BBC documentary about Kanye West’s ‘complex journey’ into antisemitism in the works
From fame to shame: 'We Need To Talk About Kanye' to be accompanied by eight-part podcast series
The BBC has announced a one-off documentary and accompanying podcast series charting how rapper Kanye West went from international fame and critical acclaim to “condemnation and notoriety” over his racist anti-Jewish views.
‘We Need To Talk About Kanye’, the TV special’s working title, will air on BBC Two and be presented by journalist Mobeen Azhar, who fronted the broadcaster’s Battle For Britney documentary.
The rapper, now legally known as Ye and one of the world’s most successful musicians with more than 160 million records sold, has recently come under fire over a series of antisemitic remarks. In December 2022, he gave an interview with US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in which he praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler; Ye also vowed to go ‘deathcon 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE’ in a post later removed by Twitter
The BBC film will be set against the backdrop of his ongoing 2024 presidential election campaign in the US, after an unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2020.
It will follow Azhar as he attempts to “understand the complex journey that led Ye to become one of the most famous and creatively successful artists of his generation, but more recently to condemnation and notoriety”.
The one-off special is being produced by Forest for BBC Music and distributed by Abacus Media Rights, and an air date will be announced in the coming months.
An eight-part podcast series titled The Kanye Story will also accompany the documentary.
Produced by Forest Sounds for BBC Sounds, each episode will features guests offering insight into West’s place in popular culture.
Early last year Netflix aired a three-part series, Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, charting West’s early years in the music industry.
It drew on reels of intimate footage dating back two decades, showing West’s evolution from unknown rapper to international star, fashion designer and businessman.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
