About this season
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 (9)
1. The North on a Plate
Aired 8 September 2010 • 60 min
Cultural historian Andrew Hussey follows his success with France on a Plate by travelling back to his homeland, the north west of England, in search of its lost food culture.
2. 1960: The Year of the North
Aired 14 September 2010 • 60 min
The story of how the north went from being Britain's economic engine room to cultural powerhouse. Andrew Martin explores how the north liberated itself and the country as a whole.
3. When Britain Went Wild
Aired 5 October 2010 • 60 min
Documentary exploring how, in the 1960s, the British people fell in love with animals and how endangered species and wildlife protection became an intrinsic part of our culture.
4. Nordic Noir: The Story of Scandinavian Crime Fiction
Aired 20 December 2010 • 60 min
Documentary which investigates the success of Scandinavian crime fiction, from Stieg Larsson's bestselling Millennium trilogy to Henning Mankell's brooding Wallander series.
5. Italian Noir: The Story of Italian Crime Fiction
Aired 27 December 2010 • 60 min
Profile of a new wave of Italian crime fiction that has emerged to challenge the conventions of the detective novel - a dark world of corruption, unsolved murders and the mafia.
6. The Golden Age of Coach Travel
Aired 5 January 2011 • 60 min
Documentary which journeys back to the 1950s when the coach was king. Those who had not travelled beyond their own villages and towns were given a taste of exploration and freedom.
7. The Modern Age of the Coach
Aired 12 January 2011 • 60 min
Documentary bringing the story of the coach up to date, exploring the most recent phase of Britain's love affair with four-wheeled group travel from school trips to Indian treks.
8. Crime and Punishment - The Story of Corporal Punishment
Aired 4 April 2011 • 60 min
Documentary lifting the veil on the taboo that is corporal punishment, revealing a history spanning religion, the justice system, sex and education.
9. Crime and Punishment - The Story of Capital Punishment
Aired 5 April 2011 • 60 min
Documentary tracing the story of the ultimate sanction, examining such matters as the protocols of the public execution and the 'science' of hanging.