Alfred Fagon: Why his 70s play about black British life still resonates today

The Jamaican-born actor and writer Alfred Fagon, who died in 1986, is now best known for the annual award in his name given to black British playwrights. But as one of his own works from the 1970s is being revived, the director says Fagon still has a lot to say about black British life today.

Early in his TV career Fagon had roles in several BBC dramas. In January 1973 he was in an episode of the police series Z Cars but later that year came a bigger milestone for the actor, who had migrated from Jamaica as a teenager.

Shakespeare Country was a half-hour play on BBC Two about the realities of being a black actor in Britain. Fagon took the lead role – but more importantly the script was also his.

Fagon’s career as a writer had started to bloom.