The Mahalia Jackson Show
The legendary ‘Queen of Gospel’ Mahalia Jackson performs in her first appearance on British television. Folk singer Leon Bibb, jazz musicians Toots Thielemans and Chris Barber, and concert pianist Julius Katchen join her.
Through her gospel singing and her activism, Mahalia Jackson was one of the most influential vocalists in American history. Born into poverty, the granddaughter of a slave, she went on to perform at JFK’s inaugural gala in 1961, at Martin Luther King’s March on Washington in 1963 and for numerous heads of state around the world. Yet she also found time to continue to sing – for free – to the church congregations who had championed her from the start.
Harry Belafonte described her as “the single most powerful black woman in the United States...[there was not] a single field hand, a single black worker, a single black intellectual who did not respond to her.”
Trailblazing Women
Meet some of the pioneering women who broke through barriers, forged new paths and made history
This collection celebrates female firsts that span disciplines and centuries, from film, fashion, sports and writing to technology, science, politics and exploration. Shrugging off patronising questions and challenging societal norms, these ambitious women revolutionised their respective fields and shaped history. While one or two figures might be polarising and controversial, and other names forgotten over time, their achievements certainly aren’t.
Some of these women weren’t recognised as pioneers until long after their death, others had their ground-breaking contributions credited to men – or, they were simply ignored. While the glass ceiling still needs smashing, these determined, resourceful and ingenious women chipped and chipped and chipped away, setting precedents to inspire us all.
32 videos in this collection
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The Amazing, Mysterious and True Story of Mary Anning and her Monsters
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Guardian Interview: Kathryn Bigelow
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Jet Pilot Judith Chisholm
Yachtswoman Hicks in Mini-Transat on Anonymous Bay
Woman Train Driver
Barbara Hepworth at the Tate
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Book Four [23/10/85]
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Caroline Lucas
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Celebration (Grace Jones)
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Clive James Meets Katharine Hepburn
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Ellen Kuzwayo with Hilda Bernstein
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Film Talk: Glenda Jackson
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Harriet Vyse
Hepworth on Form
In My End is My Beginning
In My Sculpture Garden
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Interview with Norma Best: Part One
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Jacquetta Hawkes
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Jane Glover
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Judith Chisholm
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Victoria Wood & Julie Walters (Live from Two
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Live from Two [22/07/81]
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Nemone Lethbridge on Lady Constance Lytton
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Tanni Grey-Thompson talks to Nick Whitehead
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Tessa Sanderson
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The Mahalia Jackson Show
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Top Cop Jenny Hilton (Women of Today) (1.9.82)
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Victoria Wood
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War, Peace and Pictures: The Films of Kay Mander
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Watch that Lift
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