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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 The Broadcasters

    • January 5, 1978
    • BBC Two

    How much has broadcasting changed in recent times? Radio 1 disc jockey Noel Edmonds shows us how he puts on a live two-hour programme every morning, while John Snagge, OBE, a famous radio voice from the past, remembers a very different BBC full of rigid discipline, where announcers were reprimanded for dressing badly, and the slightest criticism of the records being played led to disciplinary action. Noel Edmonds, however, plays records at the wrong speed if he doesn't like them, and enjoys telling risqué stories to his audience. "Radio should be fun," says Noel.

  • S01E02 The Models

    • January 12, 1978
    • BBC Two

    What was it like to be a top fashion model 30 years ago? Cherry Marshall recalls a model girl had to be from the right background and speak with the right accent; "it was glamorous and the public looked up to us." Sarah Grant , a successful model today, shows us a different world where a variety of jobs and the ability to cope with any situation is what matters.

  • S01E03 The Mariners

    • January 19, 1978
    • BBC Two

    The Mariners, with Captain Ian North and Stan Hugill. What was it like to sail on the last of the four-masted barques? Stan Hugill remembers life on board as hard and dangerous - "Being woken in the middle of the night to climb to the top rigging in a freezing gale to change the sails", Captain Ian North, master of a container ship, today feels too isolated from the sea in the comfort of his air-conditioned bridge, 100ft above the ocean; his biggest worry - "trying to keep up the speed to meet the schedules".

  • S01E04 The Vets

    • January 26, 1978
    • BBC Two

    James Herriot , author and vet remembers life in practice more than 30 years ago when "vets were 'horse doctors', and cows were known by names rather than numbers." Christine Howe works in a mixed practice today in Sussex, her main problem is "trying to keep up-to-date with the ever-increasing amount of new information."

  • S01E05 The Captains

    • February 2, 1978
    • BBC Two

    Two airline pilots from different generations compare notes. Mike Webster of British Airways takes a Jumbo jet down the route from London to South Africa. John Harrington, OBE, who flew with Imperial Airways, remembers how it was.

  • S01E06 The Racing Drivers

    • February 9, 1978
    • BBC Two

    Motor racing has changed, probably more than any sport in recent times. Raymond Mays, four-wheel champion 40 years ago, regrets the passing of the "old cars" - "you could see the drivers working at the wheel then, it was a magnificent spectacle - but nowadays the best circuits in the world have been ruined because of safety regulations. In my day you made jolly sure you didn't get yourself into trouble - the drivers today should stay on the track, they're paid enough to do so!" Gunnar Nilsson, Formula 1 driver, has no desire to return to the "good old days" and sees no reason why motor racing shouldn't be made as safe as possible - "top drivers should be paid well; after all it's a living like anything else."