We Are England (2022 TV programme)

We Are England[1] is a regional current affairs documentary programme shown on BBC One.[2][3] The programme is made by six teams around England, based in Birmingham, London, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle and Norwich. The programme airs six original half-hour documentaries each week, with each week themed around a different topic; the first theme was Mental Health.[4] The programme replaced regional current affairs show Inside Out. A notable change was that each We Are England episode is a single half hour documentary, whereas Inside Out normally aired a collection of short-form pieces in its 30 minute slot. Another change is a cutback in the number of teams, from 11 regional hubs to six.

We Are England
GenreNews, current affairs
Country of originEngland
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Network
Release26 January 2022 (2022-01-26) –
present
Related

Broadcast

Aisling O'Connor, the head of TV commissioning for BBC England, commissioned 120 episodes to be broadcast in 2022, with the first being shown on 26 January 2022 at 7:30pm.[5][6][7][8][9] In-addition to being shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer select episodes are also repeated on BBC News.[10]

The first four episodes of We Are England aired on Wednesdays at 7:30pm. After the fourth Farming England,[11][12][13] the series moved to a timeslot of 8:30pm. This move was due to the BBC's decision to schedule a new 'soap hour' over its two main channels with a regular timeslot for EastEnders on BBC One at 7.30pm.[14]

In May 2022, the BBC announced a raft of closures, restructures and cost-cutting measures.[15] One of these was the decision not to renew We Are England for a third series.[16]

In July 2022,[17] a number of documentaries from the We Are England strand (including ones featuring Bimini,[18][19] Jayde Adams[20][21] and Jassa Ahluwalia)[22][23] were repeated on BBC Three, alongside a number of similarly formatted 30 minute documentaries. However, rather than being grouped under the We Are England or Our Lives[24][25] brands, these new documentaries were now just being listed under one off titles such as Filthy Business[26][27] and Queen of Trucks[28][29] on the BBC iPlayer and in programme guides.

Episode list

We Are England launched on 26 January 2022, airing 60 original half hour documentaries over 10 weeks. In February 2022, an episode about a cryptocurrency[30][31] trader from the Bossing It theme (about young entrepreneurs) was pulled from broadcast at late notice, citing "editorial concerns".[32][33] Another episode was later taken down from BBC iPlayer, Unfiltered, a BBC Cambridgeshire and East documentary originally broadcast in that region on 26 January 2022, which featured 19 year old dancer Mia and had an appearance from TV personality Vicky Pattison.[34]

No.TitleSubjectsAirdate
1Mental Health[35]
  • Poignant stories exploring mental health issues around the country
26 January 2022
''Veterans Road to Recovery'' (Manchester)
"Unfiltered" (Cambridge)
Nature on My Mind (Somerset)
Fighting My Phobia (Coventry)
Cold Swim (Tynemouth)
Becoming Dad (Watford)
2The Night Shift[36]
  • Who is keeping our country and industry moving while we sleep?
2 February 2022
Life Blood (London)
Down at the Docks (Bristol)
Night Nurses (Birmingham)
Our Bin Lorry Life (Peterborough)
One Night in Newcastle
One Night at the Fish Market (Grimsby)
3Bossing It[37]
  • Young entrepreneurs striving to set up successful businesses in the face of adversity.
9 February 2022
Fighting for Fashion (Exeter)
Steffi and the Chocolate Factory
Photo Me Famous
The Container King
The Beauty Boss
4Farming England[38]
  • How England's farms are taking on new challenges and keeping their businesses afloat.
16 February 2022
When the Boats Come in (Falmouth)
The Crisp Farmers (Hereford)
My Norfolk Farm
First Time Farmers
Farming on the Spectrum (Oxfordshire)
Crisis on the Farm
5BelongingExploring the many ways community spirit and support changes our lives.23 February 2022
The Real Vicars of Dibley
Our Skate Park Life (Hastings)
Our Fight Club (Middlesbrough)
Our Derby Dance School
The Real Phoenix Nights (Clacton)
Cornwall's Last Raceway
6A Place Called HomeSix personal stories highlight the complex issues we face in finding a place to call home.7 March 2022
Hanging on to Home (London)
Van Life (Bristol)
Staying Afloat (Cambridgeshire)
Homes for the Homeless (Nottingham)
Students in Suburbia (Newcastle)
Fighting for Our Homes (Leeds)
7Sporting HeroesWe meet sporting heroes across England who are challenging the status quo.14 March 2022
Swim School
Mick Walks for England
Make Me a Jockey
Fighting for Me
Football Fat Fighters
Bouncing Back
8Made in EnglandStories that champion England’s manufacturing and craftmanship.21 March 2022
The 007 Shoe Factory
Make Mine a 99
Inside the Jet Engine Factory
A Very British Bike Factory
Our Northern Jacket Empire
The Biggest Smallest Car Company
9True CrimeDiscovering new evidence in unsolved murder cases in England.28 March 2022
Finding Michelle Bettles
Who Killed Barry Rubery?
Knife Angels
Who Killed Dad?
Our Adam
Why Did My Brother End Up Dead?
10My HometownSix celebrities take us on a personal journey of discovery in their hometowns.4 April 2022
Graft: Uncovering My Roots
Bimini Bon Boulash: Homecoming Queen
Jassa Ahluwalia: Am I English?
Livvy Haydock: My Hometown
Kema Kay: My Hometown

References

External links