Pump Up the Bhangra: The Sound of Asian Britain BBC4, 10pm
BBC Asian Network DJ Bobby Friction looks at the rise of Bhangra music in Britain, exploring how in the 1980s an Indian folk tradition was transformed into a part of the UK club scene. It’s a story that takes in cassette tapes and teenagers bunking off school to attend secret gigs, but Bobby also looks at how the genre soundtracked battles against discrimination and helped many British Asians to find their identity.
Extraordinary Rituals, BBC2, 9pm
HOW often do extreme rituals bring thousands of people together? In Indonesia ancestors are said to ensure a good harvest for those prepared to shed human blood, so villages have a battle on horseback called Pasola, with the intention of injuring their opponents and themselves. Elsewhere, Burning Man in the United States, is a comparatively new ritual that draws 70,000 people to build a community in the desert that revolves around rituals of fire.
The Big Asian Stand-Up BBC2, 10pm
FROM the iconic City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds, Nish Kumar hosts the second of two programmes showcasing a new wave of comedic talent from the UK, as part of the BBC’s Big British Asian Summer celebration of the cultural and artistic contribution of Asian Britons. Performers taking part include Ahir Shah, Mawaan Rizwan, Sukh Ojla, Sunil Patel and Mark Silcox.
Edinburgh Nights with Nish Kumar, BBC2, 11.05pm
PEOPLE can associate it with comedy, but not everyone at the Edinburgh festivals is there to make you laugh – some intend to make audiences think. So, after following newcomers and big-name comedians last week to see how they stand out from the crowd, Nish Kumar concentrates on why Edinburgh attracts some of the world’s freshest thinkers bringing brave ideas and debate.
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