One to One

Zubeida Malik is a journalist who works mostly as a reporter for the Today programme. For two weeks she's taken over the One to One microphone to explore the nature of Britain's changing communities.

Today's interview is with Raja Tahir Masood, a chronicler of Peterborough's Pakistani community. Originally from Pakistan, Masood has lived in Peterborough for forty years. In that time he's worked closely with the Pakistani community and has seen it grow and change. He's also seen new immigrants arrive in Peterborough, from southern and eastern Europe.

Producer: Karen Gregor.

Zubeida Malik is a journalist who works mostly as a reporter for the Today programme. For the next two weeks she's taking over the One to One microphone to explore the nature of Britain's changing communities. In this first programme she meets Sister Christine Frost, a Roman Catholic nun who has lived and worked in east London for over forty years. Based at the St Matthias Community Centre on the Will Crooks Estate in Tower Hamlets, Sister Christine has seen huge changes in the four decades she's worked there: an estate that was mostly white British and black Caribbean is now predominantly Bengali. Zubeida asks how this 77 year old nun from Ireland has adapted, and what challenges these changes have brought to her life and work.

Producer: Karen Gregor.

John Harris, of the Guardian, talks to Penny Andrews, a university researcher, who, after a difficult childhood and adolescence was finally diagnosed as autistic in her early thirties.

His son James was born in 2006 and, when he was 3, it was discovered he was autistic. For John and his partner, the next two or three years passed in a blur of educational therapy, tussles with officialdom, James's successful entry to a mainstream school, and reading: lots and lots of it.

In his first edition of One to One, John talked to Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Cambridge University and Director of the University's Autism Research Centre.

Today he talks to Penny about how the condition has affected her life and how she has learnt to live with it, holding down an intellectually challenging job and married life.

They discuss how schools and employers can help those on the autistic spectrum make the most of the gifts and talents they have and understand better the more challenging aspects of the condition.

Producer: Lucy Lunt.

John Harris of The Guardian talks to autism specialist, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen.

John is known for having two consuming passions: music and politics - and luckily he's developed a career that revolves round both. But five years ago, he acquired a third area of expertise and curiosity: autism.

His son James was born in 2006 and, when he was 3, it was discovered he was autistic. For John and his partner, the next two or three years passed in a blur of educational therapy, tussles with officialdom, James's successful entry to a mainstream school, and reading: lots and lots of it.

In these two editions of One to One, John talks to people who can give him greater insight into the condition and to discover how we can all become more accepting of it and those who are affected by it.

Producer: Lucy Lunt.

Charlotte Smith looks at the support offered by self help groups to those suffering from emotional trauma.

When Sarah O'Donoghue's eighteen year old son died while out celebrating his A level results, she felt she needed to turn to the professionals for help; doctors, bereavement counsellors, therapists.

It was only after many months that she finally turned to The Compassionate Friends; one of the several charities that offers support and help to bereaved families after the death of a child. Here she found solace by talking to and being with others who had been through the same experience themselves.

Sarah now runs a group for bereaved families in her area.

Charlotte and Sarah discuss the positives and negatives of being part of such a group; the support that is given to people who so badly need it, whether there is a danger members could become too dependent, and at what point people might make the sometimes painful decision to leave a group.

Producer: Lucy Lunt.

Charlotte Smith was diagnosed with a rare form of chronic lung disease, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (now known as LAM) three years ago. She immediately went onto the internet and linked up with other sufferers on a dedicated website. Gill Hollis was diagnosed in 1992 before there was a self-help group. Charlotte and Gill discuss the positives and negatives of self help groups for those with chronic illnesses. Does it help or hinder acceptance or simply build up false hope and increase dependency?

Producer Lucy Lunt.

Broadcaster Adrian Goldberg, who is married to a British Asian woman, explores the topic of mixed marriage for One to One. Today, in the third and final of his interviews, he meets Mandy. Mandy is of Sikh/Hindu heritage and had to deal with the rejection by most of her family when she refused to contemplate the idea of an arranged marriage. She went on to meet and marry an Afro-Caribbean man; something which has brought her happiness, although it hasn't been the smoothest of journeys.

Producer: Karen Gregor.

In the second of three editions of One to One, broadcaster Adrian Goldberg - who is married to a British Asian woman - explores the topic of mixed marriage. Today Adrian meets Rosalind Birtwistle, a Christian woman who married a Jewish man in the 1970s.

Producer: Karen Gregor.

In two (repeated) interviews for One to One, broadcaster Adrian Goldberg - who is married to a British Asian woman - explores the topic of mixed marriage.

The dry facts, from the Office of National Statistics, state that "Nearly 1 in 10 people living in as a couple were in an inter-ethnic relationship in 2011".*

Now Adrian brings this statistic to life as he meets two people who married outside their own faith or cultural background, across different decades.

In this first programme he meets Tara Bariana. Tara arrived in England from India in the 1960s and was, in his words, an illiterate 13 year old who couldn't speak English. He was expected to marry a Punjabi girl, but went against his family's wishes when he met and fell in love with Beryl, the daughter of a Baptist minister. Adrian hears Tara's story, and finds out what happened next.

*figures from the 2011 census.

Producer: Karen Gregor.

Broadcaster Nihal owns a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, but doesn't want to be stereotyped by his dog. In this second of two programmes for the interview series One to One, he talks to Paul who is a first time owner of a Staffie. For Paul, his dog 'Bee Bee' has been a revelation and came into his life at just the right time.

Producer : Perminder Khatkar.