Celebrate The Big British Asian Summer on the 麻豆约拍
This August an ambitious pan-麻豆约拍 season - The Big British Asian Summer - will air across TV and radio.
Published: 17 July 2018
The stories that emerge speak to the specific experience of British Asians but also reveal a shared, complex history that will resonate with the whole audience
At the season launch, Patrick Holland, Controller of 麻豆约拍 Two, said: “I’m very proud that 麻豆约拍 Two is at the heart of The Big British Asian Summer - this season combines the qualities of mischief, intelligence and creative ambition that defines the channel.
“The stories that emerge in these programmes speak to the specific experience of British Asians but also reveal a shared, complex history that will resonate with the whole audience.
“Seasons like this are valuable on a number of levels: they create a shared cultural moment, they allow us to grow talent in front of the camera and also allow us to supercharge the way we commission and produce. I hope this season inspires programme makers to look at the range and depth of storytelling about British Asian culture and know that there is a home for them at the 麻豆约拍.”
The full line up of programmes has now been announced.
SH6
- As part of the season, the 麻豆约拍 is holding a series of screenings and panel events around the country, including in Leicester, Bradford, Birmingham, at WOMAD and in London at the BFI Southbank and London Mela.
- Programmes begin Monday 6 August. Programme information and publicity contacts below.
A Passage To Britain
麻豆约拍 Two
In a three-part series for 麻豆约拍 Two, Dr Yasmin Khan pieces together the lives of the some of the new arrivals who came to Britain from the Indian subcontinent between the 1930s and 1960.
More information here
SS
Bollywood: The World’s Biggest Film Industry
麻豆约拍 Two
Anita Rani embarks on a journey through the extraordinary world of Indian cinema.
More information here
麻豆约拍 Two
Across two hour-long episodes, this series tells the unfolding story of four women, each adopted from the Indian subcontinent as a baby, trying to find their biological mothers.
More information here
KD
麻豆约拍 Two
Sixty years after the first major waves of immigration from the Indian subcontinent, why are there such disparities in how well different communities are faring in the UK, and why are women from South Asian backgrounds now outstripping their male peers?
Presenter Mehreen Baig (pictured above) explores the stories of a number of different British Asian communities, and the challenges facing their young men.
More information here
NB. This programme was originally titled British Asian Men
MH2
Recipes That Made Me
麻豆约拍 Two
Recipes That Made Me is a brand new series in which cook and restaurateur Nisha Katona travels around the UK discovering the secrets of incredible home-cooked curries.
More information here
Programmes Desk
Inside The Factory: Curry Sauce
麻豆约拍 Two
In a specially commissioned episode for the season, Gregg Wallace explores the Nottinghamshire factory that produces 250,000 jars of curry sauce every 24 hours.
More information here
Programmes Desk
Gardeners’ World British Asian Special
麻豆约拍 Two
For a one special hour this summer, the Gardeners’ World team will set out on an horticultural adventure to celebrate the South Asian influences on British gardens.
More information here
Programmes Desk
麻豆约拍 Two Presents The Big Asian Stand-Up
麻豆约拍 Two
Presented by comedian and host of 麻豆约拍 Two’s The Mash Report Nish Kumar, The Big Asian Stand-Up will showcase a new wave of Asian comedic talent from the UK and beyond.
More information here
AH3
麻豆约拍 Two
Taxi Tales will take you on a surprising journey through Middlesbrough, in and out of the cabs of three very different drivers: a young British-Pakistani entrepreneur who believes that immigrants have always been enterprising by nature; a local man who used to work in construction on towering glass buildings down South; and an older seasoned driver who is in love with his job...
...until the day he falls out of it. Their stories uncover what lies beneath the surface of a post-industrial northern town and unfold into a state of the nation tale.
The show stars three local taxi drivers from Middlesbrough and features an supporting cast of Tees Valley locals - all of whom are non-actors.
Taxi Tales is art of the Performance Live strand - a partnership between 麻豆约拍 Arts, Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre, showcasing some of the most exciting artists working in performance today.
Originally a piece of theatre set in cabs where the passengers were the audience, the show is written and presented by Middlesbrough taxi-driver-turned-playwright/screenwriter Ishy Din (pictured), directed by Bafta Award-winner Ben Anthony and produced by Tamasha Theatre Company.
Programmes Desk
Riz Ahmed: Road to Englistan (w/t)
麻豆约拍 Two
Nikki Bedi interviews one of Britain’s most successful and outspoken actors - Riz Ahmed.
He opens up about his childhood in Wembley as the son of immigrants from Pakistan, and he talks about growing up in a "cultural no-man’s land"; switching identities as he moved between his traditionally Muslim family life, his predominantly white school, and his mates who were into British-Asian street culture.
More information here
AM
Anita And Me... And Me
麻豆约拍 Two
To introduce her 2002 film Anita And Me, Meera Syal (pictured) journeys back to Essington in the Black Country - the mining village where she grew up. She describes how her childhood here inspired the coming-of-age novel Anita And Me, that she subsequently adapted into a film.
More information here
AM
Supercar, Superfam (w/t)
麻豆约拍 Three
Supercar Superfam (w/t) offers a window into an aspirational British-Pakistani family and follows Kash and Shabs, two brothers that own a supercar workshop in Essex which customises and revamps some of the most powerful sports cars in the world.
More information here
BW
My Asian Alter Ego
麻豆约拍 Three
My Asian Alter Ego brings together a collection of British Asian cultural commentators who predominantly live their lives online, but may have a very different personality when their phones stop uploading.
More information here
BW
Generation Smackdown
An irreverent guide to British Asian Culture that will spark conversation and debate - featuring topical TV clips from Asian inspired shows as a jump-off point for discussion amongst British Asian Families.
More information here
BW
What Do Artists Do All Day?
麻豆约拍 Four
A mini-series profiling three artists: Anoushka Shankar, Mahtab Hussain and Raqib Shaw.
Part of the Big British Asian Summer Season.
More information here
Programmes Desk
麻豆约拍 Four
Fronted by 麻豆约拍 Asian Network DJ Bobby Friction, this is the story of how British Asians came of age, as they found their voice and celebrated their identity through Bhangra music.
Pictured: Bobby Friction with Dhol drummer Gurcharan Mall from Bhangra band Apna Sangeet
More information here
Programmes Desk
The Stolen Maharajah: Britain’s Indian Royal
麻豆约拍 Four
The last Maharajah of the Punjab was wrenched from his mother's arms as a child, and put into the care of an official of the British Empire. The documentary retraces the journeys of Duleep Singh and his family, from the royal palaces in the Punjab to royal palaces in Britain.
More information here
Programmes Desk
My Asian Family - The Musical
麻豆约拍 Four
My Asian Family - The Musical tells the epic and inspiring story of one Asian family, the Thakrars, across three generations.
Just 12 of them came to Britain in 1972 with nothing, fleeing for their lives from Ida Amin’s Uganda. Since then they’ve not just made Britain their home, they’ve prospered - finding jobs, love and a new life. Now they number 90 members across three generations.
More information here
HD3
Radio
Radio 3
麻豆约拍 Radio 3’s World Music programme, Music Planet, will present a specially-recorded session as well as a mixtape curated by 麻豆约拍 Asian Network presenter Ashanti Omkar.
Elsewhere on the station 麻豆约拍 Asian Network presenter Bobby Friction will be joining Clemency Burton-Hill as a guest on the upcoming Radio 3 series and podcast Classical Fix. The season will also be reflected on Radio 3’s flagship Drive Time programme In Tune, with British Asian musicians performing live in the studio.
Asian Network
To celebrate the 麻豆约拍 Four documentary Pump Up The Bhangra, 麻豆约拍 Asian Network DJ Bobby Friction will host a special Asian Network live show from Maida Vale on Thursday 30 August from 7pm to 10pm. Bobby will be in conversation with some of the documentary contributors and the people behind it as well as other special guests. Listeners can also expect several live performances from Bhangra artists, including The Legends Band with Heera and Apna Sangeet.
Following the launch of an attitudinal survey of 2,000 British Asians in July, Asian Network will unpick the results with a week of special coverage in August, including the Big Debate, and culminating in a live discussion show with an invited audience, hosted by Mobeen Azhar.
NB. An earlier version of this release contained information on Finding Dad. This programme will now air later in the year.