Tim Davie Riz Ahmed 1
At the beginning of the second day of BBC Studios Showcase 2019, Tim Davie, CEO of BBC Studios had a one-to-one conversation with the actor, musician, director, writer and activist, Riz Ahmed whose new series Englistan (7×60’ y 1×90’) is part of the new contents presented in the Showcase.
When consulted by Davie Ahmed on how it feels to have triumphed, he expressed that he still doesn´t think he is at the top, but instead feels he continues trying, that all the fame and success he has had, has been something unexpected, “I think that at any moment they are going to find out I´m an impostor,” he added.
As for his new series Englistan, he mentioned it covers a 40-year period, between 1979 and 2019. It is a series that talks about identity, about belonging, about the quest for love. “It is an epic poem of our people,” he mentioned. He said that making the series “has meant a huge learning curve”.
Regarding the advice he can give young people who have problems with self-confidence and lack of security, he said they shouldn´t worry about self-esteem, but about believing in someone bigger than them.
As an actor, Ahmed had the main role on HBO´s The Night of and has taken part in films such as Rogue One, The Road to Guantánamo and Four Lions.
Another observation he made to the audience is that the British perspective on creativity could be a little pretentious. He expressed that from Americans you can learn a great deal, things like their responsiveness to new things and give power to the new voices. He ended saying that control is an illusion.
