Anatomy of a Cancellation: 2. The Words

Katie Razzall hears from critics who called out Kate Clanchy’s memoir ‘Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me’. The book, initially celebrated for its warmth and insight into multicultural classrooms, then comes under fire for what some call racialised and dehumanising language.

In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK’s publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what.

Anatomy of a Cancellation explores a range of different perspectives to consider how people now view one of the most controversial literary rows in recent memory.

Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Charlotte McDonald Additional production: Octavia Woodward Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound design and mix: James Beard Story editing: Meara Sharma Series producer: Matt Willis Senior news editor: Clare Fordham Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke

It was a BBC Long Form Audio production for Radio 4.