God Gave Rock and Roll To You.

December 2006, Channel 4

Pop music can have a powerful influence – on what we wear, how we speak and even what we believe. For the most part, Christian churches have been hostile to the music that young people choose to listen to, and the music industry has responded with equal hostility, believing that any song with 'Jesus' in the title will sink without trace. The reality is more complicated, says Beckford, as he traces today's rock music back to its roots in the southern states of the USA.

Ghetto Britain

October 2006, More4

2006 sees the 30th anniversary of the Race Relations Act and Dr Beckford asks whether it has succeeded in embracing the multicultural dream, or whether indeed the plan has spectacularly backfired and created a multi million pound race relations industry that has lost touch with its grassroots.

The Real Patron Saints

December 2005, Channel 4

In this fascinating Channel 4 documentary, author and lecturer Dr Robert Beckford examines the myths and contradictions attached to the patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. He explores the stories and legends about them and disentangles history from mythology.

Of the four patron saints of Great Britain and Ireland, only St David was born and bred in the land he is said to protect. St Patrick did spend his adult life in Ireland but the other two – St George and St Andrew – lived in the Middle East and Asia Minor, and never set foot in the British Isles. So who were the real patron saints? And what is their significance today?

Empire Pays Back

August 15 2005, Channel 4

"I believe African slaves were ripped off by the British Empire," says Dr Robert Beckford at the outset of this documentary. "I want to know who bankrolled it, who insured it and who made a mint from it."

Beckford, a lecturer at the school of historical studies at the University of Birmingham, believes that Britain should pay reparations to the descendants of slaves, and hires a team of experts to put a monetary figure on the amount owing. In the process, he details how institutions such as the Bank of England, Guys' Hospital, HSBC, Barclays and the National Gallery all have slavery in their histories.

The Gospel Truth

March 21 2005, Channel 4

Broadcaster and Theologian Robert Beckford explores the claims of Wille Ruff, a black Professor of Music at Yale University who is convinced that the roots of gospel music are more Gaelic than African.

Gospel Truth has been shortlisted for Best Docmentary in the Celtic Film and TV Awards, shortlisted for the Grierson Best Documentary Award, nominated for a Bafta Scotland Documentary Award and has won a Bronze CBC Award.

Who Wrote the Bible

Christmas Day 2004, Channel 4

Dr Robert Beckford, is looking for for good answers to what sounds like a simple question: Who wrote the Bible?

It's a question that has preoccupied biblical scholars for several generations but Beckford, who is director of the Centre for Black Theology at the University of Birmingham, forsakes the library and takes to the road in a journey from Jerusalem to Rome and on to the USA (with a stopover in Walthamstow). On the way, he talks to American pilgrims shouldering crosses on the streets of Jerusalem, to the head of the Pope's Bible Institute, to a former criminal and boxing promoter in East London, and many more.

Visit the Channel 4 microsite for this program. You can also purchase it at Channel 4 on demand

God Is Black

June 2004, Channel 4

As Traditional English Churches crumble and their congregations fall away, a new evangelical Christian force is rising in Britain and Africa. Theologian Dr Robert Beckford meets the two sides in the battle for the hearts and minds of the Anglican Church and travels to Africa to experience this version of Christianity.

Blood and Fire

August 2002, BBC 2

The story of the Jamaican people's path to independence, and the heroes and personal dramas behind that story. There's special focus on the cousins Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamante, and how their very different ambitions for an independent Jamaica led to the formation of Jamaica's two major rival political parties.

Black Messiah

2001, BBC4

An exploration of the rise of black churches in Britain. When compared with their American counterparts, black British Christianity, lacks a political focus. (Based on an idea by Robert Beckford)

Britain’s Slave Trade

Spring 1999, Channel 4

A four part-series that challenging the dominant ideas about Britain’s participation in the Slave Trade. In programme II, Robert Beckford traces the history of the white Beckford family that enslaved his ancestors in Jamaica.