2 October 2011 Last updated at 19:50 ET

Mixed Britannia - marrying an alien

Nearly 100 years ago, Chinese seaman Stanley Ah Foo arrived in Liverpool to start a new life. He soon fell in love - but laws at the time meant that his English bride, Emily, was only able to marry if she gave up her British nationality and became a so-called alien herself.

In Mixed Britannia - a new three-part series for BBC 2 - George Alagiah explores the often untold stories of Britain's mixed-race communities. He met Stanley and Emily Ah Foo's daughters, Doreen and Lynne, who told the remarkable story of how their parents met, and the restrictions placed upon them.

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The first episode of Mixed Britannia will be broadcast on BBC 2 at 21:00 on Thursday, 6 October 2011. Also available on BBC iPlayer.

Images from Getty Images and courtesy Ah Foo family. Music courtesy KPM Music.

Slideshow production by Paul Kerley. Publication date 3 October 2011.

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