Seasons & Episodes
The Grunwick Strike
Documentary recalling the industrial dispute at the Grunwick film processing business in North London in 1976. Featuring
The Cannabis Years
An in-depth examination of how the debate surrounding cannabis has evolved over the past 50 years.
The Writer's Trade
Examining the changing image of the novelist over the last 50 years.
The Sailing Sixties
In the mid 1960s Britain went boating mad. This documentary tells the story of how an extraordinary maritime revolution
Attenborough: The Controller Years
Charting the time of our favorite presenter at the head of the then struggling and controversial BBC2. Packed chock full
he Rise and Fall of the Comedy Straight Man
Timeshift celebrates the comedy double act's unsung half, with archive footage of Morecambe and Wise, Benny Hill and the
A Shadow Over Europe
In 1945, two and a half million ethnic Germans were driven from their homes in Czechoslovakia. Thousands died. Now, as t
Whatever Happened to the Working Class?
This programme in the Time Shift strand explores the history of the current conflict over class
Notting Hill Riots
Examining the west London riots of August 1958, which were the catalyst for black actMsm in Britain and inspired the ann
What Have the Germans Done for Us?
From VW Beetles to Blue Nun and Kraftwerk, a look at Germany's conrtibution to British life
Greenham Common Changed My Life
The story of the women who occupied the Greenham Common Peace Camp from 1981 to 2000 - what brought them to Greenham, th
Car Crazy
The story of the British love of the motor car from the earliest days of mass production in the 1920s to today's MPVs an
The Magic Roundabout Story
Created by a French animator, the show was reinterpreted for Britain, with classic characters like Dougal. It transforme
Malcolm Muggeridge: Swimming Against the Stream
The controversial broadcaster is profiled by Time Shift. How did the son of a Croydon clerk become one of TV's geniune o
Gurus
Time Shift examines how the philosophy of the Indian guru has travelled into mainstream British society.
A Brief Interlude
A short film about "The Interludes" - a series of short films made by the BBC in the 1940s and 1950s to fill in during t
The Great British Seaside Holiday
Timeshift presents a bank holiday celebration of the British seaside holiday experience from its Victorian origins and h
Children's News
Time Shift explores the significance of children's programmes in developing young people's worldview. With Jon Snow and
Watching You
Undercover reporter Donal Macintyre is among the interviewees as Time Shift looks at hidden-camera TV. Nigel Kneale disc
TV and Charity
Terry Wogan, Lenny Henry, Michael Buerk and Esther Rantzen guest on Time Shift's look at how charity and TV are interwov
Tyneside
Time Shift celebrates Tyneside's cultural contribution and its development through the eyes of writers, actors and other
Political Thrillers: Plays of State
From banned 1950s drama Party Manners to House of Cards and State of Play, the secrets of TV thrillers are uncovered in
High Rise Dreams
Time Shift looks back at how a group of idealistic architects changed the face of council housing in Britain, inspired b
Vicars: Dearly Beloved?
Timeshift looks at the changing role of the Church of England parish priest over the last 40 years.
Footballers’ Lives
In the last 40 years, money and fame have transformed footballers from working class heroes to multimedia icons. Time Sh
Six Days to Saturday
John Boorman-directed documentary from 1963, recounting a week in the life of the players and manager of Swindon Town fo
Cold War Kids
Paul Morley and Michael Rosen are among those discussing the changing experiences of children who grew up in the shadow
The Kneale Tapes
Time Shift profiles Nigel Kneale, the brains behind such disconcerting chillers as The Stone Tapes and The Ouatermass Ex
James Cameron: A Pain in the Neck
Timeshift profiles the journalist, a conflict-battered idealist who feared for the worst and campaigned for the best.
Apocalypse Now… and Then
Time Shift examins mankind's obsession with the end of the world, looking at how science and religion fuel the belief th
The Lie of the Land
The conventional view of the country-side is of a rural idyll perpetuated by our cultural tradition - but does this idyl
Child Prodigies
Timeshift looks at how precocious children challenge thinking about education - and whether labelling a child as "gifted
Raj to Rhondda: How Indian Doctors saved the NHS
The story of the generation of doctors who came from the Indian subcontinent to become the hidden heroes who have provid
The Jet Set
Rich, distant and opulent, the jet set fascinated the public as they waved to us from airplane doorways before winging t
Missing Believed Wiped
The story of Britain's lost generation of TV entertainment, from the golden age of light entertainment in the 1950s, via
Prog Rock
A look back to the years when progressive rock ruled the universe, with bands such as Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and
Hard Drive Heaven: The History of the Home Computer
The PC has shrunk in size, but grown in power - Time Shift charts its evolution. Contributors include Sir Clive Sinclair
Whistleblowers
Until the 1980s Whitehall was able to use the Official Secrets Act to suppress information it didn't want disclosed. Tim
Charles Wheeler: Edge of Frame
A look at the decisive moments of the latter 20th century through the eyes of the late Charles Wheeler. One of journalis
Art School
A look at the history of Britain's art schools, the most exciting educational establishments in Britain for two decades.
Fantasy Sixties
TV fantasies played out on our TV screens in the mid sixties, Timeshift take a look back at the wild ideas, that took ce
Jack Rosenthal: The Voice of Television Drama
Time Shift profiles the late Jack Rosenthal from humble beginnings to his success as writer of such dramas as The Evacue
The Carnival Years
Notting Hill Carnival is Britain's biggest street party and a celebration of London's cultural melting pot. But, as Time
The History of Pubs
Time Shift examines the very special place occupied by the pub in British society. Arthur Smith narrates, with contribut
Live on the Night: The Story of Live TV Drama
In the days before editing ensured slick production values and blemish-free performances, TV drama was a live medium. Bi
New Age Travellers
Soap-dodging scroungers or free-thinking champions of an alternative lifestyle? Time Shift examines the origins of those
Drugs in Sport
Time Shift tells the stories of athletes ruined by drugs - or allegations of them.
Hey Mr. DJ: The Rise and Rise of the Disc Jockey
Pete Tong and Ranking Miss P contribute to Time Shift's look at the evolution of the DJ from pirate radio outlaw to mode
British Space Race
Britain was, briefly, the unlikely player in the field of rocket research. Time Shift tells the story of unsung pioneers
Pile It High, Sell It Cheap
Timeshift charts the spectacular growth of the supermarket over the past 50 years, examining how it has influenced Briti
Red Robbo
Time Shift traces the rise and fall of British Leyland shop steward Derek Robinson. In the mid 70s, he wielded immense p
Gambling Britain
The National Lottery's launch in 1994 confirmed Britain as a nation of gamblers - yet just over 40 years ago, betting sh
The Story of Circus
Timeshift explores how television's early days exploited the spectacle of the circus. Including the first live outside b
Pop Svengalis
Timeshift celebrates the dynamos behind great British bands from the 1950s to today.
Conchies: Questions of Conscience
Timeshift looks at conscientious objectors from the first World War to today; those who refused to serve for religious,
Kenneth Tynan
The rise and fall of the theatre critic - who brought swearing to the BBC and nudity to the West End - is traced by Time
Jewish Entertainers
Jewish entertainers have dominated parts of the industry in the UK and US for decades, Time Shift investigates why Ameri
Alan Plater: Hearing the Music
Writers Alan Bleasdale and Lee Billy Elliot Hall discuss the work of the writer for Time Shift. With critics Chris Dunkl
Speak No Evil: The Story of the Broadcast Ban
When Margaret Thatcher 's government starved Sinn Fein of the "oxygen of publicity", it was the most direct level of cen
Russel T. Davis: Unscripted
Doctor Who and Casanova have both benefited from the writing of Russell T Davies. Time Shift examines his work from chil
MPs on the Box
Time Shift looks at how satirists have portrayed politicians in such television creations as Yes Minister Spitting Image
Je T'Aime... How We Learned to Love Europe
Sixty years ago, postwar Europe was seen as a dirty, chaotic place where you couldn't drink the water. Now Brits dream o
England Away
Time Shift examines the history of English football fans travelling to Europe, and the attendant sub-culture of drinking
Court on Camera
A member of OJ Simpson's "dream team", plus the lawyer who defended nanny Louise Woodward , are among contributors to Ti
Apes in Hollywood
Since King Kong broke box office records, apes have been big business. Time Shift takes a wry look at a neglected genre,
Star Men
Adam Hart-Davis explores the world of Britain's 40,000 amateur astronomers. While the last century saw amateurs eclipsed
Black and White Minstrels Revisited
Time Shift takes a look at the now notorious show, whose blacked-up singing and dancing routines ruled the weekend sched
Too Much, Too Young
Time Shift charts the devastating effect on children - some as young as five - who care for infirm parents
The Jitterbug Years
Documentary recalling the social revolution which swept across Britain from 1946. A new dance craze, the Jitterbug, capt
Play It Again
Remembering the golden age of the TV panel game as What's My Line?, The Name's the Same and Ask Your Dad make their debu
The Battle for the Ashes
The changing sporting fortunes of England and Australia as recounted in this Time Shift documentary.
The Lost Pictures of Eugene Smith
Time Shift investigates how Life magazine's opposition to Attlee's radical Labour government inspired them to suppress p
The Third Progamme: High Culture for All in Postwar Britain
Francine Stock narrates the story of the Third Programme, a high-culture radio show launched in 1946, focusing on how th
Lost Road: Overland To Singapore
In 1955 young producer of Travellers' Tales David Attenborough was persuaded by six Oxbridge undergraduates to give some
A Study in Sherlock
Documentary explores the continuing appeal of Sherlock Holmes through his various screen incarnations, from early silent
Baker Street Babylon: The Bizarre Afterlife of Sherlock Holmes
Time Shift presents clips of the strangest Sherlocks, with pastiche and parody from Roland Rat to John Cleese.
Stephen Poliakoff: A Brief History of Now
Robert Lindsay and Miranda Richardson guest in Time Shift's profile of the TV dramatist.
The British Way of Death
Daniela Nardini narrates a documentary exploring why the British funeral has acquired a new spirit of informality. Today
Left of Frame: The Rise and Fall of Radical TV Drama
Jimmy McGovern and Ken Loach are among those reflecting on left-wing drama of the 1960s and 70s, looking at works as div
Rude Britannia
From Pygmalion to Paxman, Time Shift traces the cult of plain-speaking. Narrated by Tamsin Greig.
The Sun and the Moon
A quirky Time Shift compilation of TV appearances by these two heavenly bodies, including Patrick Moore 's meeting with
Pay Attention Britain! Public Information Films
Marking 60 years of the Central Office of Information, Time Shift celebrates PIFs, from HIV awareness to "Charley Says".
Switch off Something - Britain and the Three Day Week
Welcome to 1973 - the year that saw the three-day week and the arrival of a fictional character from 2006 in the BBC1 dr
Creating 'Life on Mars'
The creators of Life on Mars (2006) discuss the series and how it was made.
The Da Vinci Code - The Greatest Story Ever Sold
After The Da Vinci Code was cleared of plagiarism, this documentary explores the climate which has permitted it to make
Carry On Campus
Nigel Planer narrates a documentary taking a fond look at the growing pains of the university through the eyes of the wr
Machine Men
Documentary looking at the history of robots, androids and cyborgs in both fact and fiction. Contributors include sci-fi
Oz and Them
Documentary on the relationship between Australia and the UK since the Second World War, beginning with the Queen's 1954
Spy Stories: British Espionage in Fact and Fiction
Bill Nighy narrates a documentary telling the story of the long and often extraordinary relationship between fact and fi
Planet Ping Pong
The story of table tennis and how it became the most popular sport in Asia. The programme revisits the glory days of the
Parallel Worlds: A User's Guide
Playful viewer's guide to entering another dimension, narrated by Richard Ayoade, featuring some of TV and cinema's best
Transylvania Babylon
A comic exploration of the cult of Dracula. From Bela Lugosi to bloodsucking bikes, with a Mexican tag-wrestling version
The New Middle Classes
Where has a decade and more of rising prosperity across the social spectrum left Britain's middle class? Much bigger cer
Rover: The Long Goodbye
Documentary which traces the rise and fall of a great British brand, exploring how Rover cars went from defining their e
First Rites: From the Cradle to the Prom
Documentary which looks at how the rituals that mark our milestones in life - baptism, the first day at school, the firs
Wedding Rites: In Sickness and in Health
Documentary looking at how and why weddings are on the increase and divorce rates in decline in the UK, and if it's the
Goodbye Children Everywhere
Documentary which celebrates the high and lows of children's TV and asks if the future of mainstream television be one w
The Edwardian Larder
Documentary about the first mass-produced food brands focusing on Perrier water, Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Typhoo tea and Ma
How To Be a Good Prime Minister
Political commentator Andrew Marr assesses what it takes to be a successful British premier based on the performance of
Gagging For It: TV's Hunger for Radio Comedy
Since its earliest days, television has looked to radio comedy for the 'next big thing'. Radio hits from Hancock's Half-
Whatever Happened to Radio 2?
Radio 2 was created out of the old Light Programme, but the modern station, with its targeted playlists and big-name DJs
Emmylou Harris's Ten Commandments of Country
Live performance in which Emmylou Harris presents her ten rules of what makes a great country song, personally chosen fr
Emmylou Harris at the BBC
BBC collection of performances which traces Emmylou Harris's musical development from her first British TV appearance on
Archaeology - Digging the Past
An exploration of the way archaeology has been presented on television over the past 50 years, from panel show Animal, V
Sir Mortimer Wheeler - A Life in Ruins
Profile of Mortimer Wheeler, who became the public face of archaelogy for almost 40 years. With the arrival of televisio
Watching the Russians
Beginning with the rise of Russophobia in Victorian Britain, former MI5 director general Stella Rimington explores our l
Never Had It So Good?
Writer Colin Shindler returns to Manchester to revisit his childhood and tell his own intensely personal, boys own story
A Game of Two Eras: 1957 v 2007
Using computerised analysis, an experiment to find out how English football has really changed in the past 50 years by c
Stuffed: The Great British Christmas Dinner
It's the season of peace and goodwill to all, when we think of those less fortunate than ourselves. It's also the time o
The Rise and Fall of the Ad Man
Inspired by the maverick US advertisers of Madison Avenue, a new generation of British ad men created a unique style of
How to Be a Good President
Helped by contributors including Shirley Williams, Douglas Hurd and Simon Hoggart, journalist Jonathan Freedland attempt
Between the Lines - Railways in Fiction and Film
Novelist Andrew Martin presents a documentary examining how the train came to shape the work of writers and film-makers,
Last Days of Steam
Documentary that tells the surprising story of how Britain entered a new age of steam railways after the Second World Wa
How to Write a Mills and Boon
To mark 100 years of romance publishers Mills and Boon, literary novelist Stella Duffy takes on the challenge of writing
How to Solve a Cryptic Crossword
Don Manley reveals the tricks that compilers use to bamboozle and entertain cryptic crossword solvers, while fans includ
The Comic Songbook
Documentary which celebrates Britain's tradition of comic songs, from Noel Coward's Mad Dogs and Englishmen to Benny Hil
Fashion versus the BBC
A team of fashion writers and commentators including Peter York, Colin McDowell, Ted Polhemus and Hilary Alexander looks
The North-South Divide
Journalist John Harris travels around England to find out why the north-south divide is still an economic reality follow
Farm to Pharma: The Rise and Rise of Food Science
Documentary about the history of British food science meets a man who pioneered instant soup for Batchelors, and discove
The Golden Age of Liners
Paul Atterbury travels around Britain finding out how the great ocean liners made such a mark on the popular imagination
The Men Who Built the Liners
Documentary looking at the unique culture that grew up in the Clyde shipyards of Scotland, where the Queen Mary, the Que
The Last Days of the Liners
Documentary telling how, in the years after the Second World War and with national pride and prestige at stake, countrie
How to Win at Chess
In a programme showing how to play better chess, British grandmasters Dan King and Ray Keene go through a demonstration
Oliver Postgate: A Life in Small Films
A celebration of the life and work of Oliver Postgate, the man behind some of Britain's best-loved children's TV program
Clement Freud: In His Own Words
Documentary which draws together interviews with the late Clement Freud - Liberal MP, cookery expert, newspaper columnis
Bread: A Loaf Affair
Documentary about the rise of the popular loaf in Britain. After the holy grail of affordable white bread was achieved,
Disappearing Dad
Novelist Andrew Martin takes a wry look at the way fathers are represented in fiction and film, and finds that they tend
The North on a Plate
Cultural historian Andrew Hussey follows his success with France on a Plate by travelling back to his homeland, the nort
1960: The Year of the North
The story of how the north went from being Britain's economic engine room to cultural powerhouse. Andrew Martin explores
When Britain Went Wild
Documentary exploring how, in the 1960s, the British people fell in love with animals and how endangered species and wil
Nordic Noir: The Story of Scandinavian Crime Fiction
Documentary which investigates the success of Scandinavian crime fiction, from Stieg Larsson's bestselling Millennium tr
Italian Noir: The Story of Italian Crime Fiction
Profile of a new wave of Italian crime fiction that has emerged to challenge the conventions of the detective novel - a
The Golden Age of Coach Travel
Documentary which journeys back to the 1950s when the coach was king. Those who had not travelled beyond their own villa
The Modern Age of the Coach
Documentary bringing the story of the coach up to date, exploring the most recent phase of Britain's love affair with fo
Crime and Punishment - The Story of Corporal Punishment
Documentary lifting the veil on the taboo that is corporal punishment, revealing a history spanning religion, the justic
Crime and Punishment - The Story of Capital Punishment
Documentary tracing the story of the ultimate sanction, examining such matters as the protocols of the public execution
Retrial by TV: The Rise and Fall of Rough Justice
Documentary about the BBC's Rough Justice series, which began investigating miscarriages of justice in the early 1980s a
Hotel Deluxe
Documentary which charts how luxury hotels have met the needs of new forms of wealth - from aristocrats to rock stars an
All the Fun of the Fair
Documentary which explores the history of the fairground, from the sideshows to the freak shows, and from early hand-pow
When the Circus Comes to Town
Film which uses the University of Sheffield's National Fairground Archive to explore the history of the circus, from Bil
The Picture Postcard World of Nigel Walmsley
The story behind the humble picture postcard, told by comic creation Nigel Walmsley. With their own language and bespoke
Dear Censor - The secret archive of the British Board of Film Classification
Documentary examining the work of the BBFC, casting an eye over some of the most infamous cases in its history and analy
Antarctica - Of Ice and Men
Documentary which looks at why the most inhospitable place on the planet has exerted such a powerful hold on the imagina
The Golden Age of Trams: A Streetcar Named Desire
Documentary exploring how the tram liberated overcrowded cities, mapping its journey from horse-drawn carriage on rails
Epic: A Cast of Thousands!
Documentary which goes behind the scenes to tell the stories of the biggest film genre of them all - the epic, from Ben-
The Smoking Years
With contributions from Barry Cryer, Stuart Maconie and others, this documentary tells the unnatural history of the now-
The Rules of Drinking
Documentary which digs into the archive to discover the unwritten rules that have governed the way we drink in Britain,
Health before the NHS: The Road to Recovery
The shocking story of health before the NHS. In the early 20th century, getting treated if you were ill was a rudimentar
Health before the NHS: A Medical Revolution
Robert Winston explores the extraordinary transformation of the hospital from Victorian workhouse to modern centre of me
Klezmer
Michael Grade narrates the story of klezmer, from its origins in Jewish folk music performed at weddings and Bar Mitzvah
Magnificent Machines: The Golden Age of the British Sports Car
Timeshift looks back to a time when iconic British marques like Jaguar, Austin-Healey, MG and Triumph sparked a manufact
The British Army of the Rhine
Documentary telling the affectionate story of British servicemen and their families who had to make Germany a home from
When Wrestling was Golden: Grapples, Grunts and Grannies
Timeshift looks back to a time when British professional wrestling attracted huge TV audiences and made household names
The Joy of (Train) Sets
The Model Railway Story: Documentary which explores how the British have been in love with model railways for over a cen
Eyes Down! The Story of Bingo
Documentary looking at how a loophole in an obscure piece of gambling legislation led to nearly a quarter of Britain's p
Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting: The Rise of Martial Arts in Britain
Documentary taking a look at Britain's long and illustrious involvement with the martial arts, from the early days of ba
How To Be A Lady: An Elegant History
With a handful of vintage etiquette books and some film archive to guide her, journalist Rachel Johnson goes in search o
Full Throttle: The Glory Days of British Motorbikes
Documentary which explores the British love of fast, daring and sometimes reckless motorbike riding during a period when
When Coal Was King
Documentary which explores the lost world of coal mining and the rich social and cultural lives of those who worked in w
Bouffants, Beehives and Bobs: The Hairstyles That Shaped Britain
Timeshift takes a loving and sometimes horrified look back at the iconic hairdos and 'must have' haircuts that both men
A Day at the Zoo
Documentary telling the story of how zoos captured the British public's imagination - from the first in Regent's Park to
The Ladybird Books Story: The Bugs that Got Britain Reading
Timeshift documentary about Ladybird books, which once informed people on such diverse subjects as how magnets work and
Hurricanes and Heatwaves: The Highs and Lows of British Weather
A national obsession is explored in this archive-rich look at the evolution of the weather forecast from print via radio
How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective
Film charting the evolution of Sherlock Holmes on screen, from silent movies to the latest film and television versions.
Mods, Rockers and Bank Holiday Mayhem
A look back at the bank holiday 'battles of the beaches', when hundreds of mods and rockers flocked to seaside resorts o
Killer Storms and Cruel Winters - The History of Extreme Weather
Lucie Green looks back through Britain's most dramatic weather history and sees how our reactions helped forge a weather
Bullseyes and Beer: When Darts Hit Britain
How a traditional working-class pub game became a national obsession during the 1970s and 80s, and how television played
Battle for the Himalayas: The Fight to Film Everest
The story of how film-makers turned the conquest of Himalayan peaks into great propaganda by Imperial Britain, Nazi Germ
The Nation's Railway: The Golden Age of British Rail
Using the British Transport Films archive, Timeshift revisits Britain's railways during the era of public ownership in a
Spicing Up Britain: How Eating Out Went Exotic
How postwar Britain went from a place where eating out was more of a chore than a pleasure to a nation of food adventure
The Trains That Time Forgot: Britain's Lost Railway Journeys
Author and railway enthusiast Andrew Martin travels the route of three famous named trains from bygone days, the Cornish
A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story
For over 200 years, Ordnance Survey has mapped every square mile of the British Isles, capturing not just the contours a
The Engine That Powers the World
The story behind the invention of the diesel engine in the 19th century that later became the workhorse of the 20th and
The People's Liners: Britain's Lost Pleasure Fleets
A voyage in the company of passengers and crew of the vintage steamers, which were common sight on the rivers and coasta
Looking for Mr Bond: 007 at the BBC
After more than 60 years tracking James Bond in print and on screen, the BBC opens up its vaults to reveal the forgotten
How Britain Won the Space Race: The Story of Bernard Lovell and Jodrell Bank
How Bernard Lovell's telescope was used by both the Americans and the Russians to track their competing spacecraft and p
Bridging the Gap: How the Severn Bridge Was Built
A look at the engineering behind the construction of the Severn Bridge, and the impact the bridge had on communities on
Sailors, Ships and Stevedores: The Story of British Docks
How Britain's docks in cities like Liverpool, London and Cardiff were commercial portals and gateways for the arrival of
Penny Blacks & Twopenny Blues: How Britain Got Stuck on Stamps
A look at how the introduction of the penny post changed Britain, and how enthusiasm for the first stamps led to the eme
Booze, Beans & Bhajis: The Story of the Corner Shop
Babita Sharma traces the history of the corner shop in Britain, from its Victorian suburban origins, its crucial role se
Flights of Fancy: Pigeons and the British
Timeshift ventures inside places of sporting achievement, scientific endeavour and male obsession - the lofts of pigeon
Roof Racks and Hatchbacks: The Family Car
Exploring the British experience of family cars, from the Morris Minor to the Ford Cortina, the VW Golf to the Volvo est
Blazes and Brigades: The Story of the Fire Service
Timeshift looks back on nearly two centuries of British firefighting, exploring how major incidents and the evolution of
Dial 'B' for Britain: The Story of the Landline
From early call boxes to the Post Office Tower, Timeshift tells the story of how Britain's phone network was built over
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