The BBC has decided to close its only specialist unit that catered to British-Asian programmes, according to this week's Eastern Eye newspaper.

The Asian Programmes Unit (APU) was behind popular shows such as Desi DNA. BizAsia.co.uk reported last week that the flagship series will not be returning to our screens for a sixth series.

Now the BBC has confirmed that the breeding ground for wide-ranging British-Asian talent such as Krishnan Guru Murthy and Sanjeev Bhaskar has ceased to exist.

A BBC spokeswoman told Eastern Eye: "When [APU head] Gurdip Bhangoo decided to leave the BBC, we took the decision not to fill his role directly.

"As Gurdip was the only permanent member of the unit, it has effectively closed but the BBC is still making a broad range of programming that reflects the diversity of the UK.

"All commissioners and executives across the BBC have an accountable objective to reflect diversity in both casting and content, and this remains the case with Asian programmes. The BBC’s strategy is not to make programmes exclusively for one ethnic group. We will continue to make programmes about particular communities or those that reflect different cultures, and in so doing aim to reach those communities. However, we always want a wider audience to come to them too."

The APU was based within the BBC’s Factual and Learning Division at BBC Birmingham. A unit dedicated to serving Britain’s Asian community has been in existence for nearly 40 years in some form or the other.

Raj Baddhan, editor of BizAsia.co.uk, said: "The British- Asian community has its own unique culture, so the BBC needs to produce shows that the average Asian finds interesting and can relate to. The popularity of Indian cable channels shows that British Asians want to see Asians on TV."

Related link:
'Desi DNA' TV show axed on BBC Two