As they enter the 50s, it's goodbye to their flat-screen TV and hello to a piano, some darning and a pipe to keep them amused. It's the era of formality and austerity, as many families bought little more than fags and a spool of thread from week to week. Dad Rob finds out that he's expected to be handy with a tool kit, while mum Steph, who normally works full-time, discovers that it's not her tablet or phone that she misses, but the family's white goods. Without them, she's stuck at home for hours with all the washing, cooking and cleaning expected of a 1950s housewife. But there are upsides - 16-year-old Daisy gets a chance to learn ballroom dancing courtesy of Angela Rippon, who was a teenager in the 50s, while 12-year-old Seth discovers the joy of the great outdoors, spam fritters included...
As they enter the 60s, they get first-hand experience of the radical spirit of the age as Giles encourages the family to get rid of their piano in smashing 60s style. With a bit more money to go around, there's more fun to be had - a trip to the seaside, a Dansette record player for Daisy and even their own Mini to enjoy. Special guests help the decade go with a swing. Sir Trevor Brooking joins dad Rob and son Seth for a game of Subbuteo in the dining room, proving that he's a demon on felt as well as grass. Daisy and mum Steph meet Sandie Shaw to discover how the decade's daring fashions reflected the growing freedoms and confidence enjoyed by young people.
In episode three, the Ashby-Hawkins family strut into the 70s and discover there were some unexpected upsides to the economic and political turmoil the decade is often remembered for. Rob and Steph share more time together, playing darts with 70s legend Eric Bristow and taking on some period-appropriate home improvement - cork tiles, anyone? Daughter Daisy lets her hair down at a roller disco with DJ Trevor Nelson, who recalls his own 70s childhood, and the family receive a visit from Top Gear's original presenter Angela Rippon, bringing them a brand new Renault 5 and the opportunity to go camping, 70s-style.
The family embrace the 80s, where TV and shopping dominated our leisure time. It is also the decade where technology arrives in our homes in a significant way. Kids Daisy and Seth are thrilled by the new VCR and home computer, and there is even a pager for Steph, who is now a shoulder-padded 80s businesswoman. Dad Rob has got plenty to occupy him - when he is not trying out the kids' CB radio, his home sunbed, or having his highlights done, he is shopping for a Don Johnson makeover with 80s fashion guru Caryn Franklin. But what does the arrival of all this stuff mean for family life?
In episode five, our family enter the 90s, a decade where new technology arrives at a dizzying pace and increasingly starts to dominate their leisure time. 12-year-old Seth finally gets his hands on a Game Boy and games console, while the arrival of the internet and a mobile phone (albeit in their clunky early guises) marks the start of the road to how we all spend our spare time now. It is not all about the tech though - Steph and Rob go all Billy Ray Cyrus and try out line dancing, and 90s fitness star Mr Motivator pops along to their local gym to put them through their paces. And it couldn't possibly be the 90s without tribute to the lifestyle programmes that dominated our TV schedules - Tommy Walsh and Linda Barker turn up to help the whole family give the house and garden a real 90s makeover.
In the final episode, our family discovers what the future might hold for our free time. As they reflect on their time-travelling experience, they also reveal how living in the past has changed how they feel about the present and their hopes for the future too. Changes in technology have driven much of our family's experience, and as they look to the future they discover new ways in which technology may go on to further transform our leisure time. The family get their hands on some robotic housework help a world away from Steph's 1950s mangle, and she and Rob try out a very futuristic gym fad - immersive fitness. Seth embraces some cutting-edge technology that takes him away from his screens, giving them the freedoms of the past with all the computer power of the 21st century. And Daisy gets to try out an innovative camera that records her day without cutting her off from her friends. But in the end, it's time spent together as a family that is the most important to all of them. As they look back and forward into the future, the Ashby-Hawkins family realise that no matter what incredible technological innovations await us, it's free time enjoyed together that we'll always treasure.
