Back in Time for...

Back in Time for...
Genre Lifestyle
Directed by Kim Maddever
Presented by Giles Coren and Polly Russell
Narrated by Giles Coren
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 14
Production
Executive producer(s) Alison Kirkham and Leanne Klein
Producer(s) Kim Maddever and Emily Sheilds
Editor(s) Tom Deverell
Camera setup Duncan Stingemore
Running time 59 Minutes
Production company(s) Wall to Wall
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Productions UK
Release
Original network BBC Two
Picture format 16:9 1080p
Audio format 5.1 Surround Sound
Original release 17 March 2015 (2015-03-17) – present (present)
External links
Website

Back in Time for... is a British lifestyle television series produced by Wall to Wall and broadcast on BBC Two from 17 March 2015.[1] The first series, Back in Time for Dinner, centred on the Robshaw family trying foods from different time periods, and also experiencing what it was like to live then. The second series, Back in Time for the Weekend, featured the Ashby Hawkins family spending a week living through different decades from the 1950s to the 1990s and experiencing leisure time from the differing eras.

On 14 and 15 December 2015, a two part Christmas special titled Back in Time for Christmas was broadcast which featured the Robshaw family trying Christmas food from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s (Episode 1) and the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s (Episode 2).

The Show

The programme, presented by Giles Coren and Polly Russell, features an average British family living in six different decades starting from the 1950s just after World War II rationing up to the 1990s, and ending up in the present day – and beyond..... Fast food and Ready meals.[2] The programmes also features clothes, decor, technology and music of the given decade.[2]

Broadcast

The series debuted in the UK on BBC Two on 17 March 2015. Internationally, the series premiered in Australia on The LifeStyle Channel on September 24, 2015.[3] The second series began on 2 February 2016.

Episodes

Series One – Back in Time for Dinner

Episode Title Description Airdate
1 1950s A couple and their three children embark on a six-week experiment to discover how a revolution in food transformed the British way of life, guided by records of what people ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the decades after the Second World War. Under the guidance of journalist Giles Coren and food historian Polly Russell, they begin by sampling meals from the early 1950s, when rationing was still in effect and staples included dried eggs, national bread, dripping and liver. With a contribution by Mary Berry.[4] 17 March 2015
2 1960s The Robshaws are transported back to the space-age 1960s, with their home having a fitted kitchen installed and a host of new tastes and flavours to be sampled. Giles Coren and Polly Russell introduce them to the culinary treats of the decade, Including spaghetti bolognese and TV dinners, while Hairy Biker Dave Myers delivers the family their long-awaited fridge, and reveals with it the transformative effect of the appliance on his own childhood. Giles also discovers how chicken went from an expensive treat to an everyday staple.[4] 24 March 2015
3 1970s The Robshaws are transported to the 1970s and Mary Berry is on hand to help the family stock up their brand new chest freezer, as frozen and convenience food became a life saver for time-pressed working women of the decade. Giles Coren meets the two hippies whose adventures in health food boosted the popularity of houmous, while the family has a go at self-sufficiency and discovers that milking a goat is nowhere near as simple as it looks.[4] 31 March 2015
4 1980s The Robshaws and their home are given a 1980s makeover, with a gadget-filled kitchen including an enormous microwave oven. Giles Coren and food historian Polly Russell use the national food survey to guide the family's diet and introduce them to the culinary treats and trends of the decade, with technology giving them the chance to make their own fizzy drinks and produce a cheese and ham toastie. They also learn about the rise of both nouvelle cuisine and the fast-food chains, and find a host of new tastes and flavours from around the globe now available at their local supermarket.[4] 7 April 2015
5 1990s The Robshaws get to grips with the home life and food of the 1990s and start the decade delighting in the vast quantities of food now available from around the globe – but soon realise there are definite downsides to the drive towards cheaper and cheaper food of previous years. Giles Coren and food historian Polly Russell introduce them to the culinary treats of the era, from bagged salad and cook-in sauces to organic veg boxes and the gastro pub.[4] 14 April 2015
6 The Future After learning all about the food of yesteryear, the Robshaws end their time-travelling eating adventure with Giles Coren and Polly Russell introducing them to some potential tastes of the future. Based on the family's experiences of the way culinary history has unravelled, they also make a few predictions about how people will shop, cook and dine over the next fifty years.[4] 21 April 2015

Christmas Specials – Back in Time for Christmas

Episode Title Description Airdate
1 40s, 50s and 60s The Robshaw family experience Christmas throughout the decades from the 1940s to the 1960s. 14 December 2015
2 70s, 80s and 90s The Robshaw family continue to time travel through Christmas, visiting the 1970s, 80s and 90s. 15 December 2015

Series Two – Back in Time for the Weekend

Episode Title Description Airdate
1 The 50s As the Ashby-Hawkins family 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... [5]

 2 February 2016
2 The 60s As the Ashby-Hawkins family 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. [5]

 9 February 2016
3 The 70s 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. [5]

 16 February 2016
4 The 80s The Ashby-Hawkins 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 Steph 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? [5] 23 February 2016
5 The 90s The Ashby-Hawkins family enters 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..[5]

 1 March 2016
6 The Future The Ashby-Hawkins 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. Steph 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.[5]

 8 March 2016

References

  1. ↑ "BBC Two – Back in Time for Dinner". BBC.
  2. 1 2 "Back in Time for Dinner review – the Robshaw family signs up for 1950s bread and dripping". the Guardian.
  3. ↑ Purcell, Charles (18 September 2015). "NEW THIS WEEK (Sep 21): A Place To Call Home, Emmys, Wahlburgers, Rick Stein, Rugby World Cup & more". The Green Room. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Back in Time for Dinner – Episode Guide – LocateTV". locatetv.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BBC Two – Back in Time for the Weekend – Episodes". Retrieved 10 February 2016.

External links

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