First South Asian arrivals in Leeds remember BBC broadcasts

By the early 2000s, British Asian culture was becoming mainstream.

At the center of this change was Bobby Friction, who now presents on the BBC Asian Network.

“The revolutions of the 1990s paved the way for the prosperity of the early 2000s,” he recalls.

“‘Oh God Me’ was huge for us; that special British Desi humor was on national television.”

Seeing that the cast were from the same parts of London as he was, he says: “It was as if the revolution was happening not just in my head, but throughout the country.”

“In 2002, Radio 1 decided to produce a music program in South Asia and Nihal Arthanayake and I were chosen to present it.

“Since I was 15, my passion has been to play South Asian music on Radio 1.”

That same year, the Asian Network went national and Desi DNA was launched soon after.

“Suddenly you are in this new era that has begun while the other era has not yet ended.

“If you were young and South Asian back then, just coming of age, it was very, very different than it was 10 years ago.”