BBC Urdu’s Riaz Sohail of BBC Urdu is from Hyderabad and shares memories of the bakery. The Bombay Bakery in Hyderabad, Pakistan has been serving its famous cakes since 1911 and has recently been recommended by the government to become a national heritage site. BBC Afghan's Dawood Azami explains how Afghanistan became the world’s biggest producer of opium, and why this campaign is succeeding after years of failure. It’s all so evocative, you can almost taste the Pimm’s and strawberries.The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have sent anti-narcotics units across the country to destroy this year's opium poppy crop. A time long before the All-England Club installed a roof, so fans prayed for the sun to keep shining – not least because Cliff Richard might burst into song if it rained. These were the days of Dan Maskell and Barry Davies gracing the commentary box.
Archive vox pops and scene-setting newsreel provided a whoosh of nostalgia. Racquets were wooden, hairdos were big, headbands were de rigueur. This was “brutal gladiatorial combat, disguised as a vicar’s tea party”. Lady Diana and Princess Margaret watched enraptured from the royal box.
So absorbing are the classic matches that I found myself getting tense, even though I knew the result.
This superlative series closes with an episode focusing on the mighty Martina Navratilova – her move from Czechoslovakia to America, her titanic battles with Evert, her sexuality, her struggle for acceptance and eventual hero status. The first player in Wimbledon history to be fined for bad behaviour, McEnroe’s on-court tantrums are equally entertaining 40 years on. Teenyboppers chased both men down the street like they were pop stars. The fierce rivalry between “iceman” Bjorn Borg and “superbrat” John McEnroe took tennis onto the front pages. Viewing the sport through the lens of the SW19 tournament, we see Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors become a celebrity couple – followed by Evert and John Lloyd. Sporting and social change have long gone hand-in-hand. Meanwhile, “gentleman rebel” Arthur Ashe brought racial injustice into focus as he became Wimbledon’s first (and only) black men’s champion.
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