Explore History, Culture & Writing

George Gershwin discovered Ginger Rogers on Broadway just before she moved to 42nd Street—in Hollywood! That same year she also made Gold Diggers of 1933 and then partnered Fred Astaire. Her life and career would change forever. She helped revolutionise the music genre at RKO, then left it to become Kitty Foyle (1940 Sam Wood) and immediately won the Oscar for Best Actress before becoming Chicago’s Roxie Hart (1942 William Wellman). This 4-week BFI course, a companion to the Ginger Roger season, is less about her musicals than her determination to be a serious actor—who sometimes played a great dancer. I’m looking forward to the neorealist Primrose Path (1940) and the Warner Brothers thriller Storm Warning (1951).







Please note that this course takes place in The Studio at the BFI Southbank.

The India subcontinent is unique in its heritage and history. It has lasted through invasion, political change and assimilation. It is home to the one of the world’s oldest civilisations, the Indus Valley.







The subcontinent’s contribution to language (Sanskrit) and great philosophies (Vedic, Buddhism Jainism and Sikhism) is well known. From its land, has been the emergence of Sanskrit, the concept of the soul and liberation and the invention of the number ‘zero’ - a cornerstone in all mathematics.







Our course will cover the period from Pre-Aryans (c5000BC) to the start of the Mughal empire.







The course will be interactive with a chance for discussion on Indian history & politics and its impact on Indian culture and tradition.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

What was it like to be gay in ancient history? How did people in Greco-Roman times understand gender? Are there positive examples of LGBTQ+ people in the Bible? Are there stories of gay relationships in the ancient world that really were equal and loving, and not just obviously problematic? This reading group will help you answer these and other questions.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

This course explores the excitement and innovation of the Beat Generation writers who emerged in the 1950s. We will examine their sources of inspiration while exploring their lives and the culture in which they lived. We will also consider their legacy and how their work and lifestyles shaped what was to come.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Plato’s philosophy is the foundation of Western thought. It remains essential to a philosophical understanding the human condition.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Do not go gentle into that good night; write villanelles that rage, rage against the dying light. Learn about the form popularised by Dylan Thomas, in order to manipulate it in new, subversive ways.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.