The Scottish poet delves into her history in this exciting new BBC One documentary
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY BBC
Scottish poet, playwright, and novelist Jackie Kay is at the heart of a new 45-minute documentary on BBC One which is centred on her inspiring and incredible life. Starring in the new BBC series In My Own Words, which has featured other creatives like Alison Lapper, Jackie brings audiences on a raw, honest, and vulnerable exploration of her life.
Known for her works Other Lovers (1993), Trumpet (1998) and Red Dust Road (2011), Jackie has become a well-established, beloved face in the poetry scene. Between 2016 and 2021, Jackie was even the Makar, the poet laureate of Scotland. In this new documentary, Jackie takes audiences back to her childhood and unpacks where her love for writing began.
Starting with her adoption, Jackie spends the majority of the documentary tracking her journey of self-discovery and her own relationship with identity. She admits that she didn’t even see herself as Black until she went to university. Jackie conveys the struggle and challenges she felt growing up in Glasgow in the 1960s, reading out diary excerpts and showing photographs to bring the stories to life. Having encountered intense bullying as a child, she reveals that she escaped from reality by going inside her head.
After she got into a motorbike accident which left her unable to walk for a year, Jackie became an avid reader. She admits that without that accident she probably never would have become a writer.
She also speaks candidly about her own coming out at the age of 16, revealing that at first, her parents were unsupportive of her. Jackie speaks about navigating university, motherhood, and adulthood as a lesbian. In one exciting moment, she even reveals that she has met lesbian icon Audre Lorde, who helped her to overcome her own internal struggle about being both Black and Scottish.
Despite the challenges she has faced, what is remarkably obvious in this documentary is the joy that fills Jackie’s life. Her laughter is infectious, and as an audience, we feel compelled to celebrate her happiness now in spite of adversity. At the end of watching In My Own Words: Jackie Kay, it becomes evident just why Jackie is so celebrated. As she looks out into the Scottish landscape and muses on her own identity, and what it means to truly belong, there is no doubt that she is a visionary. It’s a must-watch.
You can watch In My Own Words: Jackie Kay on BBC iPlayer now.
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