Timeshift
★ 7 · 2002 · 60m · Documentary
Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.
Episodes
1. The Grunwick Strike60m · Documentary recalling the industrial dispute at the Grunwick film processing business in North London in 1976. Featuring film archive from the time and interviews with key players.
2. The Cannabis Years60m · An in-depth examination of how the debate surrounding cannabis has evolved over the past 50 years.
3. The Writer's Trade60m · Examining the changing image of the novelist over the last 50 years.
4. The Sailing Sixties60m · In the mid 1960s Britain went boating mad. This documentary tells the story of how an extraordinary maritime revolution that was kick-started by waterproof glues developed for bomber aircraft led to a whole generation of DIY dinghy builders, and ended in tragedy with the suicide of amateur yachtsman Donald Crowhurst.
5. Attenborough: The Controller Years60m · Charting the time of our favorite presenter at the head of the then struggling and controversial BBC2. Packed chock full of interviews, clips and reminiscences both old and new, including the very tasty Joan Bakewell of the 60s... Sir David Attenborough's reign as controller of BBC TWO, from 1965 to 1973, is still thought of as the golden age of television.
6. he Rise and Fall of the Comedy Straight Man60m · Timeshift celebrates the comedy double act's unsung half, with archive footage of Morecambe and Wise, Benny Hill and the Monty Python team. Contributors include Syd Little and Barry Cryer. Narrated by Mark Lamarr.
7. A Shadow Over Europe60m · In 1945, two and a half million ethnic Germans were driven from their homes in Czechoslovakia. Thousands died. Now, as the Czech Republic heads for EU membership, Charles Wheeler reports on how the Czechs made the Sudeten German minority pay for Nazi occupation, and why it became a hot political issue. This is a story about Germans as victims of World War II.
8. Whatever Happened to the Working Class?60m · This programme in the Time Shift strand explores the history of the current conflict over class▶9. Notting Hill Riots60m · Examining the west London riots of August 1958, which were the catalyst for black actMsm in Britain and inspired the annual carnival.▶10. What Have the Germans Done for Us?60m · From VW Beetles to Blue Nun and Kraftwerk, a look at Germany's conrtibution to British life▶11. Greenham Common Changed My Life60m · The story of the women who occupied the Greenham Common Peace Camp from 1981 to 2000 - what brought them to Greenham, their protests, conflicts with authority and the life they led at the camp. Contributors include Fiona Bruce, Fay Weldon and Joan Ruddock, all of whom visited the site to show their support.
12. Car Crazy60m · The story of the British love of the motor car from the earliest days of mass production in the 1920s to today's MPVs and post-modern Minis told through a succession of classic models from the Austin 7 and Morris Minor to the Ford Cortina.▶13. The Magic Roundabout Story60m · Created by a French animator, the show was reinterpreted for Britain, with classic characters like Dougal. It transformed the careers of actor Eric Thompson and animator Ivor Wood and has spawned a movie.▶14. Malcolm Muggeridge: Swimming Against the Stream60m · The controversial broadcaster is profiled by Time Shift. How did the son of a Croydon clerk become one of TV's geniune originals? Interviewees include Cormac Murphy O'Connor.
15. Gurus60m · Time Shift examines how the philosophy of the Indian guru has travelled into mainstream British society.▶16. A Brief Interlude60m · A short film about "The Interludes" - a series of short films made by the BBC in the 1940s and 1950s to fill in during technical breakdowns and gaps in the schedules. The most famous ones showed a potter's wheel, a cat playing with a ball of wool and a horse-drawn plough.More Like This
A Bite of China
2012 · ★ 8.3
This series explores the history, traditions and culture of Chinese food. Filmed at over 160 locations across China, this series truly is a feast for the senses. The seven-episode documentary series introduces the history and story behind foods of various kinds in more than 160 locations in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The documentary has also been actively encouraged as a means of introducing Chinese food culture to those unfamiliar with local cuisine.
More info →
Robbie Coltrane: B-Road Britain
2007
Robbie Coltrane has set himself a challenge to take a road trip across a Britain that we don't normally see. The route is from Scotland to the tip of Cornwall, stopping off at various locations - all on the scenic 'B' roads.
More info →
Amol Rajan Interviews
2021
Amol Rajan interviews era-defining pioneers, game-changers, leaders and maverick thinkers. Get inside the minds of the people who shape our world.
More info →
Prejudice and Pride: The People's History of LGBTQ Britain
2017 · ★ 0.9
Stephen K. Amos and Susan Calman present a unique series in which LGBTQ people from across the UK talk about the objects that helped to define their lives over the past 50 years.
More info →
Michael Portillo's 200 Years of the Railways
2025
Michael Portillo celebrates the modern railway’s 200th birthday, revealing the journey that changed the world.
More info →
Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War
2013 · ★ 7
The Hundred Years’ war between England and France gave us the victories of Crecy and Agincourt, and made the reputations of Edward III and Henry V. It gave France a national heroine in Joan of Arc. But, even now, the jury is out as to its causes and outcome. Was it the final swansong of a redundant knightly class whose only reason for being was to fight? Was it a battle over ever more important territory to the emerging economies of England and France? Or was it the painful birth of two distinct national identities, forged through their long and violent divorce? Dr Janina Ramirez guides us through the stories of kings, great knights, bloody battles and cultural triumphs of this momentous conflict.
More info →
