BBC Asian Network celebrates 50 years of Asian broadcasting

Last Saturday (10 October) marked 50 years of ground-breaking BBC programming 
created to serve British Asians.

To celebrate, BBC Asian Network is marking the milestone both on and off air 
over the next few months, with documentaries and archive content and 
culminating in a comedy night in the home of BAME (Black, Asian, and minority 
ethnic) broadcasting, Birmingham.

On 10th October, 1965, the BBC broadcast its first ever programme created 
especially for the UK's newest inhabitants from South Asia. Called 'Apna Hi 
Ghar Samajhiye’ (Make Yourself at Home) and featuring language lessons and 
handy household tips, it was created to help this new community assimilate into 
British life.

This innovative programme not only reflected the lives of immigrants in the 
60's, but also charted the growing confidence of a community which now calls 
itself British-Asian. 

BBC Asian Network has produced a two part radio series called ‘Asian Network 
Presents: 50 Years of Asian Programming on the BBC’, which explores the past 
five decades of Asian programming on the BBC. The first episode which aired on 
Sunday 11October delved into early programming from 1965 to 1986.

It looked at these early years with music from icons like Reshma, Kishore Kumar 
and the Sabri Brothers and clips from a diverse range of interviews including 
Amitabh Bachchan, Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher. The episode is available 
to listen back to on the BBC iPlayer for up to 30 days.

The second part airs this Sunday 18 October at 1pm and focuses on programmes 
from the 1990’s, such as BBC Two’s Network East, Bollywood and Bust, Café 21 
and Desi DNA, many of which were produced in BBC Birmingham. 

These strands were created to target second-generation British Asians and they 
launched the careers of Sanjeev Bhaskar, Anita Rani, Adil Ray, and current BBC 
Asian Network presenters Nihal Arthanyake and Bobby Friction. 

Over the next couple of months the BBC Asian Network will also be unearthing 
archive interviews, live sessions and music for broadcast across their schedule.

To round off the celebrations of 50 years of Asian broadcasting, the station 
will be holding a comedy night in Birmingham with comedians delivering stand up 
shows, drawing on a range of popular television and radio clips from over the 
years. 

Comedians taking part include Coventry’s Guz Khan who starts his Saturday 
morning show on BBC Asian Network on 28November (6-10am), and India’s top 
female comedian, Aditi Mittal.

Mark Strippel, Head of Programmes at the BBC Asian Network, said: “It’s really 
important that 50 years on from the first Asian programme on the BBC we are 
still representing British-Asian audiences more strongly than ever.

“Birmingham was the birthplace of this type of BAME broadcasting and, five 
decades on, BBC Asian Network continues to produce great programming for Radio, 
iPlayer and Red Button in this diverse and vibrant city. 

“I’m excited to be celebrating this incredible narrative of British-Asian 
cultural history. And the comedy night is the perfect way to welcome Guz Khan 
into the Asian Network family.

“Also this autumn, in addition to Guz Khan, we will be welcoming Preeya 
Kalidas, Harpz Kaur and Mim Shaikh to the station. These four talented new 
presenters will be further strengthening the network’s commitment to our 
audiences, delivering new shows with great music, guests and chat.” 

BBC Asian Network celebrates 50 years of Asian broadcasting

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| BBC Asian Network celebrates 50 years of Asian broadcast...Last Saturday (10 
October) marked 50 years of ground-breaking BBC programming created to serve 
British Asians. |
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