Make Bradford British to air on Channel 4

How do you get people who have differences or problems with different communities to tackle their inhibitions and challenge their views of others in society? One way to do so is to throw them in a room together and see what happens.

Well, that is exactly what Channel 4 will be doing in their new programme which will test the boundaries of racial and cultural harmony to see what happens when you bring people who live segregated lives together for the first time.

"Make Bradford British", which will air in January, looks to combine elements from shows such as Wife Swap and Big Brother and has been described as a radical social experiment which will pit together eight "Bradfordians" in a house and then see participants paired up to swap lives.

Bradford is home to a large Asian community in Britain and was also one of the cities where violence flared between ethnic groups during the 2001 riots in northern cities such as Oldham and Burnley.

Executive producer Richard McKerrow of Love Productions said,

"Our ambition is to uncover a common notion of what it means to be British in the 21st century. And we felt that Bradford was an interesting and ideal place to explore this idea. Is there a core set of values or a shared knowledge that underpins the British identity?"

The Channel 4 chief creative officer, Jay Hunt, said,

"In a speech earlier this year, David Cameron launched an attack on state multiculturalism saying it has allowed the weakening of our collective identity. This is exactly the area that documentaries should be probing – asking difficult and challenging questions through an engaging and interesting format."

The idea of taking people living in one part of town to see how others live is not new, and for the most part, the preconceptions that we have are usually proved wrong.

With regards to the show, it may have an impact on the lives of the individuals who are taking part and may be a lesson for us all, but it's less likely to be seen as a social experiment but more like entertainment.