Insightful Classroom Series - Black British History - Part 4 - Norman Beaton (Black History)

Now this one takes me back to my childhood… known to many British TV viewers as Desmonds, actor Norman Beaton was born in what was called British Guiana in 1934. Norman started out as a teacher before going to become a headmaster but all the while developing and maintaining his love for the arts, in particular Shakespeare. Another passion of his was his love of calypso, a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century. Norman would travel and settle in the UK gaining another teaching position but not forgetting his desire for the performing arts, he wrote and composed the musical drama Jack of Spades for the Everyman Theatre, the plot focused on the troubled and controversial relationship between a black man and a white woman. The musical draw crowds and became a general success leading to the start of an acting career spanning many years. Sadly, his early television roles were generally of the stereotypical variety handed out to black actors of those days, such as bus conductors and criminals but Norman was not able to let society define him. To find out what happens next, you can check out today's video live now

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