Reggie Yates
On Thursday, I navigated UEA’s teeming Lecture Theatre 1, weaving through the crowd until I spotted a free seat. I plonked myself down and waited for the upcoming talk. This wasn’t Reading Texts 1. In fact, I’d left university over two years ago. Along with approx. 500 others, I was here to see Reggie Yates in conversation with Edith Bowman. The actor, presenter, radio DJ, director and now documentarian was discussing his first book, Unseen: My Journey.
Unseen is a behind the scene look into Yates’ documentary making. For further insight, he fielded questions from radio DJ (and one-time colleague) Edith Bowman. Yates and Bowman made for a compelling team. There was something endearing about two friends shooting the shit, one celebrating the success of the other. The pair cracked jokes and shared old stories – it was the sort of talk that made you want to third-wheel their friendship. Reggie himself was engaging, revealing why filming Russia’s LGBTQ community became personal, his inner thoughts during a nationalist rally, and the reasons why he finds truth and transparency so vital. Yates was also inspiring. He spoke of how he initially turned down the idea of documentary making, worried his status as a black working-class man would stunt any success. However, he was soon convinced that these exact qualities would make him relatable to his audience. Since then he has thrown himself into documentaries, as proven by his numerous tales from faraway lands.
Towards the end of the night, Reggie provided nuanced answers to audience questions, balancing banter with serious answers (such as that provided to a question about the Orlando nightclub shooting). He then stuck around to sign books, take photos and chat with an everlasting queue of young people.
At no point in the night did any of this seem like it was a chore for Yates. This wasn’t just another stop on the tour, or solely a way of promoting Unseen. Yates showed genuine passion for his craft, and for imparting the lessons learnt from his journey. I look forward to cracking open my signed copy. If it’s anywhere near as interesting as Thursday’s talk, I’m sure I’ll devour it.
