Episode 2 Turn Back Time

The family. It's where we love, laugh, shout and cry.

-Ooh!

-Don't fall off!

-Higher!

It makes us who we are.

But it hasn't always been the cherished institution it is today.

To find out how the modern family came to be,

a group of parents and kids from across Britain

are turning back time to face the same ordeals as millions of others

over the past 100 years.

In the northern seaside town of Morecambe,

the past is coming alive.

A row of terraced houses has been turned into time machines,

to transport our families

through the twists and turns of the 20th century.

From the age of masters and servants...

SCREAMS

I felt a bit emotional, because I knew she was there

to take the children away.

She's quite difficult.

..through the Roaring '20s, to The Depression.

Anything else of value will need to be sold.

The fact that it was in front of the family, I felt really useless.

-Goldings!

-From life on the home front...

WHISTLE

They're here, they'll never separate.

..to the swinging '60s...

Aren't you slightly concerned about the length of their skirts?

We're starting the rebellion right now.

..and on to the groovy '70s.

I couldn't give a damn about material things.

For me, family IS the most important thing.

And the past is about to get personal.

Rather than just living in a museum,

we're actually living an ancestor's life.

She died of TB, consumption.

I'm so...quite emotional.

We take so much for granted, I think.

We're turning back time

to find out how history made the family what it is today.

Albert Road in Morecambe is undergoing a transformation.

Last week, these were Edwardian homes.

But now, they're being updated with fixtures and fittings

that adorned working-class, middle-class

and upper middle-class family homes of the 1920s and '30s.

Moving back into Albert Road are polo-playing family

Suzie and Phil Meadows and their two daughters.

Joining them will be Ian Golding,

a customer service consultant, his wife Naomi

and their three children.

And finally, the Taylors, A&E nurse Adele,

electrician Michael and their four kids.

Social historian Juliet Gardiner

will be guiding the families on their time travels,

along with antique gadget enthusiast, Joe Crowley,

and journalist, Susanna Reid.

As the families gather,

they are about to enter a crucial time in Britain's history.

The 1920s were shaped by The Great War that began in 1914.

It was a war of unprecedented destruction,

resulting in the death of over 15 million people.

Nearly 750,000 of those who died

were British fathers, husbands and sons.

Welcome back, families,

and things have changed a lot since you've been away.

You're going to be living through the interwar era, the 1920s and 1930s,

and we're starting here at Morecambe's War Memorial,

because the First World War had had a devastating effect on family life.

And among OUR families,

I'm sorry to say that Suzie's grandfather was wounded in Palestine

and Michael's great-grandfather, Alfred, was killed in the trenches.

The era you're going to be living through was one

of remembrance and rebuilding the family life.

The family became particularly valued.

Children were no longer seen just as workers

or people to be seen and not heard

and childhood was seen as a time of enjoyment.

You may find life a little bit more comfortable, but be warned,

as life in Britain at this time was a financial roller coaster.

Now it's back to Albert Road to see how your homes have changed.

Where the families live, and the social status that comes with it,

depends on their ancestry.

-Do you think we've got an upstairs?

-We've got the same curtains...

Dating back to the 1900s, Phil Meadows' great-grandfather

was a general labourer, called James Meadows,

which put his family in number 3, the working-class house.

-Here we go.

-Wow! What a transformation.

-We've got furniture, a radio.

-Hey, this is good.

This is so much better.

I'm going to cope with this actually quite easily.

Last week, the family endured a two-room dwelling.

One bedroom, where all four slept...

-Ooh...

-Da-da!

I'm not peeing in that after you've peed in it.

LAUGHTER

..and nothing but an open fire to cook on.

Ah, ooh.

Oh, my God, we've actually got a kitchen!

LAUGHTER

The family now have two bedrooms,

a 100% improvement on the Edwardian era.

Oh, wow.

Oh, this is lovely.

-Oh, how cute is this?

-Bagsy this bed.

Ah, now this actually, this looks very civilised.

Less civilised is the lack of indoor plumbing.

The toilet is still in the back yard.

I can't believe in 30 years

there wasn't any upgrade for poor families.

Same loo paper?

Do you know the technique? There's a technique.

Wipe yourself down.

The Goldings are returning to their middle-class existence

at number 2, Albert Road.

Ian Golding's great-great-grandfather was Nathan Ludsky,

an Edwardian middle-class Taylor,

which is why the Golding's have the middle-class house.

Oh, my God, look at that fireplace!

How much more comfortable is this?

-Oh, this is certainly more cosy.

-Oh, yes.

-Less formal.

-Look at the light. How is it? Electricity!

-Look at that.

-Oh, my word.

-Oh, my God!

-HE LAUGHS

-Gas.

-Gas cooker. Hot and cold water, look.

During the inter-war years,

there was an explosion of packaged and branded consumer goods,

many of which are still in existence today.

-My mum said you'll have Oxo cubes, remember?

-We've got so much more stuff.

Social historian Juliet Gardiner

has provided each family with a manual,

telling them how they'll be living.

"Ian is working as an estate agent",

like his grandfather?!

I'm really surprised he was an estate agent.

-What's an estate agent?

-A person that not many people like.

It's all right, selling houses, isn't it?

"The inter-war years were a boom time for house-building.

"The suburbs spread out from the cities

"and the middle classes moved out for a better life."

-Oh, yes!

-I can't believe I'm an estate agent.

-It looks more comfortable.

-That looks good, doesn't it?

Yes, it does.

DOORBELL RINGS

House number 1 is home to the Taylors,

where again, they'll be waited on by servants.

Good morning, sir and madam.

I'm your maid and this is your cook.

Michael Taylor is the descendant

of successful mill manager, William Bennett,

a man at the heart of Britain's thriving cotton industry

in the 19th century.

-How is it?

-Ooh, wow!

-Wow!

-We've got a radio.

-We have a telephone.

-Radio!

-Oh, we've got a booze cabinet.

-Look at all the CDs at the bottom.

-CDs?

Do you not know what these are?

-Discs...

-Vinyl. You won't have seen a record player before,

that's brand new to you.

But last week, the Taylors discovered

the life of the idle rich had its drawbacks.

The children were raised by a strict nanny...

Remember that children should be seen and not heard.

..while mum and dad lived virtually separate lives.

I'm here on my own,

which is a horrible feeling, knowing that Adele

and the children are home. It's horrid.

(It is horrid.)

It would be nice if we could get the music going, wouldn't it?

This is more what we're used to,

there's going to be music playing and noise

and it's just going to feel a heck of a lot better than that silence.

And it's not just Adele who has reason to feel optimistic.

Oh, we've got a train set!

The children, no longer viewed by society as mini adults,

get to enjoy proper playtime,

with toys made purely for their enjoyment.

Hornby, Meccano and Dinky toys.

-This is a play room, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Not a schoolroom.

I want to be a kid again!

I'm now not going to get bored.

"You may not be quite as wealthy as you were in the Edwardian period,

"but for now, money is still not a worry for you."

-We can spend away!

-Spend.

"None of you will need to work."

"Father is a man of independent means.

"He has shares in the big four -

"cotton, coal, steel and shipbuilding.

"You're accustomed to good living.

"You will want to keep up appearances.

"It's the roaring '20s, so go and live life to the full."

From a happy family to an apprehensive one.

The Meadows are about to find out what jobs they'll be doing.

As Edwardians, they lived a hand-to-mouth existence,

working long hours for little money.

So will life just 20 years later be any easier?

OK, "your family are still working class,

"but thankfully, things have improved greatly.

"You are all employed in domestic service.

"You work for your neighbours, Saskia..."

Oh... "You're employed as first housemaid in the Taylor household,

"and the responsibility for keeping it clean and running smoothly is yours."

"Genevieve, junior housemaid.

"You are joining your sister in service as a junior housemaid.

"As the newcomer, you are subordinate to your sister

"as she teaches you the ropes."

LAUGHS >

Oh, my God, I'm going to be so mean.

-At least you're together.

-I don't want to see this.

I don't want to open this page. "Phil, chauffeur."

-Hey!

-"You're working as a chauffeur,

"so you're also going to work for the Taylors."

We're all going to work for the Taylors. Suzie.

"You'll be working as a part-time general domestic

"for the Goldings next door,

"cooking and cleaning for a few hours a week."

That's not too bad.

It could've been worse, guys. It could have been a lot worse.

Says he, sitting there as a chauffeur,

that does nothing all day

-except wait for the family to come out.

-And you get to drive that car.

So get your arm off my shoulder immediately.

You're ganging up on me.

-Phil, how are you?

-Joe, how are you doing? Nice to see you again.

-Good to see you.

Joe Crowley's here to explain

why Phil's been given the job of chauffeur.

Time to look at the Meadows' maternal family tree.

Phil knows little of his family history

beyond his grandfather, Reginald Turney.

But Joe has traced back two further generations

to his great-grandfather, William Turney

and his great-great-grandfather, John Turney.

So, let's have a look at the census. Here, we can see

William, a grown-up, 35, this is your great-grandfather,

-and there's a name you'll recognise.

-Oh, God. That would be Reg.

And he's five.

This is where Reginald first pops up.

Phil knew his grandfather Reginald well,

but he didn't know what he'd done for a living.

So Reginald's father William is a groom,

and his father before him was a groom

and Reginald, he's the one who makes the transition,

-and this is so exciting, because here we have your family...

-Yes?

..reflecting and mapping this huge change in British society,

which is the rise of the motor car.

This is Reginald's marriage certificate.

The thing I want to draw your attention to

-is if we spool across here - profession, chauffeur.

-OK.

-How does it feel to see that?

-Yes, amazing. Amazing.

-Look where he's working.

-Wow, look at that place.

-Cor.

-This was the home of Sir Frederick Ponsonby and his wife.

As only it could be. Frederick Ponsonby?

He's a very established gentleman.

He worked for the Royal Family for many years

-and royalty stayed at this house.

-Amazing.

-How does it feel

that you'll be doing the same thing?

Great, very excited actually. And then to live it will be fantastic.

MUSIC AND WHISTLING

# Whistle while you work... #

I'm really looking forward

to being a chauffeur this week. One, because I get to drive

this great car.

One of my concerns is that we are quite reliant

on the Taylor household for our family income.

You've all your eggs in one basket, but the fact that we've got work

and we're getting paid, we can't complain,

but we're vulnerable. If anything happens to the Taylors,

it's going to drastically affect my household.

-Afternoon, sir.

-Good afternoon, how are you?

-Usual club, sir?

-Yes, please.

# Come on, get smart

# Tune up and start to whistle while you work... #

Thank you.

While Phil Meadows' job gets him out and about,

his daughters Saskia, 18, and Genevieve, 15,

are behind closed doors.

Last era, privileged teen Genevieve worked for her mum.

This time, she's expected to knuckle down on her own.

Pretty basic. But hard work though.

In the post-war era,

there were job options beyond domestic service for young women.

So, wealthy families made the work as attractive as possible,

with better pay and the latest domestic appliances.

It's a completely different, like, environment to be in.

The Taylors have spent the equivalent of £157

on a vacuum cleaner, £11,000 on a fancy motor car

and are now the proud owners of the latest gadget for their scullery.

Joe arrives to show Genevieve how to use it.

This is an inter-war washing machine.

This cost your employers £100.

In today's money, that's over £5,000.

-Oh, my God!

-So, how does it work?

Despite being cutting edge, it's still a little bit basic.

-You see this thing?

-Yes.

-It's called the agitator,

that's basically just going to move around to mimic hand washing.

Here's your water heater.

This, just be careful, no fingers, knuckles going in.

One more thing, this is cutting edge,

because it's got a electric motor on it, which is fantastic.

But the way it's designed, you've got quite a lot of water

above an electric motor. Just be careful.

Those two shouldn't really meet.

Oh, no, I'm really clumsy though. Oh, no.

Take your time, it will be fine.

-All right. I'll leave you to it. Good luck.

-Thank you.

At home, I probably do...

I do close to no washing at all.

And it is a pretty big basket.

And a pretty big pile of clothes, so it's going to take forever.

SHE GIGGLES

-Oh, good morning, Mrs Meadows.

-Good morning.

-Come in.

Suzie's joined the growing workforce

of women working part-time as domestics.

But not for the upper classes.

The middle classes were employing staff too.

Right, so we're going to do mushrooms,

tomatoes and sausages.

-Sausages.

-Yeah.

-That'd be lovely.

And is it possible to have some scrambled eggs with that?

-Yes, it is.

-The children requested scrambled eggs.

-No problemo.

-You have quite an abundance of eggs.

-We do have several.

Yeah, so that's fine.

It's a joy to be cooking on gas. SHE LAUGHS

I have definitely gone up a notch.

As it stands at the moment, I feel quite relaxed about cooking today.

By the time I get home and have to cook for my own family,

I think I might be a bit more ratty about the whole thing.

Suzie isn't the only member of the Meadows family waiting on someone else.

-Thank you, that's lovely.

-Salmon with capers.

Saskia also has to manage the new scullery maid.

Hello. How's it going?

Is this your version of folding?

That's my to-do pile.

-Where's your washed pile?

-I haven't got a washed pile!

What have you been doing?

In six hours, Genevieve has washed only one shirt.

-Are you telling me that you've just washed that?

-Yeah.

-Gen, Come on.

-I just did the washing and the mangle,

and now it's just come out dirtier.

Make it work. We need to earn money.

That is the best I can do.

I bet you you CAN do this. I bet you.

Just prove it, because if you do that, then you'll get an upgrade,

-I mean, a promotion.

-To what, Saskia?

Maid. Assistant chef.

Today it's not just toys that are keeping the Taylor children happy.

Their new nanny is a hit too.

Then, if it hits one of these balls out, you get to keep that ball.

If it goes through one of the gaps, you don't.

GIRL LAUGHS

You can play the next turn. OK?

And, happy with the childcare,

Michael and Adele get their first chance for a social outing as a couple.

OK.

It might be a little bit bumpy here, madam.

It's a huge change, not only from their Edwardian experience,

but also their modern-day lives.

-We wouldn't normally get out.

-No.

-We just don't go.

Cos we don't have babysitters, we just don't go out very often.

-Yeah.

-Not just the two of us, anyway.

Just tell me when you want me to blow the horn, sir.

-Any time now would be good.

-HORN TOOTS

THEY LAUGH

A glamorous night at the Midland Hotel in Morecambe...

..which once played host to Coco Chanel and Wallis Simpson.

The new, fun-loving society wanted to live a life of pleasure

and indulgence after the privations of wartime.

Wealthy families like the Taylors revelled in novelties from America,

including jazz, cocktails and elaborate dance moves.

-INSTRUCTOR:

-Five, six... Let's go!

You can see why they did it. You know, they had a shocking time in the war.

They survived, they're victorious. Get out and live life to the full,

cos they're young people who've seen people die, haven't they?

So they just want to grab life by the hands.

Lovely. Thank you.

It's not just Adele who's appreciating life

in the promising new era.

Yeah, that'd knock your head off, wouldn't it?

The fact that we've got, the whole family's got jobs,

and we can, you know, eat at night and we've got a nice, warm house.

That's a big bonus to us.

And it was only last week, we were really hungry,

cold half the time, filthy dirty all the time.

We've stepped up a gear from there.

Self-made man Phil is already eyeing the next rung on the social ladder.

I think I would naturally try and find to improve my lot.

I think I'm just like that. Suzie is as well.

And I literally would say, "What would I do? Oh, I know,

"probably start a chauffer school." You've got to tier up, haven't you?

And I think just naturally I would try and do that.

If you could make it happen, it might not be possible,

but I'd certainly look into doing it, if there is a way of making it happen.

JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS

For now, Phil's dreams will have to be put on hold,

as he waits for his employers to finish their night out.

I'm home!

-< Hello!

-Hello.

-Hello, family.

-We're in the kitchen.

-It's been a very long day for me.

I'm freezing. I hope that fire's on.

How is everyone?

Oh, you're a star. They need a big pull.

Oh, that is good. Ah!

I tell you, this is nice. Cup of tea, fire, family.

All we need is some comfortable chairs. It would be like home.

Next morning, and all three families have settled happily

into the routine of their respective classes.

Dad, would you like to help Jack with his sugar?

Oh, yes, would you like some sugar, Jack?

-Is that nice and warm?

-Yes, lovely and warm.

-Morning.

-BOTH: Good morning.

-How are you this morning?

-Very good, thank you. How was your evening?

-Very nice, thank you very much.

-Lovely, thank you.

-Enjoy your tea.

BOTH: Thank you very much.

As the Taylors take it easy,

across town, newly-appointed estate agent Ian Golding...

-Good morning.

-Good morning. You must be Mr Robinson.

..is reaping the rewards of the housing boom.

That leaded window is certainly impressive.

It is. Another wonderful window. But I love the staircase as well.

In the inter-war years,

nearly four million new homes were built across Britain.

As the houses multiplied, so did the number of middle-class families,

all buying into the domestic ideal.

Wow! That is impressive.

The light hits you as soon as you walk into this room.

-And the open view.

-Walk-in pantry.

-We'll be quite the talk of our friends and neighbours.

-Absolutely.

Ian's wife Naomi is about to set to work too...

on her children...

OK. You guys keep playing.

..following the advice of Dr Watson, a middle-class favourite in child rearing.

In the 1900s, Ian struggled as a strict, Edwardian father.

-Hello, how are you?

-What are you doing in here?

You're not allowed to be in the kitchen. Can you leave, please?

You do not come in this kitchen.

Leave the kitchen.

CHILD BEGINS TO CRY

He wants to see you when you come home from work.

-He needs to understand that this is the way it was.

-I know.

Now it's Naomi's turn to be the disciplinarian.

"There is a sensible way of treating children.

"Never hug and kiss them. Never let them sit on your lap.

"If you must, kiss them once on the forehead when they say good night,

"and shake hands with them in the morning."

Good morning, Katie. How are you?

"Give them a pat on the head

"if they've made an extraordinarily good job of a difficult task."

Little pat on the head.

No kisses. A pat on... Night-night, Jack.

GIRL LAUGHS

So, guys...

This is the last time this week we'll be able to cuddle on the sofa together like this.

-Hey?

-I'm quite pleased, because it's not for the whole year.

-NAOMI CHUCKLES It's not forever.

-No.

So it's discipline for some, but not for others.

The Taylors' nanny is sending them out on a treasure hunt.

This is the map of where you are going to be going.

-How are we meant to see that big cross?

-That's where the treasure is.

-I've got a compass.

-You've got a compass, have you?

-At home.

-THEY ALL SIGH

And if it's anything to do with chocolate, I'll find it.

In keeping with the times,

the Taylor children's adventure will be without any adult supervision.

It's a first for the kids and for Mum and Dad.

-Oh, I am so jealous. I want a cuddle.

-Have a nice time.

-Find the treasure.

-Bye, Mum!

-Have a great time.

-Bye, Mum, bye, Dad.

-Bye.

So we've got to hike all the way up there. Woo!

You're not meant to pull Lily's dress down.

There might be a monster!

Don't fall in!

This was the year when Swallows And Amazons and The Famous Five were bestsellers.

A time when children were encouraged to roam free,

giving them far more independence than they have today.

-We're probably on this black line somewhere.

-There.

We're going to go along here, up here...

Like, without Mum and Dad, it's quite nice,

cos you've got a bit more freedom, which is good.

-Near the treasure.

-Is there something there?

Something brown. Something squidgy!

THEY GASP

-Gold!

-Chocolate money!

-Share it all out!

It's not just the kids who are adapting to their new freedom.

"Alice," I said, "What's in your bag?"

She said, "I've got two cans of beans and five tennis balls!"

She was really excited that she's off out.

-Out doing adventure.

-It might do them some good actually,

because if there's no adult disciplining them,

they'll have to beat each other to a pulp first, then sort it out, won't they?

I think we were pleasantly surprised with how...

Cos I think they're quite well-adjusted in that respect,

to be able to cope and get on with it.

I found the treasure!

-We're back.

-Hi, guys. How'd you get on?

-We found treasure.

-You found the treasure?

-Fantastic. Let's have a look.

So did you fall out or did you all get on?

-We all got on.

-Did you?

-It's nice without you there.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

Alice, you have to show me this treasure. What did you get?

-Wow!

-Look, it's gold.

We got 71 chocolate coins!

Oh, look.

Mmm!

Back at 2 Albert Road, Naomi's new childcare regime is in full swing.

Pat on the head. Good job.

Good picture, Jack.

And when Ian returns home, he too is expected to make a contribution

to the new parenting plan.

-Oh, wow! Look at that. Who knows how to play this game?

-Me!

After work, middle-class fathers were encouraged to spend half an hour with their children...

Oh, who's going to win?

..playing and communicating, instead of laying down the law.

-Oh, who's is that? Is that Katie's?

-No, Jack wins.

Well done, Jack.

-Guys, do you like doing this?

-ALL AT ONCE: Yeah!

Oh, I'm the red beauty.

-Yeah!

-No, that was Daddy!

But as the good times roll,

an event is occurring 3,000 miles away

that's about to shatter Albert Road's blissful existence.

Forever immortalised as Black Tuesday, 29 October 1929

saw 30 billion wiped off American share prices in a matter of days.

REPORTER: 'The tremendous crowds which you see gathered outside the Stock Exchange

'are due to the greatest crash in the history

'of the New York Stock Exchange in market prices.'

This drastically changed the terms of world trade,

heralding a prolonged global depression.

For families all over the UK,

it was a hammer blow to any dreams of economic advancement.

By the winter of 1932,

almost a quarter of the working population were laid off,

as mines, mills and shipyards fell silent.

Joe is visiting the wealthiest family on the road,

to reveal the impact of the crash on their finances.

Well, I have to say, I'm here as the bearer of bad news.

This is very definitely a down. Wall Street has crashed

and the world has entered into global recession.

You have many shares in the industries that are declining.

Shipbuilding, cotton, coal.

You are going to have to make severe savings.

-These are your household accounts.

-Mm-hm.

Here's the breakdown on what you spend on staff,

your motor car, your mortgage, your tax.

Clearly there are some things you cannot do without,

because remember, you're upper class and have to keep up appearances.

-Right.

-You've been accustomed to the best things in life.

I'll to leave that with you.

But do take it seriously, these are tough choices.

-Yeah.

-And you're going to have to work out what you sacrifice.

Or should I say, even WHO you sacrifice.

I'll leave it with you. Good luck.

We're skint, darling.

-HE LAUGHS Great(!)

-We've got no more money!

The Taylors have joined the growing band of Britain's wealthy

who, in the Depression, were forced to cut their outgoings

and face a new austerity.

-So that's your total of what they're telling us our essentials are.

-Yes.

Right, we want a financial cushion which will be £100.

In modern-day life, you couldn't live without a car.

A car's freedom, isn't it?

The second housemaid is actually cheaper than the first housemaid.

-And as a compromise...

-Yeah.

-..you'd save yourself £5-a-year.

We've got to consider that there's three members of the same family

working for us. But if we sack all three,

that's their income into their house gone.

The next morning, and the Taylor household is running as normal.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy.

-I'm hoping elastic's invented soon.

THEY LAUGH

-Is Sir going out this afternoon?

-I don't know.

The staff are still here working for us at the moment,

and we're about to do something that's really rotten and horrible.

-Everything OK?

-Yeah, I'm done. Thank you.

When everybody's finished clearing up

from breakfast, could we have all staff in the drawing room, please?

-Yes, of course.

-That would be lovely. Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

You're heartless, you are.

HE LAUGHS

-I've got some interesting news.

-What?

All the staff have been called to the drawing room.

HE GASPS

As soon as we've finished clearing up from breakfast, which is now.

So, whenever you're ready...

Adele and Michael have decided that Adele should be the one to break the bad news,

while Michael retreats to his study.

KNOCK ON DOOR Come in.

Hello, everybody.

I've had to call you together to tell you some bad news.

I'm sure you're all aware that the Depression has hit,

and we were told last night how badly that was going to affect this house,

which has left us with some really, really tough decisions to make.

Chef, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to take a pay cut.

Also, our food budget is to be cut by two-thirds.

Phil, the car is expensive to keep,

which unfortunately means we can no longer keep you employed.

We will keep Saskia employed on the wages that she is on now,

but sadly we have to lose Genevieve.

But I just hope the fact that we can keep one income in your house

helps just a little bit.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Not nice, is it? But if they know that we're really struggling,

that's the only way to do it, isn't it? There's no point pretending.

-Look at this face!

-I'm not working if I get fired.

-I've never been sacked before!

-I haven't either.

She did put it nicely, and they're great bosses.

You're very brave.

-It has to be done, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

You do realise that this means that I'm going to have to do everything.

-You're going to have to be the scullery AND their maid.

-I need to get out and find a job.

-I'm going to be washing, washing up...

-I might join the army.

..cleaning the beds, serving breakfast.

Do you reckon I can get one last spin in the motor before it goes?

It represents a bit of my freedom, I suppose,

in the big scheme of things.

But moreover, I think it represents a job for Phil,

that car...which is harder still.

Really, it feels crap, basically.

I think anyone being rejected feels rubbish.

I can't help but think back to what a struggle it was

in our last period, a week ago,

when literally work was done on a day-to-day basis,

which it sounds like it's going to go back to.

Unless I can find something permanent,

but it'll be really difficult to find a permanent job.

You know, I've now got all the pressure of...

feeding my family. I mean, what Saskia earns and what Suzie earns,

if Suzie keeps her job next door, is not going to be enough.

We're going to go into more and more debt,

then we'll get into a really bad cycle.

Whilst unemployment hit nearly a third of unskilled workers

and those relying on shares lost much of the wealth,

most white-collar workers, like Ian Golding, held onto their jobs.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-How are you?

-Good day?

-Very good. Very good.

-I sold a house.

-Did you?

-Yes.

-Well done.

-So that's more money into the coffers, eh?

-It is.

OK.

Unscathed by the Depression,

he's off with his family to enjoy the latest leisure craze.

# Oh, give me land... #

Are you going to come after me, Katie? Are you coming after me?

Cool stile.

RADIO: 'Let's take a walk and enjoy one of the cheapest,

'healthiest and most inexpensive pastimes never invented.'

After the First World War highlighted Britain's unhealthy and often undernourished nation,

the government launched initiatives to encourage families

to get fit and have fun whilst doing it.

Fresh air was all the rage, albeit mainly for the middle classes.

-Come on, Jacko.

-Jacko. SHE LAUGHS

-It's a change for you, though, from last week!

-Yeah, it's nice to be...

It's just nice to be outside, and not just the street. Just nice to be...

Oh, yeah, the views are stunning, and just be together as a family.

-Who's done all the poo-poos?

-I think it's sheepies.

-Cows.

-Cows?

-Sheepies, up here.

THEY ALL LAUGH

Last week I was very jealous of Mr Taylor in the upper-class house.

But I think there's no doubt that we're the lucky family this week.

Three, two, one...

Yeah!

As the day draws to a close,

Phil Meadows has failed to find any employment.

You feel a lot more secure when you've got a full-time job.

You feel good about yourself, and you can bring something to the family.

You relax a little bit in the environment

when you've got a full-time job.

These last days has felt like stepping back to where we were.

Another day in Morecambe.

And with mum Suzie and daughter Saskia now the only wage-earners

in the Meadows household, the forecast is gloomy.

Even the upper-class Taylors are feeling the effects of the Depression.

-My(!)

-Wow! HE LAUGHS

Meagre rations!

As the chef said, a scaled-down breakfast.

-Thank you.

-That's lovely, thank you. I was expecting less, to be honest.

-Enjoy.

-Thank you. The sad thing is, you can't even make...

..a smile out of your breakfast.

Look. It's missing an eye.

It's a Picasso. I think possibly it's a good thing for me.

If I carried on eating like we were eating, I'd be as big as a house.

I feel like I should take my time over it.

An egg would've been nice!

We have gone down in the world.

Oh, we have. Certainly.

The interesting thing is, we're kind of aware that actually

the middle-class family have got the car and they've got a cook

doing them a full English and some nice...

They're feeling like they're coming up in the world.

-I think this is the beginning of the levelling of the...

-Mm.

..the classes, as such. I mean, at least financially.

-At least we get a silver tea set.

-Mm.

-Hey? When will that go?

HE LAUGHS

Is it real silver? Can we pawn it?

The Depression's had little impact on the Goldings next door.

But historian Juliette has uncovered something in Ian's ancestry

that tells a different story.

Ian, I've got a document here about your grandfather,

-which I think is really going to interest you. Look.

-OK.

-Have a look at it.

-It's an original.

In 1936, Ian's grandfather, Joseph Goldinsky, changed his identity.

Oh, this is Grandpa. Oh, my word.

"It is hereby declared, on behalf of myself and my wife

"and my children, I absolutely and entirely renounce, relinquish

"and abandon the use of my said former surname of Goldinsky

"and assume and adopt and determine to take and use from the date hereof

"the surname of Golding."

Obviously what it doesn't say is why.

I think we need to explore this further,

and I think the way to do it is going to be to take a trip

to the East End of London, and find out more.

Wow! Well, that would be amazing to be able to do that.

That would be fantastic.

Ian's about to find out

how the economic depression that was gripping Britain

had an insidious effect on his Jewish ancestors.

So far, his middle-class existence echoes that of Nathan Ludsky

on his maternal line.

But life for his paternal grandparents, Joseph and Pauline,

was very different.

In 1936, the British Union of Fascists attempted to march

in their thousands through the Jewish East End.

RADIO ANNOUNCER: 'Oswald Mosley, Blackshirt leader, arrives at Royal Mint Street to inspect his followers.

'Instead, thousands of East Enders prepare to resist the invasion,

'barricading the paths the fascists would take.

'Incensed by Blackshirt, anti-red, anti-Jew propaganda,

'the crowd take matters into their own hands.'

We're standing just off Cable Street.

What can have in front of us is a mural,

painted to commemorate the Battle of Cable Street,

that historic moment of resistance to fascism,

when the population of the East End of London - Jews, Communists,

members of the Labour Party, trade unionists -

turned out to resist the march of Oswald Mosley's 2,000 Blackshirts

through the heart of the Jewish East End.

Could I ask you to cover your head, please?

Yes, of course. It's been a long time since I put one of these on.

-Well, it suits you.

-Thank you very much.

Right, shall we have a look inside?

The reason we've come here is because

your grandparents were married in a synagogue just round the corner.

It was really where, I think,

-more than 60% of the Jews in Britain at this period lived.

-Really?

Yes, but that doesn't mean to say

-that it was a very easy life for the Jews.

-No.

And now we come to something which is really pretty shocking.

This is an extract from the Daily Mirror

on the 5th of April 1939.

-The year your grandfather got married.

-The year they got married,

"Pig's Head Nailed On A Synagogue." Hmm.

"An act of desecration of the Burma Road Synagogue, Stoke Newington,

"during the Jewish Passover observances was revealed yesterday."

Blimey. These guys were serious, they really did want to...

-Absolutely.

-..scare them away.

There was fascism rising all over Europe, of course.

There was Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy.

We had our own home-grown fascist, Sir Oswald Mosley,

founder and leader of the Blackshirts.

The '30s was a time when people felt that nothing much was happening.

The British government was limp,

they couldn't deal with unemployment,

they didn't seem to be able to deal with international tensions,

and here was action, a strong man.

And in times like that you look for a strong man.

And Mosley, tragically, seemed like the strong man.

I'm amazed. They look like Nazis. Jews are living in these buildings.

Seeing this walking past, I mean, it must have been flipping scary,

so I can understand why changing your name so you appear less Jewish

might have been the best thing you could do at the time.

Ian heads back to Albert Road to contemplate

the family history he knew nothing about.

Um, I've had a bit of a day today.

An amazing day, really.

And, you know, I'm here today because of their bravery

and because they dug their heels in, they lived through it,

they came through it and they came out the other side.

I think my family have a hell of a lot to be proud of.

The Meadows are starting their day

with a scheme that entrepreneur Phil has come up with

to improve his family's fortunes.

One and a half, one and a half! Oh, it smells amazing.

They're going into the confectionary business.

At the moment, we just need to get some money in

and we'll take it from there. I mean, seriously,

there's nothing else to do. There's nothing going on.

You know, this place is dead.

It's a smart move, as sugar at this time was both plentiful and cheap.

We've made some honeycomb this morning. And now it's set,

we're going to bash it so that it divides into pieces

and then we're going to package it and sell it from our front room

which is being converted into a sweet shop.

The one time you need people on the street, there's no-one around.

Honeycomb for sale!

Right, shall I go and knock on... D'you want some honeycomb?

-Honeycomb for sale!

-Honeycomb for sale! No? Tesco's OK for you...

Girls, girls, upmarket honeycomb. OK, upmarket.

Upmarket honeycomb for sale!

-Honeycomb for sale!

-Honeycomb for sale!

Phil's enterprise mirrors many grassroots businesses

started in the Depression era,

as families attempted to escape poverty.

-Hi there, d'you like honeycomb? No.

-No, OK.

Put your hand in your pocket, get in there and buy some honeycomb.

-Come on.

-Dad, you have to be nice.

-I am being nice.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Have a nice day.

Two pounds in the pot! Woo-hoo.

-There you go, did you enjoy that?

-I did, yeah.

-Tell all your friends.

Get them to come along.

-It's very, very tasty. Compliments to the cook.

-Thank you.

Despite a few sales, the honeycomb doesn't prove

to be the financial saviour that Phil hoped it might be.

That's it, don't hold back. You can have a little sample first,

just in case you don't like it. But I'm sure you will.

We haven't lost a customer yet. There's one there! Go!

Go, Genevieve, go! Stop!

Definitely feel down in the dumps.

I was actually looking forward to life improving

and me not having to scrabble around trying to...

make the best of it,

which sounds really spoilt, doesn't it? It sounds really spoilt.

But it's really, really depressing.

Suzie has a lot on her plate,

what with cooking and cleaning at the Golding house,

and finding a way to feed her own family.

But a little light relief is on its way.

Ah. "Health and Beauty. Join the Women's League of Health and Beauty.

"Movement is life."

Founded in 1930, the Women's League of Health and Beauty

was a radical, forward-thinking organisation

aimed at encouraging women from all social classes

to exercise side-by-side.

NEWSREEL: 'Through three hours of showmanship,

'they demonstrate what the women of Britain are doing

'in pursuit of the supple muscle and the perfect figure.'

The Fitness League, as it's known today, encouraged women

to feel a sense of achievement and pride in themselves.

For Suzie, Naomi and Adele, this is the first time in 30 years

they're together on an equal footing.

It's very nice to be together, isn't it? Almost classless.

It's a change to be together. We don't see each other very often.

I work for Naomi here and I never, ever, ever see Adele,

so the class barriers are obviously breaking down a bit here,

for us to come to exercise together.

Over and bounce. Swing.

Over and bounce.

Welcome to the three new ladies. Lovely to see you.

In the 1930s, ten minutes of exercise

gave you poise, balance and worked the body,

made you feel absolutely wonderful.

So feet astride, hands on your hips, ready and...

over and bounce.

Over. Swing. Up.

Drop and bounce.

Feet closer. Lift, stretch, floor.

And relax there. Feet together and uncurl and up you come.

For somebody from my house, getting out and speaking to other women,

normally, without any pretentiousness, is just fantastic.

I don't feel guilty at all that I'm out having some leisure, some R&R.

I think it's something that, actually, I need to do

to keep me sane in a world where drudgery is the order of the day.

I think that exercise is a move forward for women

and I feel absolutely that I should be taking part in that.

Later that evening, and more social taboos are tumbling down.

BELL RINGS

-Hello! Come in, come in.

-Thank you, Mr Taylor. After you, darling.

-Hello, how are you? Are you well?

-Very well, thank you. And you?

I've met Naomi now. Hey, we've done straight-leg raises together,

so we're best of mates.

What a lovely house. Ever considered selling?

-Yeah! Would you be interested?

-I'm your man, definitely.

For the Goldings, it's another step up the social ladder.

-ALL: Cheers.

-Cheers, thank you so much.

The Meadows, however, are uninvited.

Stuck at the bottom of the pile, with no hope of social betterment.

It's going downhill. The car's been towed away, the staff have left.

-You sold the car?

-The car's had to be sold, yeah.

They've made this rule where you can't actually drink and drive!

Have they really?

Yeah, so I thought to myself, "I can't possibly drive, then."

The Meadows family finances are in dire straits.

We have not a huge amount of food. We're eating leftovers tonight.

We're just going to have to eat everything out.

That's...we've got to make... the money that we have got,

we've got to make last as long as possible,

so all the good stuff's going to go.

By morning, Phil Meadows, a man who's never asked for help

to feed his family, has come to a difficult decision.

He and Suzie will apply for financial assistance from the state.

Millions of poverty-stricken families were in the same boat,

and further humiliated by having to prove they were destitute.

Eligibility for financial help was based on a means test,

carried out by a local assessor.

They have to decide how much they're going to give me,

and for them to decide that, Gen, they come round to the house

and they see how much money they think we need,

and they look at everything we've got and what we earn.

Are we going to hide our food?

We haven't got any. We've got a bit of old stale bread and a couple of eggs.

We have nothing to worry about.

They can't... Mind you, they'll probably find a few things.

Means test man from the Public Assistance Committee,

come to test your means!

Thank you. Now downstairs.

-What are you doing now?

-Well, looking at this,

you're not eligible for any benefits.

What we'll need to do now is take the furniture out.

We'll give you a good price on it.

You can live off that for a while, then come back to us.

How many of you? Four. I'll leave you with four chairs,

but anything else of value will need to be sold.

Families could sell items themselves and then call the assessor back in.

But by letting the means test man take their belongings to sell on,

many were able to receive help straightaway.

I'll let you keep your table. Sideboard you don't need, your radio.

Are you taking the ornaments as well?

Yeah. Everything you don't need, basically.

If you'd like to sign there, sir.

Right, we'll get that sorted now.

He's pretty horrible, isn't he?

I felt quite humiliated

and the fact also that it was in front of the family,

I felt really useless.

And I tell you what,

I'm quite upset actually.

Anyway, but it isn't the same.

There's nothing stopping you from saying,

"Clear off, mate." But then you won't get your money out of the government.

This feels very unfair, that people can do this to you.

I think we're about done. Make sure I haven't missed nothing.

Could take the lamp.

Thank you.

Well...

-Basically, they've cleared our front parlour.

-Yeah.

Oh.

And now we're back to where we were...

in 1910.

For many working-class families, like the Meadows,

it was back to square one,

with the poverty trap snapping at their heels.

But it's not just Albert Road that's having family problems.

The Royal Family were in turmoil too.

From Queen Victoria's idealised family unit four decades earlier,

to a scandal that rocked the nation.

King Edward VIII had fallen in love

with divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.

'I have found it impossible

'to carry the heavy burden of responsibility,

'and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do,

'without the help and support of the woman I love.'

But after the abdication,

the Royal Family gave a boost to the nation's spirits,

with celebrations for the Coronation of the new king, George VI.

Albert Road's street party is one of many

that would have brought communities together across the country.

Long live the King!

That cake is so cool!

Oh, no! Aargh!

It's a wonderful community spirit, yes.

This is how it used to be and could be.

Let's hope it'll be like this again sometime.

Roll up, roll up, who wants to throw a damp sponge...?

-ALL: Me! Me! Me!

-I say the word damp...!

Hooray!

Yeah, I'm really enjoying this cos I'm not the one in the stocks.

CHEERING AND LAUGHING

As their week draws to a close, it's time for the families

to reflect on their different experiences.

Susannah Reid and historian Juliet

are catching up with the middle-class Goldings.

We feel like a family in the 1930s.

We've evolved to a working, communicating unit,

and that's what has made this an enjoyable week.

'Ian has been able to have his father's half hour.

-'He's been far less strict.'

-The champion is Jack...!

'Despite the fact that I've had the sort of, the tough mother love bit,

'I could still be kind to them, but I just couldn't give them'

a great deal of affection.

But I think they've been OK with that.

-Two, three!

-CHEERING AND LAUGHING

How have you emerged from the inter-war years, the Taylors?

Not quite as well off as you were. How does that feel?

When I look at what we've got to think about losing,

we're looking at doctor's bills and education and food on the table.

And then, actually, this is serious stuff,

and I should feel guilty, the fact that we had to make

some of the Meadows unemployed, but actually it was down to them or us.

And even when we had Ian and Naomi round last night,

and they drank our bottle of cherry brandy

and told us their nice car was outside

and they were having a cook cook their fried breakfast, I was thinking,

"We ain't going to be able to afford another bottle of cherry brandy

"and you've just polished it off!" So I think

they're on the way up and we're coming down quite quickly.

-Thank you very much.

-Here's to the end of the '30s.

Yeah, and roll on the '40s.

No, just go away the '30s, they were bloody awful!

The Meadows family, how do you feel that this era

and especially being close to destitution at the end of it,

has tested your family unit?

It has tested our family unit, but it has shown us one thing,

that we are strong as a family unit.

Over the last few days, we've actually got the idea of...

it's hopeless. You're in a hopeless situation,

and no matter how hard you want to try and fix it,

what do you do to do that?

I feel that, as a woman, I've got much more hope in this period.

What seems interesting is, historically,

that the women in the family feel that this has been a move forward,

whereas the man, the main breadwinner traditionally,

feels that this has been the period of hardest knocks.

Hardest knocks and the least amount of opportunity.

I feel deflated by that, to tell you the truth.

Yeah, I think men have been emasculated

and women have been empowered.

Mr Taylor, it's been a tough half a century for me!

It certainly has. I guess I'm going in the stocks.

You are definitely going in the stocks!

This moment of reckoning was always coming.

Meadows family, I've got a Taylor in the stocks. Let's get him, come on!

CHEERING AND LAUGHING

This is cos your wireless is bigger than mine!

That's for the clay pigeon shooting.

CHEERING

Next time, the families are rocked by the Second World War.

For the first time, the children got really spooked.

I don't want it to happen again.

It brings them closer together...

I'm not sleeping if it's like that all night.

Oh!

..but also tears them apart.

I've got your conscription papers. You're going to war.

Do our families have the Blitz spirit needed for the Home Front?

I'm now thinking, "Go and bomb them bloody Germans, finish 'em off!"

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd