"exploring every facet of British Asian family life."
New BBC series Back In Time For Birmingham will study the reality of life for South Asians living in the city over the decades and celebrate their vital contributions.
The newest instalment of BBC’s popular social history programme will explore how life would have looked for past generations over 75 years.
This spans jobs and food to education and cricket.
Announcing the BBC Two show, the broadcaster highlighted that around 250,000 people living in Birmingham have Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage.
By following a modern-day British South Asian family going through time, the show hopes to offer a celebratory look at Birmingham.
It also looks to present how arrivals from the Indian subcontinent have made Birmingham the vibrant and exciting place it is today.
On what viewers can expect, the BBC said in a statement:
“Starting in the 1950s when immigration from the Indian subcontinent began in earnest, the family will fast forward through five decades of rapid change, exploring every facet of British Asian family life.
“They’ll take on the jobs of their predecessors, living where they lived, cooking what they ate, learning what they were taught at school and facing the same difficulties (how do you produce authentic home cooking when there’s only swedes at the greengrocers and no-one sells chilli?).
“They’ll also devote their spare time to the same activities that were previously enjoyed.
“From celebrating Pakistan thrashing England at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, gawping open-eyed at what passed for 70s entertainment in the form of Mind your Language and bunking school for a 90s daytime bhangra rave complete with glow sticks.”
The series has been commissioned to coincide with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Back In Time For Birmingham will be presented by BBC Asian Network’s Noreen Khan, alongside social historian Yasmin Khan.
Noreen said: “I’m genuinely so excited to be a part of this incredible series!
“Taking viewers on an insightful, emotional journey over five decades of the South Asian story will be fascinating.”
“Can’t wait for everyone to watch this!
Nasfim Haque, BBC Commissioning Editor, added:
“I’m really looking forward to telling the story of Birmingham through the eyes of the British Asians who have made the city the vibrant and exciting place it is.”
During the Commonwealth Games, Back In Time For Birmingham will air four episodes on BBC Two and iPlayer, each one being an hour long.
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