Main content

I Dressed Ziggy Stardust

Samira Ahmed meets British Asian women who, like her, were inspired by the ever-changing London pop star David Bowie. From 2013.

For more than four decades, David Bowie entranced his followers.

Samira Ahmed looks at his particular appeal for British Asian women.

Across the generations, they were inspired by the skinny South Londoner, who challenged gender barriers and who played with alien identity and other-worldliness.

Beneath the make up and exotic costumes, he was also the intelligent, politely spoken suburban young man who you could potentially introduce to your mother.

As Samira explores Bowie鈥檚 impact on British Asian teenagers, she talks to Shami Chakrabarti - the director of Liberty - about Bowie鈥檚 changing identities, sociologist Rupa Huq tackles his suburban psychoses, and Shyama Perera takes Samira on a journey to explain how her teenage obsession with Bowie even extended to sending costume designs to her hero, enabling her to claim that 鈥淚 Dressed Ziggy Stardust鈥.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed

Producer: Alice Bloch

A Whistledown/ Kati Whitaker production for 成人快手 Radio 4 , first broadcast in March 2013.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Mon 24 Oct 2022 03:30

Clip

Broadcasts

  • Sat 16 Mar 2013 10:30
  • Sat 16 Jan 2016 15:30
  • Thu 10 Jan 2019 06:30
  • Thu 10 Jan 2019 13:30
  • Thu 10 Jan 2019 20:30
  • Fri 11 Jan 2019 01:30
  • Tue 18 Oct 2022 14:30
  • Wed 19 Oct 2022 02:30
  • Sun 23 Oct 2022 15:30
  • Mon 24 Oct 2022 03:30

Featured in...

Seriously...

Seriously...

Discover more seriously interesting radio documentaries.