Episode four of UK360 - Community Channel's flagship magazine show that champions local communities - is presented by Benjamin Zephaniah. The show's producer, Joe Davis, gives his account of the poet's visit to the office last week:

Last Friday, acclaimed dub poet and writer Benjamin Zephaniah arrived at our Media Trust offices to present the fourth episode of Community Channel's flagship magazine programme UK360. After a tour of our office and conversations with several wowed members of staff, we managed to get down to business.
 
I sat down with Benjamin and we went through the script, he had few problems and was keen to dive straight in, at which point we headed over to our green-screen and practiced on the auto-cue. Playing with words and improvising some great phrases like “Benjamin Zephaniah, coming through your television wire” the talented wordsmith had an extremely relaxing presence and was effortless to work with.
 
Benjamin was particularly enthusiastic about our story on an eco-village in Leeds and expressed his own interest in joining one of these communities. He then went onto tell us tales of his time in China, where he learns martial arts and lives for several months of the year!
 
Before we knew it, the links were over and our London360 counterparts swooped in to pick Benjamin’s brain over a variety of topics, whilst the UK360 team made a frantic dash for vegan cuisine (as promised to our hungry presenter).
 
Check back here for an exclusive snippet of London360’s interview with Benjamin, his opinion over the verdict of the Stephen Lawrence trial and his reasoning behind rejecting an OBE.
 
After all the presenting and interviews were over, we all sat down for Benjamin’s preferred Indian dish - the Masala Dosa - and Benjamin let us know all about his near-lifetime veganism. After a debate over the benefits of veganism, he pointed out even vegans can be overweight, “think about it… Chips!”
 
Before leaving us, Benjamin mentioned the possibility of a Bob Marley Musical in the pipeline and said he was working on another album. He also reiterated a desire to present a feature for UK360 about his friends eco-village in Lincolnshire where they teach local kids about the importance of environmental sustainability.
 
Tune in to episode four of UK360 to see the man in action and for features on Asylum Justice in Cardiff, LILAC’s eco-village Project in Leeds, the Bristol Happy City Project and much more.

You can ‘Like’ us on our Facebook page to stay updated. If you’ve missed an episode of UK360, you can catch up on our first three episodes here.

Episode four airs on Community Channel (Sky 539, Virgin 233, Freeview 87) on Tuesday 10th January at 7am, 12pm, 7pm and 12am. Repeated at the same times on Friday.