0:00:02 > 0:00:03Meet the Irwins - Janice...
0:00:03 > 0:00:04Oh, I'm in heaven!
0:00:04 > 0:00:05..Weininger...
0:00:05 > 0:00:07HE LAUGHS
0:00:07 > 0:00:08..Tiana...
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Did people actually eat these?
0:00:10 > 0:00:11..Breanne...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13I thought you said rat.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15..Shelasah and Romane.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16ALL CHEER
0:00:16 > 0:00:21They're going back in time, through 50 years of black British history.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Starting in 1948,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26they'll discover how post-war Caribbean immigration
0:00:26 > 0:00:29changed the way we all live,
0:00:29 > 0:00:30from leisure...
0:00:30 > 0:00:32to work...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Any more fares, please? Any more fares, please?
0:00:34 > 0:00:35BELL DINGS
0:00:35 > 0:00:36..music...
0:00:37 > 0:00:39..to sport...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- Oh! - LAUGHTER
0:00:42 > 0:00:46..and how it all started in one London suburb.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Look at this room, I'm going to die.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Last time, the Irwins found out about the hard work and achievements
0:00:58 > 0:01:00of the Windrush generation...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Any more fares, please?
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Double six, see that?
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Three, two, one.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09..as they lived through the 1950s and '60s.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I had one of these literally sitting on my bed.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Now, in 1970, the Irwins are moving into a new era.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18# People moving out People moving in
0:01:18 > 0:01:21# Why? Because of the colour of their skin
0:01:21 > 0:01:25# Run, run, run But you sure can't hide... #
0:01:25 > 0:01:29It's 22 years since the Windrush docked and mass immigration
0:01:29 > 0:01:31from the Caribbean began.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32But the mood is changing.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35An infamous speech by Conservative MP Enoch Powell
0:01:35 > 0:01:37marked a turning point.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40In 15 or 20 years' time,
0:01:40 > 0:01:45the black man will have the whip hand over the white man.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49And by 1971, a new immigration act would settle
0:01:49 > 0:01:51all automatic rights for Commonwealth citizens
0:01:51 > 0:01:53to settle in the UK.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56But there was already a sizeable black British community
0:01:56 > 0:02:01and as antagonism towards them rose, racism was freely voiced.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05There never has been and there never will be a coloured Englishman.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09In Brixton, there was a new generation of black Britons,
0:02:09 > 0:02:10born in the UK,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13who would have to find their way through these tumultuous years.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I'm back in Brixton with social historian Emma Dabiri
0:02:19 > 0:02:20to see the Irwins' new house
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and find out what changes this decade will bring to the family.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Whoo-hoo! Look at this. It's a house this time.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Yeah, so they've certainly upgraded, lots more space.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32A whole different proposition.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35And there seem to be sort of plastic runners on the floor.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38That's very typical of the Caribbean home, that's to preserve the carpet.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Everything has to look really top-notch, spick and span,
0:02:41 > 0:02:42that's really crucial.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44This isn't the space to just chill,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47this is very much in the tradition of the Caribbean front room,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50which takes its cue from the Victorian parlour room.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Except for vast amounts of booze.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Yeah, we've got the pineapple that we recognise from the previous flat,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56the ice bucket, yeah.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Glad the pineapple's come with it, but this is new.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Yes. This is, in fact, a radiogram
0:03:00 > 0:03:02and we can see that despite the name -
0:03:02 > 0:03:05which suggests that a radio is the central function -
0:03:05 > 0:03:07it's actually all about this record player.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10So, home entertainment's greatly improved.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The Irwins haven't just got new mod cons, they're now homeowners.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20In the 1970s, councils were building thousands of new homes,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23but many black families found it hard to get on the housing lists.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25So the alternative was to buy.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And the 1971 census reflects this.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32OK, so, private households, persons and rooms by tenure,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36- what does this tell us?- So, this tells us a lot about the figures
0:03:36 > 0:03:38for homeownership in the different London boroughs.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40What about Lambeth, which is where we are?
0:03:40 > 0:03:42If you compare Lambeth to Islington,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46it is a far more traditionally white working-class area,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49we see 20% has privately owned accommodation,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51whereas in Islington it's only 13%.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53So, we see there's quite a stark difference
0:03:53 > 0:03:54between Lambeth and Islington.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56So, in a black borough,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58there is a higher level of home ownership than in a white borough -
0:03:58 > 0:03:59why would that be?
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Um, we can't so starkly kind of define them as black boroughs
0:04:03 > 0:04:04and white boroughs,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08but we know that for black people at the time, they're still...
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's quite challenging to access council housing.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13That kind of leads to this push in private homeownership.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16So, in some ways, this shows the difficulty for black people
0:04:16 > 0:04:19in getting into a council house, because they had to buy.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Yeah, but then it shows as well
0:04:21 > 0:04:23that they're not relying on council houses.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25They're actually using their own initiative,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28working often multiple jobs, incredibly long hours
0:04:28 > 0:04:31and they're actually buying their own homes.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34And to buy their houses,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36enterprising Caribbean families clubbed together
0:04:36 > 0:04:41using a savings scheme brought to Britain by the Windrush generation.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Pardnas - patois for partner - are an informal saving system,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47where a group of people pool their money
0:04:47 > 0:04:49and each get access to the pot.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Pardnas meant families like the Irwins
0:04:51 > 0:04:53could get a deposit for a house much quicker
0:04:53 > 0:04:55than if they'd saved on their own.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57And in 1970,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00houses in Brixton were selling for less than £5,000.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04MUSIC: Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It's time for the family to step into the '70s
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and discover their new home.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Both Weininger and Janice were born in the '60s,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14so this is the decade of their own childhoods.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17# Hush now, child... #
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- Oh, wow.- Whoa!
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Oh, my God!
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Look at the plastic on the floor! This is what we had.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- Is that the drinks tray? - Yeah, the drinks tray.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29We've got a nice dining area...
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Oh, this is nice.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31This is the social area,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34cos we've got our seating and we've got a lovely sofa.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Weininger! Did you have a cushion like this?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- Ooh!- Look here, look here.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- Look at this! - Look at the Hoover.- Wow!
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- Lovely fridge.- Oh, yes, yes! Get in!
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- Chocolate fingers?- Yes!
0:05:46 > 0:05:50This is still somewhere in our household.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52# ..Just move on up... #
0:05:52 > 0:05:54'Emma and I are bringing the family
0:05:54 > 0:05:57'something to put the finishing touches on their new home.'
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- Hi, guys.- Hi, family!
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- JANICE:- Good, looking good. The hair!
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- Brilliant.- How are you, sir?
0:06:04 > 0:06:05All right? I'm very good. How are you?
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- Hi, Giles. - Hi, kids, everything good?
0:06:07 > 0:06:09- KIDS:- Hi!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12So, you own your own home now, and what a beautiful home it is.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13You're moving onwards and upwards.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16You're now going to be driving the bus, not conducting,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18- so you'll have more money coming in, so more status.- OK.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- You're going to be a matron now, so that's...- Good.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22..promotion as well.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Tiana, you're going to be mucking in and helping out.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26You three are still at school.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27You're the second generation,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30so you've got a different relationship to the country
0:06:30 > 0:06:32than your parents might have. But despite that,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36that doesn't still stop the occasional shouts of "go home"
0:06:36 > 0:06:37when you go out on the street.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39It being the 1970s,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41you're not satisfied without home improvements.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I've brought you a little something,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46some exciting wallpaper to remind you of the Caribbean,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48which I'm hoping you're going to hang.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49- OK.- That should be interesting.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And from the looks of things, you might think you have enough doilies,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55but you can always squeeze in a few more,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- so this is for you and the girls. - Oh, lovely! Thank you.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59There's instructions on what to do with them.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01You briefly thought that was dinner, didn't you?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- I did, yeah.- Yeah.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Home ownership was to boom in the '70s
0:07:05 > 0:07:07and so was the nation's love of DIY.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09By the end of the decade,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Britain was buying over 21 million gallons of paint
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and hanging over 600,000 miles of wallpaper.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18And black Britons were no exception.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Weininger and the boys get started,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26bringing a bit of the Caribbean to their Brixton home.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- Oh, wow.- Oh, my days.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Meanwhile, Janice and the girls get to grips with their task,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36something vital for every house-proud West Indian mother -
0:07:36 > 0:07:38starched doilies.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Having frills all around your house I remember was a big thing
0:07:42 > 0:07:45and at the time, as children, we thought it was...
0:07:45 > 0:07:47We thought it was nice.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Don't touch 'em, you'll get sticky!
0:07:53 > 0:07:55So, we'll start from there...
0:07:55 > 0:07:56Bosh!
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I think me and Breanne's doilies
0:07:58 > 0:08:00will be better than whatever they do there
0:08:00 > 0:08:03because my dad's not really a DIY person, so...
0:08:03 > 0:08:08- Yeah.- I think, because I'm part of the project, it'll just be great.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- Yeah, all right!- Romane, come with the paste for me, please.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13Well done, son!
0:08:20 > 0:08:21This is a work of art, man.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Your mum's going to want me to do it at home.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24How's it going, boys?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26- Nearly there.- It's looking good.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Reminds me of the West Indies.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30Pull it over.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Wicked. Touch me.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Unfortunately for the girls, the doilies are a flop.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Yeah, I think the boys actually have done better than we have.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Janice, come and take a look at what we've done.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Let's have a look.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- Oh, wow.- Wow.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Gives us a nice warm feeling.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- Are you impressed that your dad could do this?- Yeah, I am.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- KIDS:- Dad! - No, no, no, but your dad...
0:08:56 > 0:08:58- You know what I mean.- Irwin and Son!
0:08:58 > 0:09:00- Yeah, a bit shaky in the middle. - A bit shaky in the middle.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- Well, that's the bit that Shelasah put up, innit?- What?!
0:09:03 > 0:09:07# Give me just a little more time... #
0:09:08 > 0:09:11So, it's the 1970s and...
0:09:11 > 0:09:13yes, this is all my hair.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16No wig, natural hair, gang.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18This is just so hazy for me, like,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20this just feels like an out-of-body experience,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23like, wearing this with the cuffs...
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Mixed feelings about the next decade we're going through,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29but also joyful ones.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Another day means another year in Brixton, and it's 1972.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44For Weininger and Janice, both working full time,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46tonight's a rare chance to go out together.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48I'm ready.
0:09:48 > 0:09:49OK, bye, guys!
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- ALL:- Bye! - Take care, take care, all right.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55MUSIC: Shanty Town by Jimmy Cliff
0:09:55 > 0:09:57They're off to see The Harder They Come,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01a Jamaican film which had its UK debut in Brixton.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03# A shanty town
0:10:03 > 0:10:05# Dem a loot, dem a shoot Dem a wail
0:10:05 > 0:10:07# A shanty town... #
0:10:07 > 0:10:09It made a star of singer Jimmy Cliff,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11with a soundtrack that brought reggae to the world.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13# ..A shanty town
0:10:13 > 0:10:15# And rude boy bomb up the town... #
0:10:15 > 0:10:18But to begin with, the film struggled to find a UK distributor,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and so the director promoted it himself.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25He stood outside Brixton Tube station handing out flyers.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Once word got round, it played to packed houses for over a month.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Weininger and Janice are seeing the film at the same cinema
0:10:34 > 0:10:36where it was first shown in 1972.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41# You can get it if you really want... #
0:10:41 > 0:10:42Wow.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44# ..You can get it if you really want... #
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Perry Henzell.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48# ..You can get it if you... #
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- Are you going to rate it all the way through?- No, but...
0:10:52 > 0:10:55# ..Try and try
0:10:55 > 0:10:57# You'll succeed at last
0:10:59 > 0:11:01# Mm-hm, mm-mm... #
0:11:03 > 0:11:06BOTH LAUGH # ..Persecution you must fear... #
0:11:06 > 0:11:09With her parents out, Tiana's in charge of dinner.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Luckily for her, the '70s saw a boom in convenience food.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Children my age probably would have had to take care of their siblings,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18just make sure the house is in working order
0:11:18 > 0:11:20while their parents had gone out.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22You can't just let everything go up in the air
0:11:22 > 0:11:25as soon as they want to do something else.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Right. Here you are.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- No, it's all right, I don't want any.- Are you sure?
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I'm not hungry.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Yeah, it's fine. Here.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Did people actually eat these?
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- Is that cheese?- Or maybe, but, like... Maybe they didn't.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Maybe that's why Mummy was so skinny when she was younger.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Shels, can you get me that paper, please?
0:11:45 > 0:11:47What's on now, then?
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Um... Right now, it says Love Thy Neighbour.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55"New comedy series about the ups and downs of two couples."
0:11:55 > 0:11:57That sounds good.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00'Send out one bad man!'
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Meanwhile, at the Ritzy, the film has reached its dramatic climax.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04'Draw!'
0:12:04 > 0:12:07GUNFIRE
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I loved the movie. I just saw things in there that I haven't seen before.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21And I've never seen him not sleep during a film, so that is amazing.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26# Love thy neighbour... #
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Love Thy Neighbour was one of ITV's top-rated shows,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32with around 9 million tuning in each week.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35It was the first British sitcom with a black lead,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38but that's its only similarity to The Harder They Come.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40'Look, they don't really want us here, man.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41- 'Yes, we do.- No, we don't.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- 'Eddie Booth... - I'm agreeing with Bill.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46'I don't blame YOU, you know.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49'You've been conditioned by your society.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51'Yeah...
0:12:51 > 0:12:53'Just a minute, what's wrong with our society?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56'It supports discrimination against black people.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58'No more than you do against us whites.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- BARBIE:- 'Well, have you ever seen a black MP?
0:13:00 > 0:13:03'No, but I've never seen a white witch doctor, either.'
0:13:03 > 0:13:05I just didn't find it funny. I didn't see...
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Shels, I know you found it funny.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09No, it just looked ridiculous cos...
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I found it funny cos it looked ridiculous.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13That's what I found funny.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15That's probably what people found funny back then as well.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18They just thought it was stupid. But I just don't think...
0:13:18 > 0:13:19But it's harmful.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It displays really negative stereotypes of black people
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and then what they said about the discrimination thing...
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Although people are laughing about, you know, there's no black MP,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31but there's black witch doctors and stuff, it...
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Like, they're turning it into comedy.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40# My life, my life, my life, my life in the sunshine... #
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It's 1976, and the family are packing a picnic.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50The girls are preparing a traditional Jamaican snack -
0:13:50 > 0:13:52sweet bun and cheese.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55What, are you just putting that in a sandwich for you?
0:13:55 > 0:13:58# ..Everybody loves the sunshine... #
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The summer of '76 was famous for a ten-week long heatwave
0:14:02 > 0:14:03when Britons basked in temperatures
0:14:03 > 0:14:07more often seen in the Caribbean than Brixton.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10# ..Folks get down in the sunshine
0:14:11 > 0:14:14# Ooh-ooh... #
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Taking advantage of the weather, the family have gone to the park.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19# ..Yeah-hey
0:14:19 > 0:14:22# Folks get brown in the sunshine... #
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Along with bun and cheese, they're trying a brand-new drink.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30# Lilt
0:14:30 > 0:14:33# With a totally tropical taste
0:14:33 > 0:14:34# R-R-Refresh... #
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Lilt, with its Caribbean flavours and reggae-infused jingle
0:14:37 > 0:14:40was actually made in Britain for the UK market,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44a sure sign that West Indian culture was becoming mainstream.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45# ..A totally tropical taste
0:14:45 > 0:14:47# Refreshing... #
0:14:49 > 0:14:52But at the same time, the political mood was souring.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56In local elections in Leicester that year, the National Front -
0:14:56 > 0:15:02a far-right whites-only political party - won almost 20% of the vote.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06We do not want to see specifically the city of Leicester
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and generally the country as a whole
0:15:08 > 0:15:12turned into some sort of mongrelised, multiracial community,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14we violently oppose this.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17MUSIC: Disco Inferno by The Trammps
0:15:19 > 0:15:20Against this backdrop,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23the West Indies cricket team arrived in England for what would become
0:15:23 > 0:15:25a legendary Test series.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31The England team was captained by a white South African, Tony Greig.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The West Indian team, who would go on to win the series,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42was led by Clive Lloyd, who's come to meet the family today.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- How are you?- Hello! - WEININGER LAUGHS
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- How are you keeping? - Pleased to meet you.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47- An absolute pleasure, sir.- Yeah...
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Clive's here to tell them all about the tour
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and the incredible impact it had.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53# Burn, baby, burn... #
0:15:55 > 0:15:59We were probably one of the best teams in the world at that time.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Tony Greig didn't think so.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03So he said he would make us grovel, it was quite demeaning.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- Right.- And here was a white South African, during apartheid time,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09telling black guys that he'd make them grovel,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11that sort of gave us the impetus that we needed.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15- Right.- And we did extremely well, we won 3-0
0:16:15 > 0:16:19and West Indies cricket just grew and grew from there.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21MAN YELLS
0:16:21 > 0:16:25I remember everybody glued around the television, watching that game.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I remember my neighbours, cos I was in a white area.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30They used to be saying, "Why are you cheering on West Indies?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33"You were born here!" I said, "I'm West Indian!"
0:16:33 > 0:16:36The English were always quite staid and they all sort of...
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- They all sort of clapped... - Yeah, that's right, yeah.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40We were very vociferous and enthusiastic
0:16:40 > 0:16:42and we made cricket a spectacle.
0:16:42 > 0:16:43MAN YELLS
0:16:43 > 0:16:46What d'you think of the West Indies team this year?
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- Oh, we can murder them. - They can't be beaten.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- No problem. We can murder them. - The only time...
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- CLIVE:- The West Indians who were there
0:16:53 > 0:16:56then felt, you know, this glue that brought us together...
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- Yeah.- ..because if we came from Barbados or Trinidad or Guyana,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02when you came to England, you knitted as one,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06you felt that you were part of this great team that we had.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Sport brought a lot of things out into the open and people started to
0:17:10 > 0:17:12respect us a little bit more.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16When you went to work, when you went to school, you walked with an air,
0:17:16 > 0:17:17your chest in the air, you know?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- You're just as good as that guy next door.- That's right.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Since Clive is here with the family,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27it would be rude not to play a bit of cricket.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35It's right on target!
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I can't bend in these pants!
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Aah! Catch...- Catch it! Catch it!
0:17:45 > 0:17:48CHEERING
0:17:48 > 0:17:50LAUGHTER
0:17:54 > 0:17:57So, we met Clive Lloyd,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02captain of the West Indian team in 1976,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06which was, you know, it was... amazing.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08During that time with everything that was going on,
0:18:08 > 0:18:14for West Indians to see, like, other West Indians winning a game
0:18:14 > 0:18:17generally dominated by English people,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20would have just been, I think, just so uplifting.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23MUSIC: Exodus by Bob Marley
0:18:24 > 0:18:26# Exodus... #
0:18:26 > 0:18:29It's 1977, the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32# ..Movement of Jah people! #
0:18:32 > 0:18:35While their parents go out shopping for the celebrations,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Emma has sent the kids something to help them understand
0:18:38 > 0:18:40the mood of the 1970s.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42- Wait, wait, wait... Shhh!- "Hi, guys.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46"The first generation of British-born Caribbean kids
0:18:46 > 0:18:48"were a lot more militant than their parents.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51"They fought back against racism, sometimes literally."
0:18:51 > 0:18:53That would be you.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55"I'm sending you some outfits to get into the mood
0:18:55 > 0:18:57"of the times. Emma."
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Oh, Shelasah!
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Oi!
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Look at these boots.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05- This trackie's amazing.- That's...
0:19:05 > 0:19:08The style of the Black Panthers and Rastafarians were familiar sights
0:19:08 > 0:19:10on the streets of Britain.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13These two radical movements
0:19:13 > 0:19:17were being taken up enthusiastically by young black Britons.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20They gave an identity to a generation born in the UK
0:19:20 > 0:19:23that wasn't prepared to quietly put up with discrimination.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Our parents were told that we would be given equal chances
0:19:26 > 0:19:29to work with whites and do the jobs that the whites were doing.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31And what are we doing now?
0:19:31 > 0:19:34I don't feel in any way sort of attached to this country.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36This is just somewhere where I live.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38I've got to stay here because this is the system,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40this is where everything happens.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41This is the root of the tree.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44And if you can break this root, you can fell a tree.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46# ..Next generation
0:19:47 > 0:19:50# Will be, hear me... #
0:19:50 > 0:19:53On 13th August 1977,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56the National Front held one of its biggest rallies.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Up to 1,000 members provocatively marched across south London.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03But over 4,000 marched against them.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08# ..All the peacemakers
0:20:09 > 0:20:12# Turn war officers
0:20:13 > 0:20:17# Hear what I say
0:20:17 > 0:20:18# He-he-he-he-hey... #
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Look at you two!
0:20:20 > 0:20:23You look like the poster boys for Jamaica.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24- Let me see.- Yeah...
0:20:24 > 0:20:25I want one of these.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28It's colourful to say, like, "This is who I am,"
0:20:28 > 0:20:29and then in terms of me and Breanne,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33I would say it's more a uniform to show sort of solidarity.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34What's that big smile on your face?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Cos I've got the beer in the thing, innit?!
0:20:37 > 0:20:38- Hi, Mum.- Hi, Mum.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43- Ooh! - JANICE AND WEININGER LAUGH
0:20:43 > 0:20:46People would walk down the street like this, like, yeah, you know?
0:20:46 > 0:20:47No, YOU would walk down the street like that.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50No, but I'm telling you! When I see you like that, yeah,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52but for me, it brings back memories.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53Because I know for myself,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57going to school, chased by the National Front,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59so we needed that kind of...
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I don't know, that armour.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03We've grown up in an area that was...
0:21:03 > 0:21:06more white, and we were trying to find, "Where do we fit?"
0:21:06 > 0:21:09We're born here, but it's a West Indian feel.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12If people have got a problem with us, it's their problem,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16don't make it ours, stand firm. So, yeah, this is...very good!
0:21:16 > 0:21:18But it's still the Queen's Jubilee
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and we've still got a barbecue to put on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25So, that's it, go out there and show some black British pride.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33In June 1977, Britain came together to celebrate the Jubilee.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34The Queen toured the country
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and even made a special visit to Brixton.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39# Queen Elizabeth
0:21:39 > 0:21:42# We love the Queen... #
0:21:42 > 0:21:44The Irwins have invited friends and family over
0:21:44 > 0:21:47to enjoy a Caribbean-style barbecue.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56- Wait, is this nice?- Romane, no-one's had it yet, so we're not sure.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Eat up, be merry. It's all about the Jubilee right now.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Paul, do you remember the Jubilee party?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Sandwiches, crisps, nuts...
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Back in 1977,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Janice went to a Jubilee party in her all-white neighbourhood.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It was like a feast for us, and we couldn't wait to go
0:22:21 > 0:22:22and everyone dressed up.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24We were a very, very, very small minority in our street,
0:22:24 > 0:22:29so we were just happy to be there and joining in the celebrations.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- APPLAUSE - Yay!
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Guys, I've got ice cream and some chocolate Flakes and Coke
0:22:37 > 0:22:39for Coke floats, if you want.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- Oh, Coke floats! - JANICE LAUGHS
0:22:42 > 0:22:43Lovely!
0:22:52 > 0:22:54MUSIC PLAYS OVER SPEECH
0:22:56 > 0:22:57Lovely.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I liked the Jubilee party.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02I like the clothes that I've got, like...
0:23:02 > 0:23:03Let me show you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Roots, rock and reggae.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18It's 1979, and the family have settled into their '70s lives.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22# Tarzan, lucky man Swinging from a rubber band
0:23:22 > 0:23:26# Fell down, broke his arm What colour was his blood? #
0:23:27 > 0:23:29I've got to, guys,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32because I really do not want to do anything in this house.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Emma and I have sent the Irwin kids
0:23:34 > 0:23:37something to get them into the latest grove.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40"We've sent you some home-recording equipment,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42"so like every young person in the '70s,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44"you can make your very own compilation tapes.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46"They weren't called mix tapes then.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48"Have fun. Emma and Giles."
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Wait...
0:23:52 > 0:23:54What is...? Oh, is it a stereo?
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- Oh-oh-oh! - It's a radio CASS-ette recorder.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- Oh, cass-ETTE!- You're an idiot!
0:24:00 > 0:24:02This is why we don't let you read.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Oh, I've got some records.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06# Boom, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah... #
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- A microphone.- Stickers.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11As a new generation of black Britons came of age,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14they began to create their own music.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17And the late '70s saw Lovers' Rock hit the airwaves.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22# You... #
0:24:22 > 0:24:24It was a distinctly British style of reggae.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29Melodic and romantic, it was soon storming the UK charts.
0:24:29 > 0:24:30Try it the other way.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- This way? - No, that's not going to work.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- That's the wrong way.- Oh, done it.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Shall I just press "record", then? - Yeah.- Right.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Well, that's not it.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45You lot are all idiots.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46What?
0:24:46 > 0:24:48BREANNE LAUGHS
0:24:48 > 0:24:49Oh...
0:24:49 > 0:24:52MUSIC PLAYS
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- It's not turning. - Probably because...
0:25:01 > 0:25:03If the counter's moving, that means that it's turning.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- But the counter's not moving, either.- So...
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- I don't know how to do this at all. - Breanne, you're supposed to be...
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Shall we call Mummy?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Mum, none of us know how to get it to record.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- Oh, you've got it in the wrong way, so take it off.- Oh!
0:25:17 > 0:25:18Shhh!
0:25:18 > 0:25:20MUSIC: Silly Games by Janet Kay
0:25:20 > 0:25:22I told you we should do that.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- Oh, the counter's moving as well. - Shhh!
0:25:27 > 0:25:29BOTH MOUTH
0:25:33 > 0:25:36# I've been wanting you
0:25:37 > 0:25:41# For so long, it's a shame
0:25:43 > 0:25:46# Oh, baby
0:25:46 > 0:25:51# Every time I hear your name
0:25:53 > 0:25:55# Oh, the pain
0:25:56 > 0:26:00# Boy, how it hurts me inside... #
0:26:00 > 0:26:02So, it rewinds...
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- Mm.- Oh, my gosh...- Oh, so you've got to go all the way back?
0:26:05 > 0:26:07- Do you want to play it?- Mm-hm.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12MUSIC PLAYS
0:26:13 > 0:26:15You can't hear it properly.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- It's got, like... - SHE HUMS
0:26:17 > 0:26:19It sounds like it's under water.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21It is just so time-consuming, yeah.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22It's long.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25You would never have to do anything like this today.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- You just shuffle your music.- Yeah.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- You don't have to rewind. - None of this having to rewind.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31- Yeah!- Oh!
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- Cos that's all long. - Doesn't that Silly Games one...
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Doesn't it remind you of just being on the chair, like, tired,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and then all your parents are dancing?
0:26:39 > 0:26:41TIANA AND BREANNE GROAN
0:26:41 > 0:26:42- "Mum, I'm tired!"- Yeah.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- "No, just this one!" - "One second, one second."
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- TIANA AND BREANNE:- # Silly games! #
0:26:52 > 0:26:54It's quite funny to see how us kids,
0:26:54 > 0:26:59that are meant to be, like, technology-era kids,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03couldn't even do something that most adults would see as just so simple.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08# Your private life drama, baby Leave me out... #
0:27:09 > 0:27:11It's 1980.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14There are now large Caribbean communities throughout the UK.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18It's the dawning of a decade that would be defined by divisions.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20There was prosperity for some,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24but much of black Britain would find itself left behind.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Right now, I can't find myself having no prospect, man.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31You walk in and they say to you,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35"Oh, the vacancy's been filled, apply later."
0:27:35 > 0:27:38# ..Your private life drama, baby Leave me out... #
0:27:40 > 0:27:42The Irwins, with their own home and steady jobs,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44are among the lucky ones.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46And they're back to discover the changes
0:27:46 > 0:27:48the new decade has brought to their house.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Oh! The couch has changed.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- Oh!- Yeah, the couch changed. - Oh, my God.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- Look at the leather couch. - Leather chair.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- And the hi-fi.- Colour TV.- Colour TV.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Oh, my gosh, a toasty!
0:28:02 > 0:28:05- Yes!- A posh toaster.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07We have a note here, let's have a look.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- Addressed to... - ALL:- The Irwins.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12OK. "Welcome to 1980.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15"I hope you're enjoying your revamped house.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17"Janice and Weininger, you are still working,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21"but hospital closures and transport deregulation
0:28:21 > 0:28:25"are around the corner, and life feels less secure.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28"Among young people, unemployment is increasing
0:28:28 > 0:28:31"and for young black people, it's even worse.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34"Tiana and Breanne, you are both looking for a job.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37"Romane and Shelasah, you're still at school,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41"but you'd better knuckle down, because it's a bad world out there."
0:28:45 > 0:28:47I went to the States in the '80s,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51cos the UK wasn't looking too pretty for me, as a black teenager.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54My father was living in the States, and things just seemed to be so much
0:28:54 > 0:28:56better in the States.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58I realised it was difficult to get work,
0:28:58 > 0:28:59cos I had been turned away.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01I can only say it was because of the colour of my skin,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03cos they didn't ask me a question.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07So when I got the opportunity to do a National Computing Centre course -
0:29:07 > 0:29:09that was basically getting paid to learn -
0:29:09 > 0:29:11I just grabbed it with both hands.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13From there, it put me in a position
0:29:13 > 0:29:16where I was able to live life as I wanted to.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20My life was playing sport, working and partying.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24So '80s was just a brilliant decade for me.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30To go with their new-look home, they've also got a car,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33perfect for Janice and the girls who are picking up dinner.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36OK, we're going to have KFC today.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40In the '80s, Britain fell in love with American fast food,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43and thousands of US-style takeaways opened across the country.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46- TV REPORT:- 'Fast food is big business in Britain.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49'The estimated annual turnover of the thousands of takeaways
0:29:49 > 0:29:52'in our high street - £900 million.'
0:29:52 > 0:29:53For me, it's great,
0:29:53 > 0:29:57because I feel like I've spent three decades in the kitchen.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00- Yeah.- And now there's all this convenient food about
0:30:00 > 0:30:01and we've got a car,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04it makes it a lot easier for me to just get in the car.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07We used to do fried chicken, and it tastes close enough
0:30:07 > 0:30:13to our fried chicken for us to want to eat it.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15- Hi, guys.- Hey.- Dinner. Look what we've got.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18Brought to us by car, we've got KFC.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21OK.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24# You can make it to the top... #
0:30:24 > 0:30:27I've got the breast, I'm super happy.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29# ..We'll be grooving... #
0:30:29 > 0:30:32- There's the beans.- Wein, do you want to turn the telly on?
0:30:32 > 0:30:34And to go with their fast food,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37the family have got some very 1980s entertainment.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39'And have you heard of a PP...'
0:30:39 > 0:30:43In 1980, black people were something of a rarity on British television,
0:30:43 > 0:30:46so it was worth concentrating in case you missed the moment.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50'And what we want...'
0:30:51 > 0:30:52LAUGHTER
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Oh, shame.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58That wasn't supposed to happen.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00'I've got to tell you what he just said. Do you know what he just said?
0:31:00 > 0:31:03'He said, "My job is making artificial legs." '
0:31:03 > 0:31:04LAUGHTER
0:31:04 > 0:31:07'I can't wait to watch his face. Show him.'
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Oh, right.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- That was good.- Yeah, that was good. - That was good.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20- I didn't get it.- It made it look like the props were falling to bits,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22- but they weren't.- Oh. - The chicken's nice.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Dinner over, Weininger and the boys have gone to the park
0:31:28 > 0:31:30for a kickabout.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31Oh!
0:31:31 > 0:31:32THEY LAUGH
0:31:32 > 0:31:34And I'm here to give them a run for their money
0:31:34 > 0:31:37in the greatest colours of all - Queens Park Rangers.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- Hey, how you doing, Giles? How's it going?- All right. Very well.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Hello, boys. Well, I'm very excited to see you in the 1980s.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Nice shorts, though.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48- Do you feel good in those?- No. - And something's terrible
0:31:48 > 0:31:50happened to your shirt.
0:31:50 > 0:31:51- What's that?- Oh...
0:31:55 > 0:31:59Until the late '70s, football was an almost entirely white affair.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01But by 1980,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05the nation's pitches were starting to feature a few brave black players
0:32:05 > 0:32:07who had had to endure racism not only from the terraces,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09but also from management.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Most football managers come out with the bland words
0:32:12 > 0:32:15that players, if they're black, have no bottle,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19which is their word for saying that they lack courage.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22I don't believe that you can say that black boxers lack courage,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24because they're dominating the world.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27So how you can say that suddenly a new breed of people,
0:32:27 > 0:32:28because they play with their feet
0:32:28 > 0:32:31instead of using their fists, are any different.
0:32:31 > 0:32:32It's incomprehensible to me.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35I went to the FA Cup final replay in 1982,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37between Queens Park Rangers and Spurs.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39- I've still got the programme, randomly.- Wow.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41And it's the first-ever...
0:32:41 > 0:32:43FA Cup final programme with a black player on the front.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46In fact, it's got two. It's got the great Bob Hazell,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49QPR centre-half of the old school, and Chris Hughton of Spurs.
0:32:49 > 0:32:54Before the '80s, my recollection was Georgie Best and things like that,
0:32:54 > 0:32:59so when players like John and Justin Fashanu came on the scene,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02I was more than happy that we had some sort of representation.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04And did you latch onto them?
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Them and Cyrille Regis and Brendan Batson, those guys,
0:33:07 > 0:33:09did you sort of latch on to them more?
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Well, because... You would watch more.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14For me, it just made the game a little bit more special
0:33:14 > 0:33:17and it made me feel more included watching the football.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20They faced all sorts of difficulties getting into the game and then abuse
0:33:20 > 0:33:23from fans in the '70s and in the early '80s.
0:33:23 > 0:33:24Would you have been aware of that?
0:33:24 > 0:33:27I don't think I was aware of it from watching on telly.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29No. Because you probably wouldn't have caught any of that,
0:33:29 > 0:33:32but I'm sure if you spoke to any of them,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35they could tell you stories that would just be shockers.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40But the fact that they had to play and also put up with that
0:33:40 > 0:33:43kind of abuse, that's only testament to the character of players
0:33:43 > 0:33:45of that time.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47MATCH OF THE DAY THEME PLAYS
0:33:54 > 0:33:55Look. Look, look, look.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Look at your shoe!
0:33:57 > 0:33:59THEY LAUGH
0:34:03 > 0:34:05That's mine!
0:34:10 > 0:34:14MUSIC: Tonight's The Night To Unite by Black Uhuru
0:34:14 > 0:34:15It's 1981.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- NEWS REPORT:- 'Just before six o'clock this morning,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21'the singing and dancing gave way to panic,
0:34:21 > 0:34:24'as flames shot through the upper floors, and screaming teenagers
0:34:24 > 0:34:26'began to leap from the windows.'
0:34:26 > 0:34:30In the early hours of Sunday 18th January,
0:34:30 > 0:34:34a fire broke out at a house party in New Cross, a few miles from Brixton.
0:34:34 > 0:34:3613 young people died...
0:34:36 > 0:34:37all of them black.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43Against a backdrop of 31 documented racist murders in the previous
0:34:43 > 0:34:47five years, the black community assumed that the fire
0:34:47 > 0:34:49was another racist attack.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55To draw attention to the deaths and the perceived indifference
0:34:55 > 0:34:58of the authorities, a demonstration was organised on
0:34:58 > 0:35:00the 2nd March 1981.
0:35:01 > 0:35:0520,000 people gathered in New Cross to march on Parliament.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08- NEWS REPORT:- 'For the first time in the history of the black community
0:35:08 > 0:35:11'here in Britain, blacks from all over the country
0:35:11 > 0:35:14'were meeting to march in protest through the capital.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16'We're going first to the House of Commons.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18'We shall be meeting a delegation
0:35:18 > 0:35:21'to hand it to the Speaker of the House,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23'expressing the same kind of dissatisfaction
0:35:23 > 0:35:26'we've been expressing over the last few weeks.'
0:35:26 > 0:35:28The demonstration was peaceful
0:35:28 > 0:35:33until halfway, when it was split by the police, creating confusion.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35- NEWS REPORT:- 'The pace of the march accelerated across
0:35:35 > 0:35:39'Blackfriars Bridge. The police were beginning to lose control.'
0:35:39 > 0:35:45"Black day at Blackfriars. Riots and looting as marches run wild."
0:35:45 > 0:35:47And look at the headings, right?
0:35:47 > 0:35:51If you didn't read anything - "militants in control",
0:35:51 > 0:35:53"running battles", "angry chants".
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Everything is to make it look like
0:35:55 > 0:35:58they're just an aggressive, out-of-order mob.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I remember the Deptford fire.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02It could've been anyone, it could have been me.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- It could have been Janice. - Even just reading that now,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08I kind of feel that anger again,
0:36:08 > 0:36:12because it was like our lives did not matter.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14And this was in 1981.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Two inquests into the fire returned open verdicts
0:36:18 > 0:36:21and the case remains unsolved to this day.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25MUSIC: Inglan Is A Bitch by Linton Kwesi Johnson
0:36:25 > 0:36:28But it left the atmosphere in Brixton volatile.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34When the police enacted a 19th-century law,
0:36:34 > 0:36:36giving them the right to stop and search anyone
0:36:36 > 0:36:40they thought suspicious, tensions reached boiling point.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46In just five days in Brixton, 943 people were stopped and searched,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48the majority of them were black.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54On 11th April 1981, Brixton exploded into violence.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57- NEWS REPORT:- 'There is official bewilderment as to how a riot
0:36:57 > 0:36:59'on this scale occurred.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01'For nearly six hours last night,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05'police struggled to retain control of Brixton's decaying streets.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09'Their antagonists were 500 or 600 mainly black teenagers, whose fury,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13'it appears, was aimed primarily at authority but, in the end,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16'was vented on the buildings of their own community.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19'It was one of the worst riots seen in Britain.'
0:37:21 > 0:37:24That night, many families stayed inside,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26waiting for the violence to stop.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29The Irwins have left their Brixton home to meet Emma and find out more
0:37:29 > 0:37:31about the riots.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36OK, so, the reason that I've invited you all to meet me here is...
0:37:36 > 0:37:41this is the site of the pub, called Windsor Castle that, in 1981,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45during the Brixton riots, was razed to the ground.
0:37:45 > 0:37:46- Wow.- Yeah.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- NEWS REPORT:- 'There was, this morning, a strange silence
0:37:49 > 0:37:52'as residents tried to comprehend what had happened.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54'Only last night, the Windsor Castle had been serving drinks.
0:37:54 > 0:37:59'Now it's completely devastated, as if it had been blown up by a bomb.'
0:37:59 > 0:38:03This is one of the key sites where the action unfolded,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06and there was so much damage done during the riots.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10There were 61 private vehicles burned, 56 police vehicles
0:38:10 > 0:38:13burnt out, over 30 buildings razed to the ground.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15So Brixton really went up in flames.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Today brought back a lot of memories for me.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30The sad and depressing situation
0:38:30 > 0:38:33that was happening with people
0:38:33 > 0:38:34of my age group.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36I do A-level history...
0:38:38 > 0:38:41..and I'm doing Britain as a topic,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44and the fact that I don't know about this is pretty shocking.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47MUSIC: Rockit by Herbie Hancock
0:38:48 > 0:38:51It's 1983, and Janice is back from work.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54- What are you watching?- No Problem.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55Oh, wow.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59- 'Who is it?- No, don't open your eyes yet, hold on!'
0:38:59 > 0:39:02Channel 4 had launched the previous year, and part of its remit was to
0:39:02 > 0:39:05produce programmes that truly represented minorities in Britain.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09The following year, No Problem hit the small screen -
0:39:09 > 0:39:12the first home-grown all-black sitcom.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14'It isn't?
0:39:15 > 0:39:16'It is.'
0:39:19 > 0:39:21It was created by the cast,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24which included Lover's Rock star, Janet Kay.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28# I've been wanting you
0:39:28 > 0:39:31# For so long, it's a shame. #
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Janet's on her way to the house with a key piece of '80s technology.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39KNOCK ON DOOR
0:39:40 > 0:39:41Who's that?
0:39:43 > 0:39:45CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:39:45 > 0:39:48- You all right? - Guys, this is Janet Kay.
0:39:48 > 0:39:49- Hello.- Hello!
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Oh, the beads.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Janet, there you are, look.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55No way!
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Oh, my God.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Oh, my God!
0:40:00 > 0:40:02It's like musical chairs.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04It's a VCR! I said it, I said it's a VCR.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06- Wait, wait, hold on, hold on! - I said it's a VCR.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Oh, it's a VHS! Wicked, man!
0:40:09 > 0:40:11See, in my house, we had...
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Well, I had a VCR.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20And whenever a black person came on TV, I'd be like, "Everybody!"
0:40:21 > 0:40:23So I'd have it half stuck in there.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- Mm-hm.- And then as soon as someone came on TV,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29in it went and record, and it would always be in the right place.
0:40:29 > 0:40:30'Use your head, woman!
0:40:30 > 0:40:32'Who you calling woman?
0:40:32 > 0:40:35'I'm calling the shopping bag woman.'
0:40:36 > 0:40:38When our programme came out on Channel 4,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41as one of the first programmes to come out on the channel,
0:40:41 > 0:40:42it was such a new thing for them,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45having this group of black kids on this show,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49that nobody wanted to put their money in to advertise.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54- Oh, wow.- So, when the commercial break came, you saw the clock!
0:40:54 > 0:40:56- Really?- Yes!- No?!
0:40:56 > 0:40:57You saw the clock.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Because as far as they were concerned, nobody's watching this.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03- Oh, my gosh.- And it wasn't till a little while afterwards, BWIA,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05which was a black airline...
0:41:05 > 0:41:09- Yeah, yeah.- ..they did an ad. They put an ad in that space.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11But it didn't fill the whole space.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13- You still saw the clock.- Wow.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16What's really funny is that the people that come up to us now
0:41:16 > 0:41:19and then, you know, saying how much they enjoyed the show,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21it's not just black people.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- No, exactly.- It's everyone, it's Indian people, it's all our peers,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26all the people that we went to school with,
0:41:26 > 0:41:28- they were all watching it! - That's right.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30For us, I think it was hearing the accents and,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34you know, a little kiss teeth, a little this... It felt...
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- It felt familiar, it felt real.- Yeah.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I'm looking at you in there and looking at you now,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42- and, no, this is no lie - amazing.- Oh, really?
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- Absolutely, yeah. - Me and Breanne are always saying,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48at all of our family parties, at every party we go to,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50towards the end, they'll have all of the Lover's Rock songs
0:41:50 > 0:41:53and your song will always come on and, in fact, me and my dad
0:41:53 > 0:41:56were walking to go and get food yesterday, and someone was...
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Silly Games was on in the car... - No way?
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Yeah! ..as we were walking past.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03So, you're like a living legend.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06- BOTH:- # I've been wanting you
0:42:06 > 0:42:12# For so long, it's a shame
0:42:12 > 0:42:14# Oh, baby
0:42:14 > 0:42:19# Every time I hear your name. #
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Oh, the pain.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24# Oh, the pain
0:42:24 > 0:42:29# Boy, how it hurts me inside. #
0:42:32 > 0:42:35We met Janet Kay, which was absolutely amazing,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38because she's pretty much like a living legend, and the fact that she
0:42:38 > 0:42:41was on Top Of The Pops in a time when you didn't really even see
0:42:41 > 0:42:45black people on television, let alone a black woman,
0:42:45 > 0:42:47was just amazing.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50It's an honour to meet her as well, just absolutely...
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Yeah, it's been a great day.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55MUSIC: Trapped by Colonel Abrams
0:42:58 > 0:43:02In the mid-'80s, more riots flared up in Britain's cities.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Brixton had another one in 1985.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06# Oh, oh, I'm trapped
0:43:06 > 0:43:08# Like a fool I'm in a cage
0:43:08 > 0:43:09# I can't get out
0:43:09 > 0:43:11# You see I'm trapped. #
0:43:11 > 0:43:14But in the general election two years later,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17and almost 40 years since the Windrush docked,
0:43:17 > 0:43:20black Britons finally gained a voice in Parliament.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22MUSIC: You've Got The Love by Candi Stanton
0:43:22 > 0:43:24There'll be a sizeable line-up of new faces in the Commons.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Three black MPs from London, all Labour,
0:43:27 > 0:43:29are Bernie Grant in Tottenham,
0:43:29 > 0:43:34Diane Abbott in Hackney North, and Paul Boateng in Brent South.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43I've come to meet David Lammy MP to learn all about
0:43:43 > 0:43:45this historic moment.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Do you remember that as a moment?
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Was that an important time for you?
0:43:49 > 0:43:51It was huge.
0:43:51 > 0:43:56I mean, I remember being in my sort of mid to late teens,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58in Tottenham, on that night,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01not really imagining that they would be elected, genuinely elected.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04- It was amazing that they were standing.- Hmm.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06And it was still a time in those days where,
0:44:06 > 0:44:11when you saw a black person on TV, you sort of cheered and shouted
0:44:11 > 0:44:13and everyone gathered round.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18And one by one, over the course of that general election night,
0:44:18 > 0:44:21we saw these amazing...
0:44:22 > 0:44:26..resonant figures bounce onto the political stage.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29I mean, Paul Boateng gave an amazing speech.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32We go now as tribunes,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35socialist tribunes of all the people,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37black and white, in Brent South!
0:44:37 > 0:44:38CHEERING
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Coming out of the riots, I think we felt quite isolated,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44so these figures on the national stage
0:44:44 > 0:44:47was a huge, huge breakthrough moment.
0:44:47 > 0:44:52# No moneyman can win my love... #
0:44:54 > 0:44:58It's 1989, and Britain's club scene is reflecting the confidence
0:44:58 > 0:44:59of multicultural Britain.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04DJs, producers and musicians were creating a new sound,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07produced by home-grown black talent.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14Tiana and Breanne have invited their friends to a club in Brixton
0:45:14 > 0:45:16to enjoy a party in true '89 style.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19THEY GIGGLE
0:45:31 > 0:45:34The music of the moment came from Soul II Soul.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38# Back to life, back to reality
0:45:38 > 0:45:42# Back to the here and now, yeah. #
0:45:42 > 0:45:46Headed by London-born DJ and producer Jazzie B,
0:45:46 > 0:45:48they created legendary club nights,
0:45:48 > 0:45:51and hits that would go on to sell millions around the world.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57In 1989, their single Back To Life spent four weeks at number one,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59selling over 200,000 records.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01# ..However do you want me... #
0:46:01 > 0:46:03- Hi.- ALL:- Hi!
0:46:03 > 0:46:06I'm here to wreck your party, is that OK?
0:46:06 > 0:46:07- Is that OK?- Yeah!
0:46:09 > 0:46:11I love your dress sense, very '80s, I love the hairstyles.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14- Thanks.- And that was really important for us, as young people.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16I guess the same for you nowadays.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18We wanted to create our own style,
0:46:18 > 0:46:22so we came up with an idea called the funky dreads.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25We took a little bit from here and a little bit from there
0:46:25 > 0:46:27to create our own ideology,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30which was a happy face, a thumping bass -
0:46:30 > 0:46:34which was always about the sound system - for a loving race.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Our idea was about being inclusive,
0:46:37 > 0:46:42so that everybody was a part of all the dancing,
0:46:42 > 0:46:43the clothes that we wore,
0:46:43 > 0:46:45the attitude that we carried.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47That was all part and parcel.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49And I guess we would have been round about the ages of
0:46:49 > 0:46:52sort of 18, 19, coming into our 20s,
0:46:52 > 0:46:57which is why it was really important for us to have our own look.
0:46:57 > 0:47:02# Keep on moving
0:47:02 > 0:47:06# Don't stop like the hands of time. #
0:47:07 > 0:47:10I'm a English geezer, and in Britain and Europe,
0:47:10 > 0:47:13we were coming through at a really interesting time
0:47:13 > 0:47:17in the mid- to late-'80s, cos things were changing.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19The Wall in Germany was coming down,
0:47:19 > 0:47:22people's attitudes were really changing
0:47:22 > 0:47:24and, I guess, we were on the cusp.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28So I guess, in a kind of weird way, without even thinking about it,
0:47:28 > 0:47:32we took all... even certain negative things,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35wrapped them up nicely in a great parcel,
0:47:35 > 0:47:39and this was against a backdrop of things like the Deptford fire...
0:47:39 > 0:47:43- Yeah.- Right? Us getting stopped EVERY DAY.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46I mean, it was literally an occupational hazard.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49- Hmm.- Which is quite interesting, now I reflect,
0:47:49 > 0:47:51that all of the things that happened to us,
0:47:51 > 0:47:55that was what was going on in the atmosphere, as it were.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57And somehow, we still got through.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Meeting people like you and Janet Kay, amazing people,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04pioneers for music and things that uplifted so many people
0:48:04 > 0:48:08during the time when it seemed like the whole world
0:48:08 > 0:48:09was against you,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12it's just amazing, and I think it really has helped me.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14- I'm going to take a lot away from this.- That's good.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17- Let's all just get along. You feel me?- Yeah.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19- Well, thank you so much. - Oh, my God, blessings.
0:48:19 > 0:48:20It was lovely meeting you.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22And I'm coming down your way to eat.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23What are we going to have?
0:48:23 > 0:48:25Fish and chips.
0:48:25 > 0:48:26No, what about pie and mash?
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Oh, God, no. No, definitely not.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34# I know the time will really come when
0:48:34 > 0:48:38# You'll be in my life My life always. #
0:48:38 > 0:48:40A lot of the things
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Jazzie B and I talked about really resonated with me,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47and speaking to him also made me realise...
0:48:49 > 0:48:54..being here in Brixton and experiencing all of this...
0:48:56 > 0:49:01..I've found a piece of myself I didn't realise I was missing.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04MUSIC: On A Ragga Tip by SL2
0:49:05 > 0:49:08The Irwins are stepping into 1992, and once more,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10they're about to discover how the new decade
0:49:10 > 0:49:13has transformed their Brixton home.
0:49:13 > 0:49:14Oh, wow.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18Nearly 45 years since the Windrush, and there's very little
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Caribbean influence left in the Irwins' '90s house.
0:49:21 > 0:49:22This is a nice colour.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25And look, all the doilies and all of that stuff has gone,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28so it just makes everything feel a lot clearer.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30We've lost our Caribbean...
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Our wallpaper!
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Oh, we've got a new table top.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Oh, look, we've got new white goods, so we now have a dishwasher.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40All to help Mother.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Ooh! Hard dough bread!
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Look, Dad, nourishment!
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Back in the '60s, only a few specialised shops and stalls
0:49:47 > 0:49:50stocked Caribbean ingredients and flavours.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54But by the 1990s, Britain's shops and supermarkets
0:49:54 > 0:49:57were selling food that catered to multicultural tastes,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00and tapped into the growing power of the black pound.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04Our mothers used to have to make these, make up the seasoning.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06We can just buy it, saves time.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09STEEL-BAND MUSIC PLAYS
0:50:09 > 0:50:13The Irwins have invited their family over tonight, and it's Tiana's job
0:50:13 > 0:50:16to get to grips with the new jerk chicken mix.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19- Use my hands?- Yeah.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21- You sure?- I'm positive.
0:50:24 > 0:50:25Go on, get into it, love.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Knead it, go on.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30And Weininger's in charge of drinks.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38Oh, hello!
0:50:38 > 0:50:41The guests have arrived, and they've come to watch one of the biggest
0:50:41 > 0:50:44TV hits of that year - Gladiators.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48- COMMENTATOR:- Jet, Shadow...
0:50:48 > 0:50:52First seen on British TV in 1992, it immediately became a huge hit,
0:50:52 > 0:50:55with over 11 million tuning in for the final.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59The gladiators and their contenders reflected modern Britain.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01Better than wrestling.
0:51:01 > 0:51:02Better than Hulk Hogan?
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Yeah! Shadow is.
0:51:04 > 0:51:05What do you like about Shadow?
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Oh, he's the man. He's a real man!
0:51:07 > 0:51:10And for the Irwins, it's even more special.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Taking part is someone they all know very well.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16- COMMENTATOR: - 'Weininger Irwin from London.'
0:51:16 > 0:51:18CHEERING
0:51:18 > 0:51:20Oh, wow.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Wow, wow, wow, wow.
0:51:22 > 0:51:23'Whatever endeavour I take,
0:51:23 > 0:51:26'I always take it with a positive instead of a negative,
0:51:26 > 0:51:28'so I'm very, very confident right now.'
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Weininger was 29 and hadn't even met Janice when he beat
0:51:31 > 0:51:35all the contenders and made it through to the Gladiators final.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38'Three, two, one!
0:51:38 > 0:51:40'Go!'
0:51:40 > 0:51:41Go, Wein! Go, Wein!
0:51:43 > 0:51:44Go!
0:51:44 > 0:51:45Go!
0:51:45 > 0:51:48- COMMENTATOR: - 'Already ten foot across...'
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Go, Wein!
0:51:50 > 0:51:53THEY LAUGH
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Yeah!
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Go, go, go, go!
0:51:57 > 0:51:59Watch that, watch that, watch that!
0:51:59 > 0:52:00Yeah!
0:52:00 > 0:52:05- COMMENTATOR:- 'His father proudly applauding him in the audience.'
0:52:05 > 0:52:07Number one! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11Thank you very much, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13Here's Mum! Here's your time, Mum!
0:52:13 > 0:52:15You look like...
0:52:15 > 0:52:17Mum looked like she did it!
0:52:17 > 0:52:19LAUGHTER DROWNS SPEECH
0:52:24 > 0:52:27You know, watching the Gladiators, that's a high.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30When I won, it's like the whole room just erupted,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33so it brought back good memories.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35For me, just sitting down there watching it,
0:52:35 > 0:52:38it felt almost as good.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42I know he's won, but you still have that sort of adrenaline
0:52:42 > 0:52:44when he wins, you're like, "Yeah,"
0:52:44 > 0:52:47even though you knew what the outcome was going to be.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50MUSIC: Ready or Not by The Fugees
0:52:53 > 0:52:58It's 1996, and a year that would go down in history for Brixton.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02Decades after the first Windrush arrivals made Brixton their home,
0:53:02 > 0:53:06it has become a go-to destination for visiting black celebrities,
0:53:06 > 0:53:08from Jesse Jackson...
0:53:11 > 0:53:12..to Muhammad Ali.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19In 1996, Nelson Mandela made an historic visit to Britain.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23Freed from prison and now President of South Africa, he made,
0:53:23 > 0:53:27amongst other appointments, a personal request to visit Brixton,
0:53:27 > 0:53:29recognising it as a place of struggle.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32- NEWS REPORT:- '10,000 people crammed the streets to see him.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34'It's been a wildly successful state visit,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37'but these were surely the most remarkable scenes of all.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40'Everyone we met had the same reaction.'
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Second Coming. Like seeing God!
0:53:43 > 0:53:47He's a wonderful example, for our black people especially.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Well, you've seen every colour here today and it was fine.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54It is literally the fulfilment of a dream...
0:53:56 > 0:53:59..that I've been able to visit this place.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:54:01 > 0:54:03I want to assure you...
0:54:04 > 0:54:09..that I love each and every one of you here without exception.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:54:11 > 0:54:14- ALL CHANT:- We love you!
0:54:17 > 0:54:20MUSIC: Rewind by Craig David
0:54:26 > 0:54:31It's 1999 - the last year of the Irwins' time-travelling experience.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35To celebrate, they're off to join an enormous party -
0:54:35 > 0:54:37the Notting Hill Carnival.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40MUSIC: Follow Da Leader by Nigel & Marvin
0:54:43 > 0:54:46What started as a community response to challenge racism
0:54:46 > 0:54:49had grown into one of Europe's biggest street parties,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52and 1999 was one of the biggest yet.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55'We're going to jump and wave!'
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Emma and I have come down to meet the Irwins at the carnival.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00- 'Let's go! One.. - Get ready to jump.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02- 'Two.- Get ready to wave.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04'One, two...'
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Welcome to Carnival 1999.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10OK, so that was the 35th Notting Hill Carnival,
0:55:10 > 0:55:11a million people came.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14You look amazing, you look very 1999.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17So, how's the experience been, overall?
0:55:17 > 0:55:20Wow. It's been an eye-opener. I don't know from the children's
0:55:20 > 0:55:22point of view what they think.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24Learning so much about our history
0:55:24 > 0:55:28and actually getting to live it, means that it's even more personal,
0:55:28 > 0:55:30I think, now to us.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33What was one of the most significant experiences that you had
0:55:33 > 0:55:36- from the whole thing?- Do you know what, it's probably the first one,
0:55:36 > 0:55:38when we went down to the bunkers,
0:55:38 > 0:55:41because I hate being underground and stuff like that,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44so it just made me think how people must have felt.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46I loved the bus conductor experience.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48For me, it was pretty significant,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51for the fact that my dad was a bus conductor and then, boom,
0:55:51 > 0:55:54here I am, landing a role as a bus conductor.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56And what about the food?
0:55:56 > 0:55:59I mean, you were doing most of the cooking, weren't you?
0:55:59 > 0:56:00Were they grateful?
0:56:00 > 0:56:03For them, it was an horrific thought, eating corned beef.
0:56:03 > 0:56:04For us, it was normal.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Tell me, girls, what about the effect it's had on the family?
0:56:07 > 0:56:10What's the experiment taught you about how you relate to each other?
0:56:10 > 0:56:13It's given us the opportunity to just become close as a family,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15so it has really helped, I think.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18And I learned that Tiana can actually cook a bit.
0:56:18 > 0:56:19A little bit.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21Well, that's done, then. The experiment is over.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24We're at the carnival. Shall we go and party like it's 1999?
0:56:24 > 0:56:26- Because it is!- Why not?
0:56:26 > 0:56:27Let's go.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29# Jump and wave
0:56:29 > 0:56:30# Jump and wave
0:56:30 > 0:56:33# Jump, jump, jump, jump Jump and wave
0:56:33 > 0:56:36# Jump and wave. #
0:56:36 > 0:56:38Come on, Breanne!
0:56:38 > 0:56:40This is... I don't dance with you guys!
0:56:40 > 0:56:43# ..Follow the leader
0:56:43 > 0:56:45# Follow the leader, leader Leader... #
0:56:45 > 0:56:48I probably learned not to complain so much about everything
0:56:48 > 0:56:51cos people have been through worse, and...
0:56:53 > 0:56:56..know your history, and that's something I was sort of...
0:56:56 > 0:56:58I feel like everyone should do.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00You've got to know where you came from
0:57:00 > 0:57:03so you can appreciate where you are.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06The thing that I think most often about people my age during that time
0:57:06 > 0:57:09is about how strong they were to endure the racism,
0:57:09 > 0:57:13the discrimination. It must have been so, so difficult.
0:57:13 > 0:57:18Because they went through all of that, today, my life is much easier.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20So I thank them.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22I mean, even as I'm speaking to you now,
0:57:22 > 0:57:24I'm kind of getting goose pimples,
0:57:24 > 0:57:27but just having my children experience what I experienced
0:57:27 > 0:57:29in the '70s, and them just taking part in this,
0:57:29 > 0:57:32I'm jumping up and down, I'm just elated.
0:57:32 > 0:57:37I think the best bit was when I caught the ball in the park
0:57:37 > 0:57:40with Clive Lloyd, because I can't catch.
0:57:40 > 0:57:46I came into this expecting to go on a bit of a nostalgic trip
0:57:46 > 0:57:50and what it has actually done is
0:57:50 > 0:57:54reminded me how the years here
0:57:54 > 0:57:58for West Indians, as much as we've had great times
0:57:58 > 0:58:00and we've forged our way through,
0:58:00 > 0:58:04it's been latticed with injustices all the way,
0:58:04 > 0:58:07simply due to the colour of our skin.
0:58:07 > 0:58:13We are so much stronger than we realise, and these guys that were
0:58:13 > 0:58:17the pioneers has just proven to me again
0:58:17 > 0:58:21that we are strong and you can succeed.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24If you put your mind to it, you can succeed at whatever it is
0:58:24 > 0:58:25you want to do.
0:58:25 > 0:58:29MUSIC: Something Inside So Strong by Labi Siffre
0:58:29 > 0:58:31# Something inside so strong
0:58:32 > 0:58:36# I know that I can make it
0:58:36 > 0:58:38# Though you're doing me wrong
0:58:38 > 0:58:39# So wrong
0:58:39 > 0:58:42# You thought that my pride was gone
0:58:42 > 0:58:45# Oh, no
0:58:45 > 0:58:49# Something inside so strong
0:58:49 > 0:58:52# Oh-oh-oh-oh
0:58:52 > 0:58:55# Something inside so strong... #