Nottingham's Derry Shillitto Promotes Diversity of Thought With BAMEless Series

Words: George White
Tuesday 11 August 2020
reading time: min, words

Derry Shillitto takes to Zoom to promote the importance of diversity of thought in this entertaining satirical web series... 

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Nottingham-based writer Derry Shillitto and producer Leon Hady have created a comedy web series which will delve into the importance of promoting diversity.

BAMEless focuses on the panic within a boardroom as they try to diversify their organisation and avoid being on the wrong side of history. 

What could have been a box-ticking exercise for the company becomes a deep yet amusing discussion on the actual benefits of diversity of thought, as a new black member of the board opens up their mind to cultural change and the need to confront subconscious bias within the business and wider society. 

Writer-director Shillitto says, “Leon, founder of the online learning company Guide Education, came to me with the concept for a short film based on a boardroom's reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement and I thought it was a very interesting idea. 

“I have seen my friends and peers experience what are described as ‘microaggressions’ in day-to-day life as well as in the workplace. I wanted to show examples of these experiences and make them intrinsic in a business setting where it is clear to see that culture is desperate for change.”

Written and shot via Zoom, the satirical web series promises to not only tackle important issues but also entertain. Audiences will get to watch the board navigate the struggles of at-home working, as calls are interrupted by the sounds of boiling kettles and dogs howling in the background.

BAMEless boasts an impressive cast, with This Is England actor Kieran Hardcastle starring alongside Andrew Olasehinde, Melvyn Rawlinson, Phil Molloy, John Eric Statham and Georgie Levers.

The series is released on a weekly basis, allowing Shillito to react to BAME stories and current affairs as they happen.

The first two episodes are available at www.derryshillitto.com/bameless

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