Kavita Puri presents this postwar social history of British South Asians in their own words

‘Epic and captivating’ The Guardian

In the 1950s, tens of thousands of migrants travelled to Britain from the Indian subcontinent. Many of them arrived with only £3 in their pocket – the limit set by the Indian authorities. In these five series, award-winning journalist Kavita Puri – whose own father Ravi came with just a few pounds himself – tells their untold stories, and those of their descendants.

They came to work in Britain’s factories, foundries and public services, answering the call of a country that desperately needed workers from its former colonies to regenerate its economy. We hear the first impressions of those pioneering settlers: of squalid housing, the curiosity of neighbours and casual racism – but also of unlikely friendships and the kindness of strangers. They recall the turbulent years from 1968-81, when the make-up of the community changed, immigration became a charged political issue and anti-racist organisations clashed violently with the National Front. The decade that followed would see dramatic upheavals, as the storming of the Golden Temple at Amritsar created anger amongst British Sikhs, and the 1988 publication of The Satanic Verses led to the South Asian community fragmenting.

Meanwhile, the children of the ‘three pound generation’ were coming of age. For many, the Nineties were a golden era, as they increasingly saw themselves in the mainstream of UK popular culture. Goodness Gracious Me, East is East and Bhaji on the Beach were huge hits on TV and film, and Cornershop’s ‘Brimful of Asha’ went to No.1 in the charts. But this optimism and progress was short-lived, and in the aftermath of the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks, questions about Britishness became public and a backlash against multiculturalism began.

Throughout, Puri explores themes of belonging, asking her interviewees where they consider home to be now, whether migration always means loss, how they define themselves as British and Asian, and how they are perceived and accepted. And in heartfelt, intimate and deeply personal reflections, they reveal the choices and compromises they have made, and what they have given up, in order to survive and thrive in Britain.

Also included is a bonus programme, Indians Abroad: Britain’s South Asian Community, examining how attitudes have changed towards Pakistani, Ugandan, Tanzanian and Indian immigrants since the 1950s.

Production credits

Presented by Kavita Puri

Produced by Smita Patel and Ant Adeane

Editors: Bridget Harney and Hugh Levinson

Historical consultants: Dr Florian Stadtler, Dr Edward Anderson, Professor Gurharpal Singh and Professor Tariq Modood

Contains archive from Mind Your Language, written by Vince Powell for London Weekend Television

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 7-21 March 2014 (Series 1), 5-19 August 2015 (Series 2), 6-20 December 2019 (Series 3), 8-22 January 2021 (Series 4), 8-22 April 2022 (Series 5)