Making Mandela

Following the death of Nelson Mandela, Laurie Taylor presents a special programme describing how he became a moral icon in Britain. Back in the 1960s, he was virtually unknown in this country. But the efforts of a small group of strategically minded campaigners against apartheid turned him into one of the most recognisable of figures. Laurie tells the remarkable story of Mandela's secret visit to Britain in 1962, and the beginnings of the anti-apartheid campaign in some ramshackle offices. Despite opposition from those who saw Mandela as a terrorist, pure and simple, they managed to focus their campaign around his story and his long imprisonment on Robben Island. Laurie talks to the musicians like Jerry Dammers who celebrated Mandela's birthdays in a series of high-profile concerts and who released the hit single "Free Nelson Mandela." This is the inside story of Nelson Mandela became a hero to an entire British generation.

Producer: Tony Phillips.

Laurie Taylor tells the story of how Nelson Mandela became a moral icon in Britain.