The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
THE CHANGIN’ TIMES OF IKE WHITE
Monday, BBC Four, 10pm
Ike White is a gifted soul musician whose only album, Changin’ Times, was recorded in 1976 under highly unusual circumstances: White was serving a life sentence for murder at the time. This absorbing Arena documentary follows a classic mystery formula: introduce the viewer to a forgotten cult artist, then gradually reveal what happened to them. White has always maintained that, while guilty of robbing a grocery store, he shot and killed the owner by accident. The Changin’ Times project was a chance to turn his life around, yet despite the patronage of pop star Stevie Wonder and a release from prison in 1978, he actively chose to fade into obscurity. Following a diligent search, Arena finally tracked him down to find out why.
OUR LIVES: SOUL BOY
Wednesday, BBC One, 7:30pm
Meet Anthony Flavin, a Nottingham teenager who has been in care since he was six. This uplifting half hour documentary follows him as he prepares to branch out on his own for the first time. Anthony has discovered a passionate sense of purpose within the local Northern Soul community. It has boosted his confidence and changed his life completely. The programme is a sweet celebration of the transcendent succour of music and companionship. The Northern Soul scene is quite rightly presented as an utterly positive working class subculture, an egalitarian escape route from the pressures of everyday life. We could all do with a little more hope at the moment; you’ll definitely find some here. Come on feet, start movin’.
CLIMBING BLIND
Wednesday, BBC Four, 9pm
This remarkable documentary follows lifelong climber Jesse Dufton, who is almost completely blind, as he attempts to conquer the Old Man of Hoy. No one has ever made a “non-sight” lead of the famous Scottish sea stack before, but Dufton is confident that he can do it. Accompanied by his sight guide and fiancée, Molly, and rock-climbing filmmaker Alastair Lee, he first of all explains his technique: “I’m not really using my eyes, to be honest. They don’t really give me any useful information. “All the information will be what I feel through my hands and through my feet as well.” The Old Man of Hoy, close to Rackwick Bay on the west coast of Hoy in Orkney, is a sheer rock face, 449-foot high. In a word: crikey.