The Beauty Queen Riots - 4. The Layers of Resentment

Amardeep Bassey digs deeper into the history of the area to try to understand the friction that brought people to the streets. How does a place that rubs along peacefully for the majority of the time suddenly explode into violence? Beauty Queen Riots is a five-part series looking at the Lozells and Handsworth riots of 2005 in Birmingham. It’s a story that takes us into the conflicting and sometimes uncomfortable world of interethnic conflict in modern Britain. Journalist Amardeep Bassey returns to investigate a story he first covered 18 years ago. What happened and what did we miss back then which might have explained why people took to the streets with such force? And what lessons can be learned 20 years on? Producer: Ben Tulloh Executive Editor: Bridget Harney Music and Mix: Alex Portfelix A Burning Bright production for BBC Radio 4