Rolling Stone Keith Richards will swap concert arenas for the streets of Kent for a new BBC documentary about growing up in post-war Britain.

The guitarist will journey back to his formative years in the hour-long film Keith Richards – The Origin Of The Species, directed by punk film-maker Julien Temple for BBC Two.

Keith Richards
Keith in the new doc (Jane Rose/BBC)

The documentary will be the centrepiece of the broadcaster’s year-long My Generation season charting the history of pop music across the decades, and will air in July.

Keith will also curate a weekend of films and live performances for BBC Four in September.

Keith Richards’ Lost Weekend will feature an introduction by the rocker – filmed by Temple – talking about his selections and inspirations.

Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones arriving for the opening night gala for Exhibitionism at the Saatchi Gallery in London
Keith with the rest of the Stones (Ian West/PA)

Julien’s documentary will show Keith “reclaiming for the first time on film his suburban roots” and “explore the impact he has had on how we all live our lives today”, according to the BBC.

Keith, from Dartford, says in the documentary: “There was a feeling late ’50s/early ’60s that there was a change coming.

Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones performing at the O2 Arena in London, as part of their 50th anniversary series of concerts.
Keith performs at the O2 Arena (Yui Mok/PA)

“Harold Macmillan actually said it – ‘The winds of change’ and all that – but he didn’t mean it in quite the same way. I certainly felt that my generation and what was happening and the feeling in the air was it’s time to push limits. The world is ours now and you can rise or fall on it.”

The film details how Richards narrowly avoided being killed by a bomb in the Second World War, when his cot was sprayed with bricks and mortar before he could walk or talk.

Julien Temple arriving for the 23rd Music Industry Trusts Award held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Julien Temple (Chris Radburn/PA)

Julien, who has previously made a concert film with the Stones and directed David Bowie film Absolute Beginners as well as music videos for Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross, said: “Listening to the early Stones as a kid changed everything for me. I felt a new way of living emerging, a new kind of person becoming possible – something I wanted to be a part of.

“And without a doubt I thought Keith Richards was the origin of the species. This film sets out to explore how both he and the ’60s in England came about.”

The film will cover rationing, austerity, the beginning of the National Health Service and the end of National Service, ending at the point the Rolling Stones began.