabinet member for stronger and safer communities, has now signed off further investigations – having paid a visit to the graveyard a few weeks ago.
“I did actually look at how the site was set up and there’s an awful lot of space that’s going to be wasted if we can’t make use of it,” she said. She confirmed there would be discussions with existing plot holders about the works once a more detailed plan had been drawn up.
In response to a question from Smith’s Wood councillor Ben Groom (Green), officers confirmed that they are having separate discussions about increasing pressure at Woodlands, near Chelmsley Wood.
This site is similar insofar as there are only a few hundred plots left and facilities are predicted to reach capacity within a few years.