Category: Asian Network
Date: 14.10.2005
Printable version
91Èȱ¬ Asian Network's daily drama, Silver Street, has triumphed in the 'Soaps and Series' category at the Mental Health Awards 2005.
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Silver Street has been recognised for successfully challenging the misinformation and stereotypes that surround mental illness.
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It was the only radio programme up against three TV programmes: Heartbeat (Granada TV), Doctors (91Èȱ¬ ONE), and Help TV (91Èȱ¬ TWO).
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The Awards, in their 12th year, were hosted by Jeremy Paxman at Bafta on Wednesday 11 October.
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The panel of judges included screenwriter Paul Abbott (Channel 4's Shameless) and Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Chief Executive of social care charity, Turning Point.
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Silver Street's storyline focused on the potential over-diagnosis of an Asian patient, Amrit Singh. The diagnosis was based on translations carried out 20 years ago by his son, Kuljit Singh, a London club promoter.
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Twenty-eight year old Kuljit Singh finds his father in a psychiatric hospital, and questions his father's initial diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
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Kuljit believes that due to a misunderstanding of his father's culture and beliefs, and the lack of interpreting services 20 years ago, his father has been over-diagnosed and treated for schizophrenia.
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James Peries, Editor of Silver Street, said: "This is a real boost for everyone on Silver Street. To be chosen over such well-established, quality soaps and series is a major coup for us in our first year and we are delighted to have been recognised.
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"Soaps such as Silver Street help to create awareness and discussion about important health issues."
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The aim of this particular storyline was to tackle and explore a number of issues which included the pressure on some young ethnic minority children to translate for their parents; and the stigma, fear, and superstition surrounding mental illness not only in all communities, but here specifically in an Asian (Sikh Punjabi) community.
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The storyline also aimed to highlight the importance of cultural awareness, and the dangers presented by language barriers in interpreting behaviour and making diagnoses based on that knowledge; and lastly there was the issue of rewards and burdens of the carer.
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Silver Street's first two episodes on this storyline were dedicated to Kuljit overcoming his fears, and at last confiding the truth of his dad's condition to a close friend. This was followed by a very successful one hour phone-in, after the episode, on the Sonia Deol show.
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The soap dedicated a focused week of episodes to Kuljit's search for evidence from his childhood, to support his case for a reassessment of his father's condition.
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This week used flashbacks, in which we saw the eight-year-old Kuljit at key moments of his father's diagnosis.
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We also saw the past and present of the extended family's reaction to finding that a member of the family has a mental illness.
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The story is currently in an upbeat phase, with Kuljit bringing his father out of hospital for home visits.
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Notes to Editors
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Silver Street can be heard on the Asian Network at 9.20am and 7.20pm every weekday, or in an omnibus every Sunday from 4.00 to 5.00pm.
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The Asian Network is available on DAB digital radio and digital television, online at bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork and on MW frequencies in the Midlands.
