Britain as Seen on ITV

Synopsis

To help celebrate ITV's 60th anniversary Britain: Six decades of British life are recalled through archive footage, telling the story of the nation in a mosaic of clips from news programmes and documentaries. As Seen on ITV tells the story of our changing nation through extraordinary real-life footage seen on our screens over the last 60 years.

First Air Date: 2015-08-31

Last Air Date: 2015-10-05

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 6

Networks: ITV1

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Jane Horrocks as Narrator

Seasons

Season 1 (2015)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Home & the High Street (2015-08-31)

This first edition looks at how the UK's homes and high streets have altered, with clips including a 1960s architect showing the unimpressed working-class residents of a terraced Northern street his vision for living in high-rise pods, and the reaction to the opening of an adult-only shop in 1970s Birmingham.
Ep. 2: How We Got Around (2015-09-07)

The programme trawls the ITV archives to see how the way people get from A to B has changed over the 60 years since the station first took to the air. Including a feature on the men with the task of building the M62 in the 1960s, a report about fishy goings-on on the buses of Wolverhampton in the 1970s and an item on the ill-fated Sinclair C5 from 1985.
Ep. 3: Britain Always Had Talent (2015-09-14)

A selection of clips from the ITV archives showing talented people from around the nation, including a search for budding singers in Wales in the 1960s. Plus, a report on how the man, woman and teenager on the street felt about the career of the Beatles and there is footage revealing how the disco craze hit these shore in the 1970s.
Ep. 4: The Games People Played (2015-09-21)

A selection of clips from the ITV archives showing Britain's hobbies and pastimes before the internet and boxed sets, including a 24 hour rock n' roll dance marathon in Warwickshire in the 1960s. Plus, a group of people who wanted to create the Wild West in the North West.
Ep. 5: The Female of the Species (2015-09-28)

A selection of clips showing how the representation of women on TV has changed over the past 60 years, including a report on the fashion craze of hot pants that asks whether men should be wearing them as well. Plus, a 1970s beauty contest where the contestants had the strangest of ambitions and a 1980s series from Scotland that encouraged women to take up DIY.
Ep. 6: Rule Britannia (2015-10-05)

A selection of clips from the past 60 years of ITV programmes celebrating things that the nation is famous for around the world. Including a 1960s report on the beloved Sunday roast, a look at the constantly changing face - and uniform - of the police force, and a feature revealing how people used to head into telephone boxes to find out the very latest weather forecast.