The life and work of ‘Simple Minds’ for BBC Scotland

Simple Minds: Everything is Possible tells the inspirational story of how a group of working class kids growing up in post-industrial Glasgow dared to dream…

Those kids became Simple Minds, one of the most iconic and influential Scottish bands in history. From the punk explosion to the emergence of MTV and then the impact of Live Aid, Simple Minds were propelled on to global success which has endured over five decades.

At the very heart of Simple Minds dwells the ongoing friendship between Jim Kerr and his songwriting partner Charlie Burchill, who met in the shadow of a brand-new Glasgow council tower block in 1967 – a fortuitous introduction that forged a relationship that changed both their lives in a way that neither of them could ever have imagined.

Knightswood Shopping Centre, Glasgow, with Kirkton Avenue tower blocks

Simple Minds: Everything is Possible is a music-inspired human interest story imbued with social history, politics, and activism. It features previously unseen family and band archive as well as iconic footage from Live Aid and the Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute and is set to Simple Minds’ cinematic songbook of hits and rarities from I Travel, Someone, Somewhere in Summertime, Promised You a Miracle and Don’t You (Forget About Me) to Alive and Kicking, Belfast Child and Mandela Day.

Alongside a series of intimate interviews with Jim and Charlie, the film features contributions from Jimmy Iovine, Bob Geldof, Molly Ringwald, Bobby Gillespie, Dave Gahan, Irvine Welsh, Sharleen Spiteri, Richard Branson, Mariella Frostrup, Muriel Gray, Jerry Dammers, Trevor Horn, Mel Gaynor, Sharleen Spiteri and James Dean Bradfield among others.

Simple Minds – Everything is Possible, BBC Scotland Channel, Tuesday, 10th December, 10 pm