Hosted by Trevor McDonald in front of a studio audience, next Wednesday night's tribute programme takes a lighthearted look at the 43-year career of comedian Lenny Henry.
In 1975, 16-year-old Henry mitched from school to appear on the TV talent show New Faces, thus kicking off a life in comedy, theatre and film.
The comedian regards the tribute programme as `a real honour.'
"You never imagine you’re going to be 60 when you’re a kid. I started when I was 15 years old, so to be 60 years old and having a commemorative show is a fantastic thing. It was a joy to do and I got to be interviewed by one of my heroes, Sir Trevor McDonald, and to do some silly sketches. It was lovely."
In the programme, Lenny talks about his love of music, recalls his audition for New Faces, explores his relationship with his mum, "and what it was like growing up in a Jamaican household and then suddenly having to integrate with a predominately white Dudley (the town he grew up in.)
The comedian didn’t want to rely solely on archive for the show. "I’m crazy about Marvel comics so I wanted to do Black Panther. I’m a fan of Stormzy. I’ve met him a couple of times - he always calls me uncle - so we did him and Stevie Wonder, who I’m also a big fan of. I always did music parodies so I wanted to do that."
The crucial element missing from the interview with Trevor McDonald, according to Lenny, was a nice bottle of red wine and a bag of crisps. "We really enjoy each other’s company, and he’s a great host. He makes easy transitions between subjects so it wasn’t difficult to be with him, and he laughed a lot, which is lovely.
The comedian is constantly reinventing characters, driven by what is topical in movies and on TV. "I think it keeps me on my toes. If you’re a comic its really easy to become complacent and think, well, I’m just going to act now and not do that stuff that I used to do, but it’s very important to know what you like.
"I watch The Bridge, Game Of Thrones, The Handmaid's Tale. I pop in on EastEnders, Corrie, and Junior MasterChef. As a comic you need to know what you like so you can transfer that into your performance. If you’re not watching telly anymore and you’re being a bit lazy then the things don’t spring to mind.
"When I was a kid it was like, well I’m going to do Michael Jackson - it was no-brainer. And you need to have that when you’re a comedian. You need to be aware of what people are watching and listening to."
The Lenny Henry Birthday Show can be seen on Wednesday night at 8.00pm on BBC One.
