Driving Schools

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Osama Bin Laden Driving School

An intimate and revelatory insight into the lives of women and their families, from Burnley to Bradford. The documentary series delves into the world of learner drivers and their instructors, telling stories from their homes as well as their cars. With exclusive access to driving schools across the north of England which specialise in teaching Muslim women, the programme follows new drivers negotiating perilous streets for the first time. Unlike many driving schools, those featured foster a specific relationship between instructor and student because of a shared understanding of the cultural restrictions that Muslim women experience. For them, driving isn’t just a pleasure pursuit – it confers freedom and status, and opens up job opportunities that would otherwise be unreachable. Grandmother Taslima Dhin has spent her life at home, bringing up her children. Aged 58, she needs to learn to drive to take her ill husband for regular hospital visits in Bradford. Taslima isn’t just challenging convention by taking driving lessons: her instructor is a man to whom she’s not related, which forces her to ask questions about the traditions she’s held dear. Thirty-eight-year-old Humera Ahmed wants to learn to drive so she can to take her children to school. Despite the prevailing traditions of conservative Muslim communities, her instructor, Mr Ramzan – who is also an imam at a local mosque – believes that motors aren’t just for men. The only issue is, will Humera be ready for her …

Despite 50 hours of lessons, Samiah – divorced at 18 – is still not ready for her test. An insight into the lives of women and their families, from Burnley to Bradford, as learner drivers and their instructors tell stories from their homes as well as their cars. With exclusive access to driving schools across the north of England which specialise in teaching Muslim women, the programme follows first-time drivers negotiating perilous streets. The relationship between instructor and student is intimate because of a shared understanding of the cultural restrictions that Muslim women experience. For them, driving isn’t just a pleasure pursuit – it confers freedom and status. Samiah has seen life – married at 16, divorced at 18, the Bradford-born woman is only now seeing the possibilities that life can offer. A new job has given her career opportunities and financial independence – driving will give her the liberty to go where she wants, when she wants. Yet after 50 hours of lessons, she’s still miles away from being ready for her test. Instructor Yaqoob has the unenviable task of keeping her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road. Grandmother Taslima Dhin has more on her mind than driving lessons. She has the builders in at home, and it’s a nightmare. She’s also desperate to see her mother, who hasn’t been to Britain to visit her daughter in the 45 years Taslima’s been in the country. The planned family reunion depends on her mother getting a visa, and it’s not a done …