Stephen Bourne (writer)

Stephen Bourne
Born	Camberwell, London, United Kingdom
Occupation	Writer, film and social historian specialising in black culture
Nationality	British
Alma mater	London College of Printing; De Montfort University
Website
www.stephenbourne.co.uk

Stephen Bourne is a British writer, film and social historian specialising in the history of Black British people and gay culture in the United Kingdom.

Career

Stephen Bourne was a research officer at the British Film Institute on a project that documented the history of Black people in British television. ^[1] He wrote Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema 1930–71, published in 1996. His book Black in the British Frame: Black People in British Film and Television 1896–1996 was published in 1998. His Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television followed on it in 2001. He also wrote books on American actors Elisabeth Welch, Ethel Waters, Butterfly McQueen, and Nina Mae McKinney. Bourne co-authored two books with Esther Bruce about her life as a seamstress in London.

Bourne with his book Black Poppies

In 2014, Bourne's book Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War ^[2] was published by The History Press. ^[3] Reviewing it in The Independent , Bernardine Evaristo said: "Until historians and cultural map-makers stop ignoring the historical presence of people of colour, books such as this one provide a powerful, revelatory counterbalance to the whitewashing of British history." ^[4]

Following the publication of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities in March 2021, Bourne revealed he was listed as a contributor to the report without his knowledge, stating that he felt manipulated. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

His book Deep Are the Roots: Trailblazers Who Changed Black British Theatre was published in 2021 and his book Amanda Ira Aldridge and Avril Coleridge-Taylor: Getting the Tempo Right (about British composers Amanda Ira Aldridge and Avril Coleridge-Taylor) in 2024.

Awards

In 2002 Bourne received the Metropolitan Police Volunteer Award for his work as independent adviser on critical incidents. In 2013 Bourne was nominated for a Southwark Heritage Blue Plaque for his work as a community historian and Southwark Police independent adviser. ^[8] He came second with 1,025 votes.^{[ citation needed ]}

In May 2017, he was honoured at the 12th Screen Nation Awards for his work on the history of Black Britons in film and television. ^[9] In 2017 he received an Honorary Fellowship from London South Bank University. ^{[10] [11]}

TV and radio

Bourne has been interviewed on BBC Radio London. ^{[12] [13]}

In 1993, for Salutations, Bourne received a Race in the Media Award for Best Radio Documentary from the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). Salutations was a nine-part series that Bourne conceived and scripted for Ladbroke Radio/BBC Radio 2, celebrating the achievements of Black African, Caribbean and British singers and musicians from the 1930s to the 1960s. Subjects included Leslie "Hutch" Hutchinson, Reginald Foresythe, Evelyn Dove, Leslie Thompson, Leslie "Jiver" Hutchinson, Ken "Snakehips" Johnson, Cyril Blake, Rudolph Dunbar, Fela Sowande, Edric Connor, Winifred Atwell, Ray Ellington, Cy Grant, Geoff Love and Shirley Bassey. The following year, Bourne received a second CRE award in the same category for Black in the West End, a celebration of Black musical theatre in London's West End.^{[ citation needed ]}

Black British theatre

Bourne was the recipient of a Wingate Scholarship in 2011. ^[14]

Publications

• The Sun Shone on Our Side of the Street: Aunt Esther's Story, with Esther Bruce, ECOHP, 1991, ISBN   1871338077
• Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema 1930–71, Cassell, 1996, ISBN   0304332860
• Aunt Esther's Story, with Esther Bruce, ECOHP, 1996, ISBN   1871338123
• Black in the British Frame: Black People in British Film and Television 1896-1996, Cassell, 1998, ISBN   9780304333752
• A Ship and a Prayer: The Black Presence in Hammersmith and Fulham, with Sav Kyriacou, ECOHP, 1999, ISBN   187133814X
• Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television, Cassell/Continuum, 2001, ISBN   0826455395
• Sophisticated Lady: A Celebration of Adelaide Hall, ECOHP, 2001, ISBN   1871338158
• Elisabeth Welch: Soft Lights and Sweet Music, Scarecrow Press, 2005, ISBN   0810854139
• Speak of Me As I Am: The Black Presence in Southwark Since 1600, Southwark Council, 2005, ISBN   0905849426
• Ethel Waters: Stormy Weather, Scarecrow Press, 2007, ISBN   0810859025
• Butterfly McQueen Remembered, Scarecrow Press, 2008, ISBN   081086018X
• Dr. Harold Moody, Southwark Council, 2008, ISBN   978-0-905849-43-0
• Mother Country: Britain's Black Community on the Home Front 1939–45, The History Press, 2010, ISBN   0752456105
• Nina Mae McKinney: The Black Garbo, BearManor Media, 2011, ISBN   9781593936587
• The Motherland Calls: Britain's Black Servicemen and Women 1939–1945, The History Press, 2012, ISBN   978-0-7524-6585-2
• Esther Bruce: A Black London Seamstress, with Esther Bruce, History and Social Action Publications, 2012, ISBN   978-0-9548943-7-5
• Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War, The History Press, 2014, ISBN   075249760X
• Evelyn Dove: Britain's Black Cabaret Queen, Jacaranda Books, 2016, ISBN   9781909762350
• Fighting Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served in Two World Wars, I.B.Tauris, 2017/Bloomsbury Academic, 2019, ISBN   978-1-350-14322-7
• War to Windrush: Black Women in Britain 1939–1948, Jacaranda Books, 2018, ISBN   9781909762855
• Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War (2nd edition, revised and updated), The History Press, 2019, ISBN   978-0-7509-9082-0
• Playing Gay in the Golden Age of British Television, The History Press, 2019, ISBN   978-0-7509-9013-4
• Under Fire: Black Britain in Wartime 1939-45, The History Press, 2020, ISBN   978-0-7509-9435-4 ^[15]
• Deep Are the Roots: Trailblazers Who Changed Black British Theatre, The History Press, 2021, ISBN   978-0-7509-9629-7
• Black Poppies: The Story of Britain's Black Community in the First World War (Young Readers Edition), The History Press, 2022, ISBN   978-0-7509-9963-2
• Lena Horne: The MGM Years BearManor Media, 2023, ISBN   979-8887712369
• Amanda Ira Aldridge and Avril Coleridge-Taylor: Getting the Tempo Right Historycal Roots, 2024, ISBN   979-8877958043
• Trailblazers of Black British Theatre: From Ira Aldridge to Cleo Laine The History Press, 2025, ISBN   978-1803999234

Contributor

• "Coming Clean: Soap Operas", in T. Daniels and J. Gerson (eds), The Colour Black: Black Images in British Television, BFI, 1989, ISBN   0-85170-232-5
• "Denying Her Place: Hattie McDaniel's Surprising Acts", in P. Cook and P. Dodd (eds), Women and Film: A Sight and Sound Reader, Scarlet Press, 1993, ISBN   1-85727-081-9
• "Secrets and Lies: Black Histories and British Historical Films", in C. Monk and A. Sargeant (eds), British Historical Cinema, Routledge, 2002, ISBN   0-415-23810-2
• "Black representation" and "Gay and lesbian representation", in B. McFarlane (ed.), The Encyclopedia of British Film, Methuen, 2003, ISBN   0-413-77526-7
• "Behind the Masks: Anthony Asquith and Brian Desmond Hurst", in R. Griffiths (ed.), British Queer Cinema, Routledge, 2006, ISBN   0-415-30779-1
• D. Dabydeen, J. Gilmore and C. Jones (eds), The Oxford Companion to Black British History, Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN   978-0-19-280439-6
• "Colour Balance: Black British Television Stars", in J. Bell (ed.), Black Star: A BFI Compendium, BFI, 2016, ISBN   978-1844579716
• "Paving the Way: The Story of Annie Brewster", in J. Beula (ed.), Nursing a Nation: An Anthology of African and Caribbean Contributions to Britain's Health Services, Nu Jak Media Publishing, 2021, ISBN   978-1-8383687-0-8
• "Snakehips Swing" and "Sophisticated Ladies", in P. Bradshaw (ed.), Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music, British Library, 2024, ISBN   978-0712354899
• "A Massive Jigsaw Puzzle", in M. Ohajuru (ed.), "Who is John Blanke?: Historians and Artists Reimagine the Black Tudor Trumpeter", Canbury Press, 2025, ISBN   978-1914487484

References

1. Stephen Bourne, " Black History Hidden Treasures", BBC Blogs, 8 October 2019.
2. Sonia Brown, "Why Stephen Bourne is talking Black Communities, the Great War and Black Poppies as we Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of WW1", National Black Women's Network, 4 August 2014.
3. "Guest Post: Black Poppies – Britain’s Black Community and the Great War", Imperial War Museum Research Blog, 2014.
4. Bernardine Evaristo, "Black Poppies: Britain's Black Community and the Great War by Stephen Bourne, book review – A fascinating history lesson full of pride and prejudice", The Independent, 11 September 2014.
5. Charlie Moloney, "I was manipulated to help with race report, says historian Stephen Bourne", The Times , 1 April 2021.
6. Harrison Jones, "Participants in racism report deny being involved as backlash intensifies", The Metro, 1 April 2021.
7. Aamna Mohdin, "Experts cited in No 10’s race report claim they were not properly consulted", The Guardian, 1 April 2021.
8. Joseph Patrick McCormick, "Gay historian and police advisor Stephen Bourne nominated for blue plaque", Pink News , 17 September 2013.
9. "Historian Stephen Bourne receives Screen Nation Award". The Voice . 9 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
10. "LSBU awards six honorary graduates and fellows", London South Bank University, 10 November 2017.
11. "Stephen Bourne, Honorary Fellow", London South Bank University.
12. "Tim Arthur, Stephen Bourne, Deborah Stone and Melinda Nicci". BBC. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
13. "Salma El-Wardany and LionHeart, Stephen Bourne, Almara Abgarian and Dr Adowa Danso". BBC. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
14. "Economics, History, Law, Political Science", Record of Wingate Scholars 1988 – 2011, p. 2.
15. Stephen Bourne, "Under Fire: Black Britain in Wartime 1939-45" at Google Books.

External links

• Official website