Babita Sharma explores the growing and shifting fortunes of the British corner shop to discover why this unsung hero has been at the centre of ordinary lives for over 70 years.
What is it about the British and the corner shop? The corner shop has always been there for us, it's a British institution. It was on the front line of what was happening in society from the '40s to the noughties. It saved our bacon during World War II and it has become a rite of passage for new immigrants.
Journalist Babita Sharma, the daughter of shopkeepers, explores the growing and shifting fortunes of the corner shop to discover why this unsung hero has been at the centre of ordinary lives for more than 70 years. With contributions from comedian Sanjeev Singh Kholi and actor Nitin Ganatra, the film uses the shop as a way to explore the social fabric of Britain - from economic change to immigration.
The death of the corner shop has been predicted many times - but still it soldiers on. So just how has it managed to survive?
Last on
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:01Toots & The Maytals
54-46 Was My Number
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00:06Glenn Miller Orchestra
American Patrol
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00:12Booker T. & The M.G.'s
Green Onions
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00:12Booker T. & The M.G.'s
Green Onions (feat. Steve Cropper)
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00:12Apache Indian
Chok De
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00:14Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No 9 In E Minor Op 95 'From The New World': 2nd Movement: Largo
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00:15The Orioles
Bring That Money Home
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00:17Bally Sagoo, Reema Das Gupta, Debashish Dasgupta & Cheshire Cat
Chura Liya
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00:25Thin Lizzy
Black Boys On The Corner
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00:25Thin Lizzy
Black Boys On The Corner
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00:34The Fall
F-'Oldin' Money
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00:40The Rishi Rich Project
Dance With You (Dancehall Diwali Remix)
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00:41Ghostpoet
Cash and Carry Me Home
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00:42Ghostpoet
Cash and Carry Me Home
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00:46Panjabi MC
Beware Of The Boys (feat. JAY-Z)
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00:48Semisonic
Closing Time
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00:51Cornershop
We're in Y'r Corner
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00:53Luis Bacalov
The Grand Duel
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00:57Allie Moss
Corner
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00:58Cornershop
Brimful of Asha
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00:59Cornershop
Brimful of Asha
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Babita Sharma |
| Series Producer | William Naylor |
| Producer | Linda Sands |
| Director | Linda Sands |
| Executive Producer | Michael Poole |
