Discussing domestics on 'Make Yourself at Home'. Credit: BBC“This is a switch on the wall. A switch. This is a light. A light. If I turn on the switch, the light will come on.”
Britain in the 1960’s, having been governor to one fifth of the world’s population, was now learning to play host. Some three thousand immigrants a week were reportedly seeking to build a new life here from the commonwealth. In the same year as the first Race Relations Act, the BBC set a new precedent by launching a programme aired on Sunday mornings in a foreign language. Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye (Consider Yourself At Home) began on the 10th of October 1965. Viewers were taught how to make enquiries into booking a coach for example, as well as introducing them into new-world wonders such as the light switch.
Apna Hi Ghar Samajhite aimed to integrate the new arrivals into the peculiarities of the UK. While catering to the country’s rapidly changing demographic, the BBC was also seeking to manage its consequences. But coupled to attempts that ranged from helpful to patronising, ‘Consider Yourself At Home’ was also a window into the world left behind. Presented in Hindustani, the lingua-franca of North India and Pakistan, musicians from ‘back home’ were hosted as part of the hour every Sunday morning. As such, the BBC provided familiarity, feeding a corner of our parents and grandparents that would remain forever India or Pakistan.
