Eliza Carthy

A documentary tribute to the singer/songwriter who died on 18th December, 2000.

Jools Holland takes a personal look at the historical influences that have helped to create the sound of London. His journey takes him back to Roman times, and then forward through history until the present day, taking in well-known landmarks, pubs, music halls and more recent venues such as the 100 Club. Archive film footage is interspersed with contributions from performers such as Roy Hudd (comedian and music hall expert), Lucy Skeaping (of The City Waites ensemble), Eliza Carthy (folk musician), Sterling Betancourt (steelpan pioneer), Danny Baker (DJ and presenter), Ray Davies (of The Kinks rock band), Paul Jones (of the Manfred Mann pop group), Joe Brown (rock and roll singer), Suggs (of the Madness ska band), and Lisa Hannigan (Irish indie folk singer).

In 1982, folk musician Nic Jones was at the peak of his career, but driving home from a gig one night a near-fatal car crash changed his life forever. Almost every bone in his body was broken and neurological damage meant that he would never play his guitar in front of an audience again. Apart from a couple of tribute concerts, Nic Jones disappeared from the public eye for thirty years. Then in the summer of 2012, encouraged by friends and family, Nic returned to the stage to play several festival performances.. The concerts were a resounding success and for his old and new fans, a moving comeback for their musical hero.

Filmmaker Ken Russell poses the question: "What is a true English folk song, if there is such a thing?" After recieving an indifferent response from his dog, Russell journeys around the English countryside seeking for an answer. He encounters and interviews such famous artists as Donovan, Fairport Convention, Osibisa, Eliza Carthy, So What, Edward II and The Albion Band, among others.

Documentary telling the story of Sidmouth Folk Week, "Europe's longest running folk festival" through film and photographs donated from archive collections or found after years of neglect, combined with interviews from past and present performers, organisers and attendees.