BBC’s Sharanjit Leyl gets personal in Singapore At 50

SINGAPORE — It was, perhaps, not unexpected that someone would want to produce a television documentary on Singapore’s history this SG50 year. But for Singaporean Sharanjit Leyl, who presents the BBC documentary Singapore At 50, it was a bit more personal.

While a bulk of the programme traces Singapore’s political, economic and social development, it is done in parallel to the tale of Leyl’s own family. Her grandfather made the trek from Amritsar in India to Singapore in the 1930s and Leyl offers anecdotal passages from family members who have experienced growing up and living here.

The show’s producer, Liz Corbin, said Singapore’s story “is fascinating for any onlooker”. “In global terms, few countries would claim to have matched the speed of development and economic success of Singapore,” she said. “We felt that seeing Sharanjit explain the challenges the country has grappled with through her personal family history was the best way to bring the programme to life. Her experience is typical of so many Singaporean families and her experience as a journalist meant she was able to speak to some of the people who were intimately involved in the development of the country.”

Leyl said she was a little uncomfortable with the idea at first. “It all seemed very personal, until I realised it was a story many other Singaporeans shared,” she said. “I knew that my late father worked hard to excel academically. He went from kampung to Raffles Institution and university, but had to study by a street lamp because there was no electricity. His story was very similar to (former Prime Minister) Goh Chok Tong’s and countless other young, determined Singaporeans at the time who wanted to succeed and contribute to the nation’s development.”

While she spoke to some of Singapore’s biggest movers and shakers who helped make Singapore what it is today — from Emeritus Senior Minister Goh to former Housing and Development Board chief Liu Thai Ker — Leyl said hearing the stories from her family members were a highlight of doing this project, which was filmed in January.

“Interviewing my aunt, Manjit Kaur, was definitely a highlight. She grew up in Singapore when it was a developing country and she talked about kampung life,” she said. “Re-discovering what was once the spot of their kampung home was a poignant moment. A factory stands in its place now, but as I point out in the documentary, it’s a sign of progress. Growing up in a country where things are constantly changing, you don’t expect things to last. There is always a steadfast march towards progress.”

For Leyl, the biggest challenge in doing the documentary was finding her old family home. “Turning up at the kampung plot and barely knowing where the precise spot of my grandfather’s house actually stood! We had to film on the grassy patch next to the industrial complex,” she said. “My uncle, who now lives in the United States, remembered where it was and emailed me directions with a map!”

The documentary originally aired in February, but the BBC have decided to update the show. “2015 was always going to be a momentous year in Singapore, but the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew made celebrations of the country’s anniversary of independence so much more poignant. We have updated the documentary to reflect his death and the country’s response to it,” said Corbin.

“The past six months have also put Singapore’s relationship with its citizens in the spotlight,” she added. “So the updated programme looks at whether and how Singapore will change, how it responds in the future.”

“I knew it was going to be a positive story of this nation’s development, but we had to ask, at what cost? It had to be a balanced look at what Singapore was about, the good and the ugly. So the widening wealth gap, freedom of speech and sexuality are explored as well as how young Singaporeans view the future,” said Leyl.

Singapore At 50 airs on Aug 1 at 12.10pm and 11.10pm; and Aug 2 at 5.10pm on BBC World News (Starhub Ch 701)