Episode 1
Art School
Jun 19, 2004
A look at the history of Britain's art schools, the most exciting educational establishments in Britain for two decades. The engines of the 1960s counter culture, they produced a generation of young go-getters who would take on the establishment and create the new industries of fashion, graphic design and pop music. Contributors include Brian Eno, Mary Quant, Kim Howells and Brian Rice.
Episode 2
Fantasy Sixties
Jul 13, 2004
TV fantasies played out on our TV screens in the mid sixties, Timeshift take a look back at the wild ideas, that took centre stage.
Episode 3
Jack Rosenthal: The Voice of Television Drama
Jul 18, 2004
Time Shift profiles the late Jack Rosenthal from humble beginnings to his success as writer of such dramas as The Evacuees and Cold Enough for Snow.
Episode 4
The Carnival Years
Aug 28, 2004
Notting Hill Carnival is Britain's biggest street party and a celebration of London's cultural melting pot. But, as Time Shift reports, its success has been dogged by controversy. With Trevor Nelson
Episode 5
The History of Pubs
Oct 7, 2004
Time Shift examines the very special place occupied by the pub in British society. Arthur Smith narrates, with contributions from Jeremy Hardy , Rowan Pelling and Pete Brown.
Episode 6
Live on the Night: The Story of Live TV Drama
Oct 14, 2004
In the days before editing ensured slick production values and blemish-free performances, TV drama was a live medium. Bill Nighy narrates a Time Shift retrospective on a time when things didn't always go to plan on screen.
Episode 7
New Age Travellers
Oct 21, 2004
Soap-dodging scroungers or free-thinking champions of an alternative lifestyle? Time Shift examines the origins of those regarded by many as social pariahs, revealing how at one time their ideas had a surprising degree of government support.
Episode 8
Drugs in Sport
Oct 28, 2004
Time Shift tells the stories of athletes ruined by drugs - or allegations of them.
Episode 9
Hey Mr. DJ: The Rise and Rise of the Disc Jockey
Nov 4, 2004
Pete Tong and Ranking Miss P contribute to Time Shift's look at the evolution of the DJ from pirate radio outlaw to modern superstar.
Episode 10
British Space Race
Nov 16, 2004
Britain was, briefly, the unlikely player in the field of rocket research. Time Shift tells the story of unsung pioneers of space exploration: the rocket engineers, the scientists and, ultimately, the dreamers who never gave up on a vision of bringing the future into the present. Interviewees include Professor Colin Pillinger, lead scientist of Beagle 2.
Episode 11
Pile It High, Sell It Cheap
Jan 20, 2005
Timeshift charts the spectacular growth of the supermarket over the past 50 years, examining how it has influenced British society.
Episode 12
Red Robbo
Feb 2, 2005
Time Shift traces the rise and fall of British Leyland shop steward Derek Robinson. In the mid 70s, he wielded immense power over management at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham. But by the end of 1979 he had been fired, a victim of the Conservative government's bid to break union power.
Episode 13
Gambling Britain
Feb 3, 2005
The National Lottery's launch in 1994 confirmed Britain as a nation of gamblers - yet just over 40 years ago, betting shops and casinos were illegal. Time Shift traces governmental efforts to control gambling through legislation.
Episode 14
The Story of Circus
Feb 10, 2005
Timeshift explores how television's early days exploited the spectacle of the circus. Including the first live outside broadcast from Calais where a French circus artist's act was witnessed by Richard Dimbleby.
Episode 15
Pop Svengalis
Feb 22, 2005
Timeshift celebrates the dynamos behind great British bands from the 1950s to today.
Episode 16
Conchies: Questions of Conscience
May 1, 2005
Timeshift looks at conscientious objectors from the first World War to today; those who refused to serve for religious, moral or political reasons.
Episode 17
Kenneth Tynan
Mar 2, 2005
The rise and fall of the theatre critic - who brought swearing to the BBC and nudity to the West End - is traced by Time Shift. Presented by New Yorker critic John Lahr, it features rare contributions from Tynan's daughters.
Episode 18
Jewish Entertainers
Mar 15, 2005
Jewish entertainers have dominated parts of the industry in the UK and US for decades, Time Shift investigates why American Jews celebrate their ethnicity while their British counterparts have often masked or even denied their roots.
Episode 19
Alan Plater: Hearing the Music
Mar 26, 2005
Writers Alan Bleasdale and Lee Billy Elliot Hall discuss the work of the writer for Time Shift. With critics Chris Dunkley and Dave Gelly, and director John Glenister.
Episode 20
Speak No Evil: The Story of the Broadcast Ban
Apr 4, 2005
When Margaret Thatcher 's government starved Sinn Fein of the "oxygen of publicity", it was the most direct level of censorship since 1945. Time Shift recalls an era in which the voice of Gerry Adams was replaced by that of an actor.
Episode 21
Russel T. Davis: Unscripted
Apr 11, 2005
Doctor Who and Casanova have both benefited from the writing of Russell T Davies. Time Shift examines his work from children's TV to Queer as Folk and beyond, with contributions from Mark Lawson, Christopher Eccleston and Andi Peters.
Skip to content