BBC documentary puts Brick Lane in the spotlight tonight

A documentary about the East End s famous curry lane is being shown on BBC Two this evening. The last of the seven-part series Saving Britain s Past is called The Street and will explore the past and present of Brick Lane. The Times newspaper s architect

A documentary about the East End's famous curry lane is being shown on BBC Two this evening.

The last of the seven-part series Saving Britain's Past is called The Street and will explore the past and present of Brick Lane.

The Times newspaper's architecture critic, Tom Dyckhoff, will tell the lane's story through the people who've lived, worked and played there, and claim it as their home.

The lane has probably absorbed more communities than any other from the Huguenots to the Jews to the currently predominant Bangladeshis community.

As it becomes a desirable address rather than a merely poor one, a vigorous contest has arisen about its heritage.

The episode investigates how residents view the area and its buildings from the owners of the desirable 18th century houses in Spitalfields to the Bangladeshi restaurant owners.

The film also examines the price some residents believe the fabric of Brick Lane has paid for its state of constant cultural flux.

The programme is being shown at 7.30pm.