BBC Documentaries

The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca (2018x216)

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Maxine Peake's exploration of the true story of Lillian Bilocca, a largely forgotten but formidable figure in the fight for safer trawlers. When three fishing boats sank within 10 days with the loss of 58 lives in 1968, Lillian Bilocca launched a campaign of direct action to improve safety in the notoriously dangerous fishing fleet. She proved successful in bringing about new safety legislation in Parliament but faced a backlash from sections of the community in Hull. The programme explores Lillian Bilocca's fight at the time through archive and dramatic reconstructions based on the play The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca, written by Maxine Peake. Maxine meets with a group of local women from the Hessle Road community - the heart of what was once the fishing industry - to hear first hand about Lillian Bilocca's story and what it means to the women today.