Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20191021 | Growing up in 1960s Luton, Colin Grant avoided asking his Jamaican parents why they had emigrated to Britain in the 1950s. But now, seventy years after the many ships (and some planes) brought a generation of young and hopeful British citizens to the shores of the UK from the West Indies, it is time to hear their stories in their own words.
After the Second World War, Britain encouraged immigration from Commonwealth countries. To a large extent this was to help rebuild the country, as there was a shortage of labour at the time. The migrants were coming to a country promising prosperity and employment. Their stories are of hope and regret, of triumphs and challenges, brimming with humour, anger and wisdom. Together, they reveal a rich tapestry of Caribbean British lives.
In Episode 1, the author outlines his own family background and shares accounts of finding work and a place to live.
Introduction read by Colin Grant
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4
The voices of the Windrush generation telling their own stories. The people of the Windrush generation tell their stories in the new book by Colin Grant. |
| 02 | 20191022 | Growing up in 1960s Luton, Colin Grant avoided asking his Jamaican parents why they had emigrated to Britain in the 1950s. But now, seventy years after the many ships (and some planes) brought a generation of young and hopeful British citizens to the shores of the UK from the West Indies, it is time to hear their stories in their own words.
After the Second World War, Britain encouraged immigration from Commonwealth countries. To a large extent this was to help rebuild the country, as there was a shortage of labour at the time. The migrants were coming to a country promising prosperity and employment. Their stories are of hope and regret, of triumphs and challenges, brimming with humour, anger and wisdom. Together, they reveal a rich tapestry of Caribbean British lives.
Episode 2 explores the reasons for leaving and the shock of arrival.
Introduction read by Colin Grant
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4
People with few prospects left the Caribbean and were promised a better life in Britain. The people of the Windrush generation tell their stories in the new book by Colin Grant. |
| 03 | 20191023 | Growing up in 1960s Luton, Colin Grant avoided asking his Jamaican parents why they had emigrated to Britain in the 1950s. But now, seventy years after many ships - including the Empire Windrush - anchored on British shores, he brings together over a hundred first-hand interviews, archival recordings and memoirs by the women and men who came to Britain from the West Indies between the late 1940s and early 1960s.
After the Second World War, Britain encouraged immigration from Commonwealth countries. To a large extent this was to help rebuild the country, as there was a shortage of labour at the time.
The migrants were coming to a country promising prosperity and employment. Their stories are of hope and regret, of triumphs and challenges, brimming with humour, anger and wisdom. Together, they reveal a rich tapestry of Caribbean British lives.
Episode 3 looks at the dominant culture of racism in Britain at the time and how it affected the Caribbean migrants in their search for work and a place to sleep.
Introduction by Colin Grant
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4
The voices of the Windrush generation telling their own stories. The people of the Windrush generation tell their stories in the new book by Colin Grant. |
| 04 | 20191024 | Growing up in 1960s Luton, Colin Grant avoided asking his Jamaican parents why they had emigrated to Britain in the 1950s. But now, seventy years after many ships (and some planes) - brought thousands of British citizens from the West Indies to the shores of the United Kingdom, he has drawn together over a hundred first-hand interviews, archival recordings and memoirs by the women and men of the 'Windrush Generation' who arrived between the late 1940s and early 1960s.
After the Second World War, Britain encouraged immigration from Commonwealth countries. To a large extent this was to help rebuild the country, as there was a shortage of labour at the time.
The migrants were coming to a country promising prosperity and employment. Their stories are of hope and regret, of triumphs and challenges, brimming with humour, anger and wisdom. Together, they reveal a rich tapestry of Caribbean British lives.
Introduction by Colin Grant
The Waters Company for BBC Radio 4
The voices of the Windrush generation recall stories of relationships both new and old. The people of the Windrush generation tell their stories in the new book by Colin Grant. |
| 05 | 20191025 | Growing up in 1960s Luton, Colin Grant avoided asking his Jamaican parents why they had emigrated to Britain in the 1950s. But now, seventy years after many ships - including the Empire Windrush - anchored on British shores, he brings together over a hundred first-hand interviews, archival recordings and memoirs by the women and men who came to Britain from the West Indies between the late 1940s and early 1960s.
After the Second World War, Britain encouraged immigration from Commonwealth countries. To a large extent this was to help rebuild the country, as there was a shortage of labour at the time.
The migrants were coming to a country promising prosperity and employment. Their stories are of hope and regret, of triumphs and challenges, brimming with humour, anger and wisdom. Together, they reveal a rich tapestry of Caribbean British lives.
The institutions of Caribbean life were brought to Britain by those who arrived in the 40s, 50s and 60s, what was left behind was a place that many felt they could never return to, even if some still called it 'home' .
Introduction by Colin Grant
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4
Voices from the Windrush generation recall how they created their own social spaces. The people of the Windrush generation tell their stories in the new book by Colin Grant. |