The BBC gets an awful lot of stick these days. If it isn’t churning out monotonous drivel in the form of soap operas, then it’s regurgitating the same old formula again and again, and charging the British public a licence fee for the pleasure.
One thing they don’t get complaints about though, is the quality of their historical, educational and documentary based programming. One such production is their attempt to recreate the life and times of the late Sir Terry Pratchett, who died in March 2015 after suffering from Alzheimer’s.
It is believed that at the time of his death, the author, whose Discworld novels have been translated into at least 37 languages, was working on his own collection of memoirs, but his worsening condition would not allow this to happen. Per the UK tabloid newspaper The Sun, the BBC took on the task of finishing the job for him.
Back in Black will be a 50 minute docu-drama, mixing talking head moments with former friends and confidantes such as fellow author Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline), and recreations of moments in Sir Terry’s very colourful life.
The BBC has promised fans that the program – which stars Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones, Spaced) as the man himself – will be both “poignant and humorous,” celebrating the life of one of the all-time great fantasy writers.
We’ve included the teaser trailer below for your perusal. Whether this will be broadcast on BBC America or not remains to be seen, but we would strongly encourage our readers to seek it out regardless.
Terry Pratchett: Back in Black will air on the BBC this coming Saturday, February 11 at 9 pm. A mini-series based on Pratchett and Gaiman’s Good Omens will be released on Amazon Prime and the BBC some time next year.
