The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

Duration: 58'55''

Synopsis

How black immigrants who made Britain their home came face to face with the government's 'hostile environment'. David Olusoga exposes the secret files behind the Windrush scandal.

Further Information

More resources about Twentieth century migration to Britain

Finding My Family - Windrush | Newsround Specials

Finding My Family - Windrush | Newsround Specials

CBBC | 2018 | 27'13''

Seventy years since the Windrush's UK arrival, two kids head to the Caribbean to discover why their grandparents left for a...

Black and Scottish

Black and Scottish

BBC Scotland | 2019 | 28'00''

What does it mean to be black and Scottish? Director Stewart Kyasimire seeks out a range of black Scots of different ages and from diverse backgrounds to ...

1: Arrival | Windrush

1: Arrival | Windrush

BBC Four | 2008 | 57'50''

Series tracing the changes to British national life brought about by the first major influx of people from the Caribbean in 1948. The initial warm rece...

2: Intolerance | Windrush

2: Intolerance | Windrush

BBC Four | 2008 | 58'57''

The 1959 Notting Hill riots and the first racial killing.

5: Age of Nations | Story of Ireland

5: Age of Nations | Story of Ireland

BBC One | 2011 | 59'10''

This concluding part covers the dramatic history of Ireland throughout the 20th century. Presented by Fergal Keane.

1: 1910-1939 | George Alagiah: Mixed Britannia

1: 1910-1939 | George Alagiah: Mixed Britannia

BBC HD | 2011 | 59'16''

A history of Britain's mixed-race community. George Alagiah tells how Britain escaped laws preventing interracial marriage and...

1: Mangrove | Small Axe

1: Mangrove | Small Axe

BBC One | 2020 | 2'07'20''

The true story of the Mangrove restaurant, a lively community hub in London's Notting Hill that was the subject of relentless police raids during the...

1: What Sort of Boy? | Rainbow City

1: What Sort of Boy? | Rainbow City

BBC One | 1967 | 24'04''

First episode of a groundbreaking BBC drama series from 1967 about the experience of the West Indian community in Birmingham, featuring E...

2: 1940-1965 | George Alagiah: Mixed Britannia

2: 1940-1965 | George Alagiah: Mixed Britannia

BBC HD | 2011 | 58'53''

George Alagiah tells the story of the GI babies labelled war casualties, the boom in mixed-race couples following mass migrati...

2: Lovers Rock | Small Axe

2: Lovers Rock | Small Axe

BBC One | 2020 | 1'09'53''

Lovers Rock tells a fictional story of young love at a blues party in 1980. The film is an ode to the romantic reggae genre called lovers rock, an...

2: The Asturias | A Passage to Britain

2: The Asturias | A Passage to Britain

BBC Two | 2018 | 58'39''

Dr Yasmin Khan reveals stories of passengers coming to Britain from Bombay in the late 40s following Independence, including Anglo-Ind...

2: Why You Marry? | Rainbow City

2: Why You Marry? | Rainbow City

BBC One | 1967 | 31'50''

Second episode of a groundbreaking BBC drama series from 1967 about the experience of the West Indian community in Birmingham, featuring Err...

3: 1965-2011 | George Alagiah: Mixed Britannia

3: 1965-2011 | George Alagiah: Mixed Britannia

BBC HD | 2011 | 59'01''

George Alagiah tells the story of couples facing violence on the streets during the 70s, how adoption became a battleground an...

3: A Better Fortune | Rainbow City

3: A Better Fortune | Rainbow City

BBC One | 1967 | 23'56''

Third episode of a groundbreaking BBC drama series from 1967 about the experience of the West Indian community in Birmingham, featuring Er...

3: A New Generation | Windrush

3: A New Generation | Windrush

BBC Four | 2008 | 58'55''

Focusing on the education of black children, their search for an identity through their music and lifestyle, and the tragedy of the New Cross ...

3: The Batory | A Passage to Britain

3: The Batory | A Passage to Britain

BBC Two | 2018 | 58'34''

Dr Yasmin Khan unearths the stories of those travelling on the great ocean liner the Batory, in the 1950s.

4: A British Story | Windrush

4: A British Story | Windrush

BBC Four | 2008 | 59'05''

The 1990s saw the emergence of a new black British identity, with black peers in the House of Lords and black celebrities in sport, entertainme...

4: Beards and Turbans | Rainbow City

4: Beards and Turbans | Rainbow City

BBC One | 1967 | 24'22''

Forth episode of a groundbreaking BBC drama series from 1967 about the experience of the West Indian community in Birmingham, featuring ...

4: Literature and Arts | The Learning Zone

4: Literature and Arts | The Learning Zone

BBC Two | 1998 | 1'56'59''

This programme looks at the contributions made by black people from literature and the arts.

5: Education | Small Axe

5: Education | Small Axe

BBC One | 2020 | 1'03'02''

When 12-year-old Kingsley is transferred to a special-needs school, a group of West Indian women uncover an unofficial segregation policy preventing...

More from David Olusoga

An abandoned baby | A House Through Time

An abandoned baby | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2020 | 5'41''

David Olusoga tells the sad story of a baby called Martha who was found on the doorstep of 10 Guinea Street.

4: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

4: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'33''

The 20th century sees partition in Ireland. A sense of national unity emerges in the aftermath of the Second World War, but ...

Ring Vaccination and the Eradication of Smallpox | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

Ring Vaccination and the Eradication of Smallpox | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

BBC Four | 2021 | 3'44''

In the late 1960s, William Foege was running out of smallpox vaccine in Niger...

Māori art | Civilisations

Māori art | Civilisations

BBC Two | 2018 | 1'37''

David Olusoga explores Māori art and the importance of the tattoo.

Kitchener and British Empire Historiography | A Timewatch Guide

Kitchener and British Empire Historiography | A Timewatch Guide

BBC Four | 2017 | 3'35''

David Olusoga explains how perceptions of empire have shifted throughout different generations.

1: First Encounters | Black and British: A Forgotten History

1: First Encounters | Black and British: A Forgotten History

BBC Two | 2016 | 52'49''

Historian David Olusoga explores the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Afric...

The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 3'23''

David Olusoga investigates the beginnings of the British slave trade in Barbados.

French troops from Sub-Saharan West Africa | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

French troops from Sub-Saharan West Africa | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 4'06''

David Olusoga investigates the WW1 experiences of French troops from Sub-Saharan W...