It's Grime Up North: Viral Blackpool youngsters set to star in TV documentary

A documentary will chart the rise of some unlikely internet sensations from Blackpool.
Filming at the Seaside Shutdown at Brun Grove Working Mens ClubFilming at the Seaside Shutdown at Brun Grove Working Mens Club
Filming at the Seaside Shutdown at Brun Grove Working Mens Club

It's Grime, Up North is said to be a light-hearted examination of the young, baby-faced grime artists whose YouTube videos have been watched by millions.

The first episode, set to air on Channel Four at 10pm next Sunday, October 27, will introduce Josh Tate, aka Little T.

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He found fame aged just 11, when his first shocking video made him an overnight sensation.

Since then, his posts have racked up millions of views and amassed an army of young fans.

But now he wants to move away from the explicit lyrics, with the help of his doting mum Donna and managers Sam and Asha.

The documentary, a three-part series, will also follow artists like Sophie Aspin and Millie B as they approach significant crossroads in their lives.

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With milestone moments looming, these three especially have to decide whether and how to capitalise on the fame they’ve gained through the controversial practice of “sends” for one another, their explicit videos which have attracted anywhere between two and ten million views online.

Facing equally important decisions will be a wider cast of aspiring young artists from the local grime scene. Featuring friends, family and home lives, It’s Grime, Up North will be an access-all-areas look into the realities of striving for a big break, while grappling with the day-to-day challenges of life as a teenager or twentysomething in modern Britain.

Each episode will follow these determined young performers, at home, at work and at their gigs, as they challenge preconceptions of the grime music scene, growing up in Blackpool and what the future could hold for them, all with a healthy dose of Northern wit, warmth and swagger.

Lee McMurray, Formats Commissioning Editor, Channel 4 said: “Little T, Sophie Aspin and their Blackpool grime scene peers have established themselves as a phenomenon over the past two years, so we’re delighted to bring this larger-than-life cast of characters to Channel 4 in an entertaining coming-of-age series, filmed over what could be a life-changing summer for some of them.”

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Samantha Anstiss, Creative Director, Auntie Productions, BBC Studios said: “In this fun, gritty and audacious series, we meet Blackpool’s talented young grime artists. Brimming with attitude, warmth and wit, we’ll follow their stories as they set out on a mission to make it big, and put Blackpool’s Grime scene firmly on the map.”