An illuminating account of BBC television in 1960s Britain.
The 1960s were years of remarkable change that touched every part of British life and British television was no exception. That Was the Decade explores this pivotal decade through the lens of one of its most iconic institutions, the BBC.
Through case studies of its most popular, groundbreaking and controversial television programmes, including That Was the Week That Was, Z Cars, Till Death Us Do Part, Cathy Come Home, The Black and White Minstrel Show and the Royal Family documentary, we see BBC television throughout the 1960s from all angles. Looking behind the scenes, we're introduced to the personalities who shaped these programmes: Sir Hugh Greene, the BBC's Director-General for much of the decade, and the two very different figures who opposed him – Harold Wilson, Labour Prime Minister, and Mary Whitehouse, the implacable Clean-Up TV campaigner.
This fascinating analysis of the people and programmes that reflected, shaped and resisted the upheavals of the decade presents a picture of the BBC caught between two impulses – bravely modernising in some respects, while holding firm in others.
Drawing from original archive material, Peter Waymark presents a rich portrait of BBC television throughout a turbulent decade, filling an essential gap in our understanding of 1960s British culture.