Lenny Henry prepares to film his famous play “August” in England

Comedian Lenny Henry has revealed he will turn his popular one-man play August in England into a film.

Marking Henry's playwriting debut, the production was enthusiastically received when it was staged at London's Bush Theater in May, attracting five-star notices in The Guardian and The Telegraph, among others.

In the comedy-drama, the actor plays August Henderson, a member of the Windrush generation who has built a life in West Bromwich over more than half a century, only to suddenly find himself threatened with deportation to a Jamaica he does not remember. .

“I'm going to try to write a film for August in England because a lot of people around the country kept saying 'When are you coming here?' Henry told Chris Evans on his show on Virgin Radio.

He added that he has not yet decided whether he will film the theatrical version and show it in cinemas, “the NT Live version of it. Or make a feature film about it like Shirley Valentine or something like that.”

The Evening Standard said that August in England combined Henry's “well-honed comedic skills with the emotional range he has discovered since reinventing himself as a dramatic stage actor”, while The Guardian praised its “plentiful supply of jokes, accompanied by almost constant reggae music”.

Henry was joining Evans to promote the new ITV drama, Three little birdsBased on his mother's experiences when she arrived in Britain from Jamaica in 1957; ITV's unique tribute to Lenny Henry, which includes interviews with Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg and others and his latest children's book, The Boy with Wings: Clash of Super Childrenthe third in the series that revolves around Tunde Wilkinson, an ordinary boy who also happens to be a superhero.

Speaking to Zoe Ball on her Radio 2 breakfast show earlier in the week, he revealed that first The boy with wings The book is set for the stage.

“The Polka Children's Theater Company asked us [based in Wimbledon]“And they're great, and they want to do a live-action version of the first book,” he told Paul. “So I'm very excited, The boy with wings He'll be on stage!”