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Yookay vs Britain: How immigration transformed a nation | Documentary
Jul 17, 2025
Watch Steven Edginton's deep dive into Britain's exponential change in the face of uncontrolled mass migration.At the turn of the millennium, Britain took a radical new path on immigration. Tony Blair’s Government opened the doors wide, with little warning to the public. Since then, communities across the UK have seen changes that few could have imagined. The population has soared, straining housing, healthcare, and schools. 'Yookay: How Immigration Changed a Nation' asks: was Britain ready for this?
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0:00
Britain, an ancient place
0:13
It now has new sights, new smells, new sounds, and even a new name they call it the UK and what's gone wrong in Britain is we've had this culture
0:36
in which the rules were unspoken and you have people who have no sense of rules at all this is
0:43
a story about immigration what does it mean to be British for you to be British for me it means
0:50
That although I'm British and I'm born in this country, that I'm still rejected as a black person
0:55
Identity. Do you know what it is? I come from the UK, do you know what I mean? So for me it's like this is where it started
1:02
And the strange new country emerging from the ruins of the old
1:07
Do you like the new Britain? Erm, no. I've got to be honest, no
1:15
Welcome to the UK. To make sense of Britain's cultural revolution, I turned to historian Dr David Starkey
1:35
What do you think about the new multicultural Britain and its cultural aspects
1:40
You know, whether it's the music, whether it's the art, whether it's the aesthetic of the whole thing
1:46
How do you think it stands up to the old Britain? What a nice, simple question for this of the late afternoon
1:57
It has an aesthetic. It's interesting. Some of this has been very, very heavily put by the establishment, particularly drill
2:08
Stormzy is almost a mascot at Cambridge. He has been allowed on the back of this stuff to endow scholarships
2:17
which are only for black students, which I think is outrageous, but that's another matter
2:24
It's also very interesting to listen to the words. The words are of unconscionable violence, of anti-homosexuality
2:33
of utter contempt for women, of plugging of thugs. The BBC largely invented this, but if you go right back to the beginning of modernism, to roughly the end of the First World War, two artists like Marcel Duchamp, who did the famous chap with the urinal, the santan and whatever, in New York, and signed, was it, Orselavi, Eros, It's Life
3:04
The purpose of that, this again is where we've completely forgotten, modern art is about destroying. It's about destroying the old. Duchamp says quite clearly, and Rembrandt's to be used as ironing, the high art is also about destroying. The architect of Le Corbusier envisages everything else
3:32
If culture is downstream from music, then Drill is the soundtrack of the UK
3:41
Drill music, aggressive, violent and deeply influential, is vastly popular among urban youths in Britain
3:50
To understand it, I met with one of the scene's key figures, Fumes the Engineer
3:55
a producer whose YouTube channel has shaped the sound of a generation
4:02
Okay, so you wanna show us your studio? Yeah. Sure. I'm pure. Awesome
4:07
Wow, so you've had a lot of views. Yeah, we had a lot of early success
4:13
So who's this guy? Is this one of your artists? Um, so that guy exactly, I don't know who that is exactly
4:22
because that's like an actor. So basically, there was a wave where I've done a lot of plug things
4:31
which is what three-stop laughing is called this guy was in jail but he was
4:35
crazy popular so he's actually in jail and I managed to get
4:40
in jail yeah no he's out now at the time he was in jail
4:44
and I managed to get some recordings and put them together and make it into
4:49
a three-stop for him why was he in jail um I think you can
4:54
google his thing but I haven't personally but yeah I think you can google his thing
4:57
I don't know speaking about other people's heads like nice and I like
5:02
so this is obviously the British bag so you're quite are you a proud sort of
5:06
British producer or do you know what it is I come from the UK do you know what I mean
5:10
so for me it's it's like this is where it started so for me it's like
5:15
I have to acknowledge that my core fan base is in the UK and then obviously
5:19
it feels great now to be able to expand and be able to have
5:23
Spanish plugins and French and Brazilian should we be going to see this
5:28
should we do yeah yeah this one golden son alright boy right there
5:33
come here outside alright here yeah this is kind of where all happens
5:40
obviously the boost on the other side I'm kind of that person
5:43
that will have you doing everything again and again and again until it's right
5:47
I'm a perfectionist like I've had guys go in there and get upset at me
5:52
because they're just like yo bro I swear it's only good like 15 days in a while
5:55
I'm like trust me I know when it's the right one So I'm that guy that's always striving to get the best they can be
6:03
What girl are you interested in, girl? Do you know what? It's something I know almost nothing about
6:09
So I am totally curious. I need to educate myself totally. And I hope that you can explain to me
6:17
It's not something I regularly listen to. I don't think I've ever listened to a Ford grill song
6:22
Ever. So you'll have to show me my first experience. You'll have to sort of inaugurate it
6:27
I feel like there's a lot of pressure on it. But it never ever is not to
6:33
You could do drill. You don't have to be from a certain background
6:38
or experience a certain life to do drill. And I think that's what got misconstrued with drill
6:45
So you really think I could do drill? Yeah, 100%. Should we run some bars and get you in there
6:50
Have you ever run bars before? No. I've never done anything. You haven't been in the music background whatsoever
6:54
No at all. What would you want to say on a drill beat? What do people typically talk about on drill
7:01
Let's not worry about that. Let's worry about... We going to talk about what I want to talk about All right I just moved to America What it like to live in maybe Okay like that Cool So you just moved to America So where was you living before In London in Hackney
7:15
Ah, cool. So then that'll be your opening line, it's something along the lines of
7:20
came from Hackney, and now I'm living in DC. If you had to give yourself a tag right now, yeah, we need a name for you, bro
7:28
What's your name? Okay, well, my surname is Edgington, so all about Edge, something to do with The Edge or something
7:34
Are you ready? Young Ench. Yeah. Yeah. Alright, let's go in the booth
7:42
How is he the fun head? And where do you get your money from? So great. Alright
7:48
This is where it happens. Okay. Came from acne, now I'm in D.C
7:57
A shot drill for GB News. You can check my CV. Now the gap's too big
8:01
Grilled in this... Yeah. too quick that was the timing do it again do it again like that and after many failed attempts
8:09
i attempted to record a drill track myself it turns out cultural immersion isn't always painless
8:17
you can check my cv i came from hacking now i'm in dc i shot drill for db news you can check my cv
8:26
Build this trust on TV That one there was all me That one bang like Chief Keef
8:31
God bless the country Amen It's a mad feeling innit Yeah And it makes
8:36
It's your energy You have energy There's a vibe innit Adrenaline That's drill music
8:42
So this felt like a good thing right Yeah But But There is a but Yeah
8:48
Here we go Drill music does have a reputation For being violent Cool
8:52
And you know We were looking up The origin of the word drill and it comes from quite a violent background
8:58
I wasn't sure on that until just now, but yeah. So what do you think of the sort of violent aspect of it
9:04
the people who went to prison, you know, kind of rapping about doing violent things
9:09
shooting, whatever? That can't be a good thing, right? All right, cool
9:14
I'm going to spin this, yeah. You are who you are, right
9:20
And that's the main thing. What do you think about hacking? I like living there yeah cool
9:28
but the stigma now if you google it there's stabbings there's shootings all the time but do you know
9:32
what it is you're you so just because you live there it doesn't mean
9:36
that you have to be that person so it's the same with drill music just because
9:40
it comes from or may have originated from that it doesn't mean
9:44
you have to then be that person do you get what I'm saying because you've gone in there
9:48
and done a drill song like make no mistake about it this is a drill song do you get what I'm saying
9:53
you put an artist on there that does drill now and it's a drill song
9:59
do you get what I'm saying there's a gap for a verse but it's a drill song but you've come out of here
10:03
you felt good you felt energized you felt like a lot of the kids come from
10:08
if they are coming from that world and they're involved in whatever they're involved in
10:12
whilst they're here they're here they're focused on this they're not outside
10:19
they're not in fear of getting arrested or seeing someone and having to run or run after them
10:23
or any of the stigmas that are involved around it, they're here. They're doing something positive
10:29
They're releasing. Like you've come out here and felt something different. Like, this is what they feel
10:35
when they come to the studio. If this is promoting violence to millions
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tens of millions, billions of, I don't know, listens, then surely that can't be good
10:44
If young kids are listening to this, and thinking this is cool to go and shoot people
10:48
or stab people, if there's people they're rapping about, does that not encourage them to do those things
10:53
I can't speak on what encourages other people to do what But one thing I do know about music is
10:59
I feel like Drill is unfairly looked at And I'll say that because
11:03
If I listen to most songs Like most A lot of stuff are diss tracks
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A lot of stuff like Even the R&B songs They're all dissing their exes
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And my man and diss girl And then you take it back to Tupac Rapping
11:17
Hit them up It's the same stuff Rap music it's all the same stuff
11:24
Like, if you listen to the lyrics, it's still girls, money, drugs
11:29
power, respect. That's all it is. But I think drill in particular
11:33
has a reputation for violence. But why? Rather than rock or any other genre
11:38
Well, because of the lyrics and because of the people. Like you were saying, there's someone out there
11:42
on one of your awards that had been in prison, for example. He didn't go to prison
11:46
for making drill music. Do you get it? No one's gone to prison for making drill music
11:53
They go to prison for real-life actions. They then might be promoting through the music
11:58
That's some of people's worries. It's possible. I'm not going to sit here and say drill's perfect
12:04
It is a genre that is looked at under a certain light
12:08
But I do feel like it's unfairly looked at. To see how it's really done
12:16
drill artist Tay's stepped into the studio to record. So have you already got the lyrics written down
12:23
So that's normally how it happens. So you've thought about it before? Yes. This one, obviously, is one of my more commercial ones
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where I know you lot are coming, so... Yeah. So what does that mean, more commercial
12:40
Nicer? Yeah, nicer. More child-friendly. More child-friendly? More PC? Can we... I didn't say child-friendly, but..
12:49
Can we see the lyrics? Can you read them out? Can I read them out? Yeah! Yeah
12:54
How many lyrics do you want me to read? Give us a few lines. Okay, cool. Yeah, give us the best lines
12:59
Ah, yeah. It says, I stepped in a party steady. The big back's on Shaker already
13:04
I just got a call from Kelly. She just want to shake her jelly. So. Okay
13:09
So this is about a girl. Yeah. Is this a real person? No. Nothing's real
13:14
Nothing's real about this. So it's all made up. Yeah. Because what we're talking about is the violence isn't real
13:18
That's what, that's basically what you're saying, right? The violence in my lyrics isn't raw. Yeah
13:23
There is, I couldn't say that the violence in everyone's lyrics, I can't talk to everyone
13:28
but really and truly, there is some violence behind it. That drill started with like, from Chicago, and Chicago is kind of a violent place
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They used to rap about a lot of things, so kind of that subject
13:43
So when I started, it was like, probably... When did drill start
13:47
When did I start? probably 2017, 2018 I started drill and I was living a different life to what I'm living today
13:55
so sometimes I rap about certain things that I've seen back in the day or certain things I've
14:01
been through but most of the things that I'm rapping about now nothing that's going on it's
14:07
all fabricated. So you saw violent stuff when you were growing up is that? I was growing up yeah
14:34
whoosh stepped in the party steady the big backs on shake already i just got a call from
14:39
kelly she just want to shake her jelly in old britain culture meant shakespeare and elgar
14:46
in the uk it's masked rappers viral beefs and beats soaked in violence but what does the public
14:55
think of this new britain to find out i went to multicultural brixton in south london what does
15:01
it mean to be British for you? To be British for me, it means that although I'm British and I'm
15:09
born in this country, that I'm still rejected as a black person. And even though my family
15:16
came over as a Windwashed family, they built the roads, they, you know, went to the, came here
15:24
built up the country, and they're still stigmatising us as black people and putting us down
15:31
That's what it means to be British. So you feel that Britain's a racist country
15:36
Absolutely. It's still entrenched in its racism and they're still paying off people
15:40
and they never paid the people for enslaving us black people. And what does it mean to be British
15:50
To be a sheep. Some people say when they think of Britain
15:54
they think of Winston Churchill and the Duke of Wellington. Winston Churchill was a racist
15:58
and Alfred the Great and people like that Lord Nelson, what do you think of the great British heroes
16:05
They're just like racist and slave owners and you know, times are changing
16:12
backlash is coming, you know because you can't carry on like that really
16:16
What does it mean to be British for you? So obviously like, me being British, yeah
16:22
it's all good and yeah because obviously I was born here I was born in this country in 1997, the Twinkies of November 1997
16:31
And to me, yeah, South London is my home, innit? And obviously, Stockholm that I grew up going to, it's my home as well, innit
16:41
Stockholm, Clapham, Brixton, it's my home as well. What about Britain? Britain? Yeah, Britain's my home, innit
16:48
You like it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Since 27 years on this earth, yeah, it's been an amazing year
16:56
And obviously, things have changed for good. I'm going to name some British legends from history
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and I want you to respond. What do you think of them? Alfred the Great, Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson
17:09
the Duke of Wellington. What do you think of these people? Well, what I'll say about these people is, you know
17:17
they're just doing what they've got to do, you know. What do you think are British values
17:22
British values? It's a tricky one still. It's a tricky one, innit? It's a tricky one, innit
17:29
British values, yeah? It's something to do with cost of living or something
17:34
So what does it mean to be British, sir? What does it mean to be British? Look at me and you won't miss. You will see that I'm here with you
17:42
wondering what to do, wondering how to go along. You want to be strong and still being weak because
17:52
of the system. I don't know who cheat. And do you have a favourite Prime Minister or King or Queen
17:59
Well, to be honest with you, we grew up and see the Queen in power. I really like King Charles
18:05
right now still. I like the guy. He's a cool guy. So what do you think it means to be British
18:11
Well, I am British. My ancestors were Welsh. What are British values
18:16
Have manners, be kind, respectful, yes. Do you have a favourite Prime Minister or King or Queen? Elizabeth
18:28
Elizabeth the second. I know she's gone but I'm waiting for William now
18:34
You're not a fan of Charles? Errr. And when I say the names of the next British heroes, what do you think
18:43
So Alfred the Great, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Henry VIII
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what do you think of these people? Well, they were heroes in their time
18:50
I mean, that was a long time ago, but they saved things
18:54
So they were good men in that respect, yeah. And what do you make of the Britain today
19:00
It's obviously changed a lot, presumably, since when you were growing up. Of course, yes. Of course
19:06
That's a very difficult one for me because I'm on my last chapter now
19:11
so that's how I'm going to put it. Nearly in my 80s so that's a very difficult question for me
19:19
because if you look around there's a lot of languages spoken and it's difficult
19:30
Do you like the New Britain? No. I've got to be honest
19:38
No. What does it mean to be British? Well, I mean, what does it mean
19:43
It's a lot to me because I always study British. So, and the pound is really strong
19:49
The dollars is better. Do you live here? Yes. How long have you lived here
19:54
Two years. And do you think you're British? Do you feel British? Certainly
19:59
Yeah. I love it here. What are British values? Well, exceeding, job offer, travelling
20:06
all of the, you can name it. So good. What's your favourite thing about Britain
20:12
My favourite thing about Britain is getting around easily, transportation, no problem, anywhere you want to go
20:18
end of the hand in British is always good. And have you got a favourite prime minister or king or queen
20:24
Well, not really. I just love everyone getting to know them now, so I'm not sure which is my favourite, but all been great
20:30
And what do you think of these British heroes? Alfred the Great, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington
20:35
and Henry VIII? Well, they are really good, getting to study them, like I said
20:41
They are really good. But what does it mean to be British for you? I was born here, what can I say
20:46
You like it? It's all right. What are British values? How do you mean values
20:53
Some people say that British people are polite and they believe in fair play and they're tolerant and things like that
20:59
Most people are polite and tolerant. But you get somebody in a bad mood
21:03
and they won't be too polite at all, will they? Not everyone sees the UK as a problem
21:09
I sat down with Fahima Mohamed, a neurodiversity coach and a broadcaster
21:14
It's just a new version of old panic. The same was said about Irish pubs in the 1950s curry houses in the 70s and Polish shops in the 2000s Britain has always evolved Culture isn a museum It a living breathing thing And most Brits enjoy cultural diversity
21:34
The Union Jack, Shakespeare or tea with milk all come from cultural mixing
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Britain's identity, whether you like to hear it or not, is multiculturalism
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Most Brits enjoy cultural diversity from chicken tikka masala to certain even festivals that happen within the minority groups
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People vote with their feet and taste buds a lot of the times
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and culture is sharing in a strength, not a threat. Some discomfort is normal, and it's not dangerous
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Seeing different languages or faiths can feel unfamiliar, but unfamiliar doesn't mean unsafe
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In fact, these communities often have strong family values and civic pride
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Britishness is about democracy, fairness and freedom, not what food you eat and what clothes you wear
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To that extent, we can enjoy the differences. But this is a new phenomenon, isn't it
22:28
Because Britain did have a very, and England did have a very distinct history and culture
22:35
and homogeneity until the 1950s, when you started to have immigration from the former empire, from the Commonwealth
22:44
And obviously more recently, we've seen huge numbers. So this isn't going back thousands of years
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This is going back, you know, one or two generations. And this new phenomenon, this new culture, this new wave of immigration
23:00
some people feel that it's eroding the British culture and the English culture
23:06
that did exist, as I said, until the Second World War. Well, don't forget that Britain invited those immigrants to fight alongside when it came to the war. So it wasn't something that was just an invasion like people call. And these are kind of real, you know, offensive and language, which is not really even in line with British values, the British laws, the British system
23:31
it's xenophobic and it's ethnocentric and a lot of the times if people are willing to have their
23:38
own countries for themselves then don't invite people to come in when it comes to trade foreign
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investment as well as people who are skilled workers that is lacking in this country by its
23:49
own population indigitously so again you can't have it both ways it has to be in a way where
23:55
people have come here they've settled they were invited and they have also evolved there's also
23:59
a culture amongst minorities where they have more family values of you know getting married and
24:05
having children which the English themselves have actually not fulfilled in any sort of way and
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maybe let's you know address those issues. I live in a predominantly white area in southwest London
24:15
and we've had an influx of people from India and Hong Kong. They come here with barely much English
24:20
but they overtake most people that are living here unfortunately within their academics. So again
24:26
who do you blame? In Cambridge, philosopher James Orr helped make sense of the deeper cultural shift
24:33
UK as a designation for the United Kingdom, for those four nations, as the collective term
24:42
for those four nations, does not really get going until the mid-90s. That's when you see an
24:50
astonishing spike in references to the term UK and the slow decline of the use of the collective
24:57
term Britain. The impact of mass migration is real. The emergence of this new way of thinking
25:05
about our country, UK, is something that is driven by rapid demographic change. And so what you're
25:12
seeing is the emergence of kind of a new or rival collective identity, probably not terribly
25:19
different from what you would see in the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries AD
25:26
where you have, in effect, ethnically, linguistically, and culturally distinct tribes beginning to assert themselves, particularly in Gaul and in Germany and in North Africa
25:40
And this sort of opened up a sharp contrast between classical Rome, what they would call
25:47
Romanitas, the older way of being, a Roman, purer forms of spoken Latin, classical Latin
25:55
And then the emergence of a just very different set, increasingly divergent sets of cultural norms
26:02
How does the UK compare to the old Britain? How does it compare? I think probably what distinguishes the UK compared to
26:10
understood as this kind of distilled symbol of a new country dominated by emerging migrant cultures and demographic silos
26:22
is what characterises it as a kind of year zero attitude to history
26:29
There's no, quite understandably, there's no conscious awareness of the hinterlands of the nation
26:37
And that's not just that they're not familiar with 1066 and all that
26:46
They won't... World War II and the kind of Spitfire nationalism and the Blitz spirit
26:51
These just are completely alien concepts and alien chapters to them. For reasons you can entirely understand
27:01
they will bring with them, you know, when your rivals step through Heathrow
27:08
they bring with them their own loyalties and their own mental histories
27:13
of the cultures and nations that form them, the religions that form them
27:18
So I think that's one distinctive feature. There's a kind of, there will always be a dialogue of the deaf, I think
27:23
between the sort of new UK populations and, as it were, the older historic enclaves. And increasingly, I think they will be enclaves if we look at
27:36
the data, certainly by the end of this century. You will see, I think, kind of silos of maybe
27:44
people living, sort of UKers and Britishers living alongside each other somehow, but certainly not
27:52
you know, not integrating a great deal. I mean, it does look like, as I said
27:56
it's going to be a tale of two nations. The UK isn't just a meme, it's a mirror
28:04
It reflects a nation that's fractured, confused, and unsure of what it wants to be
28:10
The old Britain was built on a shared identity, loyalty, and pride
28:16
The new one is built on vibes, globalism, and alien cultures. Some call it progress, others call it collapse
28:25
But one thing's certain, this isn't Britain anymore. This is the UK
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