Britain’s first all-Asian drama, A Touch of Eastern Promise from 1973, s to be given its first commercial release on digital download service BBC Store, as part of the Race Through the Decades collection.

The collection is BBC Store’s first look at six decades of drama and comedy that has reflected a changing Britain.

Charting the rising voices of the country’s Black and Asian communities, it’s tells the story of Britain’s journey towards a multicultural society.

It includes the popular 1990s comedy series The Real McCoy, which fans have long campaigned for a commercial release.

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Also featured is the ground-breaking detective series The Chinese Detective, the racial tension drama King of the Ghetto, contemporary drama Babyfather and three previously unreleased editions of Play for Today - Waterloo Sunset, A Hole in Babylon and Gangsters. Race Through the Decades also includes some recent favourites including Citizen Khan, Goodness Gracious Me, Small Island and Danny and the Human Zoo.

The collection showcases some powerful performances from many of the UK’s finest actors, often appearing at earlier stages of their careers. These include 24 star David Harewood’s appearance in Babyfather, the late Saeed Jaffrey (The Jewel in the Crown, My Beautiful Launderette) in Gangsters, Oscar nominated Moonlight actress Naomie Harris in Small Island and David Oyelowo’s (who played Martin Luther-King in Selma) memorable performance in Shoot the Messenger.

Aaron Bhamra, Head of Editorial at BBC Store said, “This snapshot of programmes from the past 50 years provides an insight into how attitudes towards Black and Asian groups on TV have shifted from being rarely seen to creating and starring in mainstream hit shows.

"The collection boasts some gripping performances, outstanding writing and hilarious comedy.”

The Race Through the Decades collection includes the following programmes which will all be available for viewers to buy as digital downloads:

Fable (1965)* exclusive to BBC Store. Broadcast in the Wednesday Play strand, John Hopkins’ crusading drama demonstrated the horror of apartheid to British audiences by imagining a totalitarian state where white people are the underclass. Cast includes Eileen Atkins, Keith Barron, Carmen Monroe and Rudolph Walker.

A Touch of Eastern Promise (1973)*newly released. The first drama on British television with an entirely Asian cast, this single 30-minute drama was produced by BBC Pebble Mill and filmed in Birmingham.  It told the story of Mohan, a young Indian boy in Birmingham who dreams of film stars. When his favourite actress comes to town, his dreams may just come true. This drama was written by Anglo-Indian writer Tara Prem, who was keen to reflect the life she saw living in the multi-cultural Midlands.  It was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

Play for Today: Gangsters (1975)*newly released. Writer Philip Martin’s Gangsters started life as a single drama but after being a ratings hit, spawned two series. It tells the story of former SAS man John Kilne (Maurice Colborne) who comes up against his old enemies in a tale of blackmail, extortion and drug peddling in the West Midlands. Saeed Jaffrey co-stars and the play was produced by Barry Hanson, who later went on to produce The Naked Civil Servant and The Long Good Friday.

Play for Today: Waterloo Sunset (1979)*newly released. Single drama about Grace, a 70-year-old woman, who leaves her residential old people's home to return to her birthplace in Lambeth and discovers a changed world with a more diverse community living there. Queenie Watts stars as Grace with cast including Floella Benjamin and Robbie Coltrane. Written by Barrie Keeffe and directed by Richard Eyre.

Play for Today: A Hole in Babylon (1979)*newly released. Play by Jim Hawkins and directed by Horace Ove, who had been the first black director to make a British feature film when he made Pressure three years earlier. The critically acclaimed drama, hailed by Black Film Bulletin magazine as the greatest piece of Black TV drama, is based on the events surrounding the ‘Spaghetti House’ siege, an armed robbery that went disastrously wrong.

The Chinese Detective - Series 1 (1981). From the creators of The Sweeney and Juliet Bravo, this police drama starred David Yip as John Ho, a detective sergeant in London's East End. It was the first mainstream show to have a Chinese actor as the lead. Ho’s boss DCI Berwick was played by Derek Martin, known to soap fans as EastEnders’ Charlie Slater.

Play for Today: King (1984)*newly released. Barry Keeffe’s (Long Good Friday) play about Mr King (Thomas Baptiste) who has had a good life in England and now he is looking forward to retirement in Jamaica. Before he leaves he plans a celebration at the smartest restaurant with his two daughters, to present them with a surprising gift. But his children do not react as King expects.

King of the Ghetto (1986)*newly released. Farukh Dhondy’s four-part BBC2 drama about racial tension between Skinheads and the Bengali community in the Brick Lane area of East London. The series starred Tim Roth, Zia Mohyeddin, Gwyneth Strong and Ian Dury.

The Real McCoy - Series 1 (1991)*newly released. The BBC2 comedy show which showcased a new generation of Black and Asian comics. The first series starred an array of talented performers including Curtis Walker, Robbie Gee and Llewella Gideon and introduced TV audiences to Meera Syal and Kulvinder Ghir, paving the way for Goodness Gracious Me. The popularity of the sketch and stand up show, known for some of its character based comedy and topical skits, meant that a further four series were commissioned. Fans have been calling for the series to have a commercial release, as it was never made available.

Babyfather – Series 1 (2001)*newly released. Based on Patrick Augustus's novel of the same name, Babyfather told the story of four 30-somethings living in and around South London, who were struggling with the issues of fatherhood, love and friendship. The four episodes which made up the first series introduce viewers to Gus (David Harewood), Johnny (Don Gilet), Linvall (Fraser James) and Beres (Wil Johnson), as well as to the women in their lives. Diane Parish and Angela Griffin co-starred.

Shoot The Messenger (2006) Writer Sharon Foster’s provocative drama about a teacher trying to save the black youngsters at his school underachievement. But when a seemingly minor incident rapidly escalates out of control and he loses his job, he turns against his own community. David Oyelowo starred as teacher Joe. 

Small Island (2009) Adaptation of Andrea Levy’s story of Jamaicans and Londoners involved in the Second World War. The award-winning drama starred Naomie Harris, David Oyelowo, Ruth Wilson and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Citizen Khan (2012) A comedy that broke new ground when it debuted on BBC One - a mainstream family sitcom with a British Muslim family at its heart. Adil Ray’s Mr Khan is typical of many male sitcom leads - a larger than life character, full of his own self-importance, whose long-suffering family have much to put up with! All five series of the popular comedy are available on BBC Store.

Goodness Gracious Me: Reunion Special (2014) & India special (2015) The collection includes the 2014 Reunion Special of the award-winning British Asian sketch show. Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia show off some favourite characters including how you can tell Sherlock Holmes comes from India, some very competitive grandmothers, and a surprisingly hi-tech use for an aubergine. Also available is the 2015 India Special which was originally shown as part of BBC Two’s 50th birthday celebrations.

Danny and the Human Zoo (2015) Lenny Henry’s compelling fictionalised account of his life as a teenager in 1970s Dudley, who finds becoming a comedian in such troubled times means questioning his identity.

Murdered by my Father (2016) BBC Three’s critically acclaimed hard-hitting factual-based drama with a devastating finale. Writer Vinay Patel presents a story about the power and the limits of love in communities where ‘honour’ means everything.