BBC Slates Programming Season Spotlighting Asian Britons

Later this year, BBC plans to roll out The Big British Asian Summer, a new season of statement films and celebratory programs about British Asians.

Kicking off in August, The Big British Asian Summer will celebrate the cultural and artistic contribution of Asian Britons, while also looking at the fault lines between white and non-white Britain.

Programming will include the three-part BBC Two series Passengers, focused on the arrivals to Britain from the Indian subcontinent between the 1930s and 1960s, as well as the two-parter Bollywood: The World’s Biggest Film Industry with Anita Rani on BBC Two. There is also the tentatively titled one-off film Leicester Sings, a documentary musical for BBC One about a family that moved to Leicester in 1972 after being exiled from Uganda.

Other highlights are BBC Two’s A Taste of Home (working title), led by cook Nisha Katona; British Asian Men (working title), which sees host Mehreen Baig explore the challenges facing some young males in British Asian communities; and Made in Asia: Looking for Mum (working title), centered on four adopted women seeking their biological mothers from the Indian subcontinent.

There will also be specially commissioned episodes of BBC Two’s Inside the Factory, shining a spotlight on curry, and Gardeners’ World, celebrating the South Asian influences on British gardens. In addition, BBC Four is set to air a doc titled The Stolen Maharajah: Britain’s Indian Royal.

Alison Kirkham, BBC’s controller of factual commissioning, stated: “The Big British Asian Summer is a wonderfully rich season of programs from across the BBC exploring the cultural, social and familial impact of these two regions of the world coming together. From Bollywood to Sharwoods, the season will encompass a huge range of shows—sometimes celebratory, sometimes challenging, always inspiring. [These] announcements are just the start. There’s much more to come as we look to an exciting summer of programs.”

Fozia Khan, channel commissioner for BBC Two, noted: “We are delighted that BBC Two will be at the heart of The Big British Asian Summer. From nostalgic cookery series A Taste of Home (with restaurateur Nisha Katona) to the major social history series Passengers (presented by historian Yasmine Khan), the season promises to be both celebratory and questioning.

“The season is a brilliant way for BBC Two to champion the unique creativity that emerges from the coming together of cultures, as well as showcasing new talent and tackling big important questions about identity and belonging from different perspectives.”