Episode 1 Back in Time for Tea

Meet the Ellis family.

Lesley, John,

Caitlin, Freya,

and Harvey.

This Bradford family of five are about

to embark on a time-travelling adventure.

It's 1925.

To discover how changing food eaten in the north of England...

That is Scouse.

..can reveal what life was like... COUGHS

I think perhaps I do need to work on my frying technique!

..for working class families over the past century.

-I think it's just potato pie.

-I think so.

-Chicken feet!

-Urgh!

-From regional classics...

-Pan Haggerty for tea.

We'll have two chip naans.

..to dishes that expanded our horizons.

I'm so happy! Honestly, this is like amazing!

The Ellises' own home is their time machine, transporting them

through a different era each week.

It's 1985!

They'll experience the ups...

-..and downs...

-What the heck is tripe?!

..of work...

This is so hard!

..rest...

GUNSHOT ..and play...

LAUGHTER

..as they fast forward through 100 years of northern history...

..and still get back in time for tea.

ENGINE STARTS

Welcome to Yorkshire,

land of rolling dales, cradle of the Industrial Revolution,

and home of the Ellis family from Bradford.

This ordinary family of five are about to travel back in time

to 1918.

I want the kids to experience what life was like for my grandma.

And I want to experience what life was like for my grandma too.

I think that'll be amazing.

For one summer, their lives will be turned upside down.

Don't use your fingers.

From the jobs they do to the house they live in,

and the food they eat, everything will be different.

And I'll be on hand to guide them through it.

I feel so excited about running this great northern

time travelling adventure.

I mean, when I think about the food I ate growing up, from warming black

peas to the ultimate comfort food of a pasty barm,

I really think there's no better way of telling the unique

story of the north, than through food.

And there's no better place to start than 1918, 100 years ago.

World War I has just ended

and the north is on the cusp of great transformation.

The Ellises are going back to a time when the north of England

was the beating heart of the British economy.

And industries like steel,

coal and textiles shaped the lives of millions.

So the family are moving out

and the builders are moving in,

transforming their modern house into one more typical of the time.

An average working class home in 1918 would have been a two up,

two down, with a floor space of about 500 square feet.

To replicate this, we are slicing the Ellises' spacious home in half.

Their comfy lounge is now a sparsely furnished front room.

Their bright kitchen diner is smaller, plain and functional.

And their large garden has shrunk to a modest cobbled yard.

Social historian Polly Russell is helping me

set the stage for the Ellis family.

Oh!

-Ooh!

-Wow! Look at this.

I know it sounds ridiculous, it looks incredibly old-fashioned,

-doesn't it?

-Yeah, it really does!

It's not very cosy, is it? What did they use it for?

Well, it's sort of more sort of special occasions.

If your doctor's coming, if your family are coming to visit.

-Oh, so slightly more formal room.

-Yeah.

They've not got many things.

What they have got, they've taken really good care of, haven't they?

Those books... Nice.

This is a time of really high literacy.

I mean, I feel like I'm betraying my people because I presumed

that working class people wouldn't have been able to read.

Trying to better yourself was part of the culture.

Look, from Bradford Library. From 1918!

I'm not taking this back. The fines on this!

Oh, my gosh! We've stolen half of their kitchen.

Oh, look! This is a beast right here, isn't it?

Obviously, we couldn't give the Ellis family

a 100-year-old range, but this is what it would have looked like.

Lots of the cooking is done on the stove top. Frying and boiling,

using the oven not all the time

-because that's a bucket of money down there.

-Look, this is gorgeous!

Got Bovril, we've got Oxo cubes, condensed milk.

And then Bird's custard. So we've got a couple of brands.

-Not many there.

-There are brands around, but they're more expensive.

It doesn't scream "intense flavours".

The working class diet would tend to be about making sure you've

got enough to eat, rather than fancy.

-Make sure you've got energy, so it would just be fuel.

-Exactly.

I mean, for a family of five, there's not loads of stuff, is there?

In 1918, soldiers returned from the front to a hero's welcome

and many working class men won the right to vote.

There was plenty of work to go round in the towns of the industrial

north, as Britain rebuilt itself after the war.

But with 50% of wages spent on food,

there was rarely any money left over for lean times.

In a world of financial ups and downs,

making the most of what you had was essential.

For perishables, come over here.

-We've got this.

-Oh!

-This is your fridge of 1918.

You've got slate down here to keep it cold.

So is that butter?

It's margarine, probably, in a working class house

because it's less expensive than butter.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have vitamin A in it, so they get less

nutrients than their middle class equivalents, who are eating butter.

Everything's about managing the household really carefully

and nothing going to waste.

Leftover bones, of course, made into a small flute.

I know that's a thing in your house.

Everything the Ellis family eat during the inter-war

years will be guided by historical data from the time.

For this period, we're going to use the Sumner Report

and this was a government survey conducted into the cost

of living for working class families.

And this sets out what the average family is spending on food.

I mean, the first number that jumps out is that 26 pounds of bread.

It's an enormous amount of bread.

Also, you look down, potatoes as well.

20 pounds of potatoes every week.

I mean, it's stodge-heavy, which is why I love it!

But where are the vegetables?

Well, yeah, really simple, down to cost.

The price of vegetables had gone up on average by 200% over

the period of the war years.

How do you think the family are going to feel about this diet?

Probably a bit challenging.

It's time for the Ellises to step back 100 years to 1918.

I'm nervous about actually cooking things that I've never

cooked before.

I'm expecting it to be quite fun, but challenging at the same

time because back in them days, it was like a difficult life.

This will be the first time the family see their transformed home.

Oh, Good Lord!

It's half a house!

Oh, my God!

It's so weird!

Oh!

Oh, my word!

Oh, Good Lord!

-Clearly, we couldn't afford good wallpaper.

-Oh!

LAUGHTER

That's crazy!

You really notice the half house when you come into here.

I'm confused!

So, I've got an oven and I've got coal.

Is it like a steam train?

-Corned beef.

-Condensed milk. Oh!

My mum talks about having condensed milk on toast!

When she was a little girl.

-Bacon!

-That ain't enough bacon to feed me alone.

Shall we go outside?

Oh, no!

-Do you know what that is?

-A pasta maker?

-It's for the washing.

-I am not using that every day!

Oh, my God!

-What do you think's in there?

-I hope that ain't a toilet.

Shall we have a look?

-Oh!

-LAUGHTER

The majority of homes in 1918 had outside toilets

and baths were taken by the kitchen stove.

But rents were at least affordable.

A tenth of northern workers' income, compared with about 30% today.

It's time to give the Ellises the lowdown on their 1918 life.

Hello, lovely Ellis family.

-Hi!

-Hi!

How are you all doing? You all look quite shiny-faced and shocked!

-That's probably a good way of describing it.

-Have a pew.

So, shall we find out what you're up to, then?

So, first off, then, John, you're going to be working down the mill.

-Oh, right.

-It's dangerous, but it's skilled, so your wages reflect that.

Also, at home, because you're the highest wage earner,

you get the biggest portions of food.

They've got to look after you, so you can look after them, basically.

-Right.

-Now then, Lesley, you also work down the mill.

But not quite as skilled as John.

So, girls, I'm afraid, college, university, no chance.

You're working as well, down the textile mill.

You're 13, aren't you, Harvey?

So that means that you've got to stay in school for another year.

Believe me, you don't want to be rushing into the workplace.

This is your manual.

This will tell you everything, the way that people lived,

worked, played, the way they ate. It's all in here.

Also, we've got to clarify, it's breakfast

and then it's your dinner and then it's your tea.

-The correct way.

-The correct way.

Whether making dinner or tea, expensive cookery books were

no substitute for tips from a friend or neighbour.

Recipes were passed along by word of mouth,

or cut out of local newspapers and magazines.

-Caitlin, you're helping me cook tea.

-God save us all!

Lesley and Caitlin are following a recipe for onion

and bacon roly-poly, taken from My Weekly magazine.

-Right, so, we want two onions...

-I'm going to cry.

-..grated.

-Mum?

-Yeah?

-How do you cut an onion?

SHE SIGHS

How can you not know how to peel an onion?!

-Come here, let me show you.

-OK, good, thanks.

Right? Then you can start peeling it.

Tonight's tea is made with suet. Wrapped in scraps of cotton,

it was known in the north as rag pudding.

Mix the pepper, half the salt and herbs.

The Ellises are lucky enough to have some bacon in theirs.

One of the cheapest meats available,

it was a staple of working class meals.

I really hope this table's sanitary.

The next step was to roll and then boil the pudding for about an hour.

OK, there we go.

Right.

With money tight, the kitchen wasn't the only place scraps were put to good use.

We're going to make a go-kart.

-Did these used to be dangerous?

-They can be.

Sometimes, you have to take your foot off and put on the floor,

so that it slows you down.

But then your mum and dad tell you off cos you wear your shoes out.

With no TV or mobile phones,

1918 families had to make their own entertainment.

That's it.

I'm reigning champion at this.

I'll show you. That's it.

Although, perhaps not all dads hogged the toys!

Catch me, Harvey! Come on! Catch me!

Come on!

Champion!

Tea's ready!

I have no idea how to serve this.

It's not very well presented, is it?

I don't think you've got time to worry about presentation.

Yeah, we're all hungry.

You have the lion's share, I do believe.

Mr Man of the House.

-I'd rather take that comment back!

-You want a bit more, don't you?

-Urgh! Do I?

-Yeah.

-Right, I don't really want much.

-LAUGHTER

The texture's slimy. It's hard to get past.

Because it's been cooked in water,

that's why it's got that sort of slimy texture.

-If it had been baked...

-You should have baked it.

I'd have had to put the oven on.

And you'd have to use more coal and it's very expensive.

Yeah, but it's worth it over this.

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen today.

And it's starting to feel more homely and cosy

and sort of a hub, a family hub.

It's 5:30am and workers like the Ellises need to be up early,

but if you couldn't afford an alarm clock, there was an alternative.

'On the windows of the great industrial towns of Britain,

'the rapping of the dawn knocker up called the faithful

'to their lathes and drop hammers.'

It's 1919!

Families with a long working day ahead needed a good

meal inside them.

Lesley's serving up tea, boiled eggs and yesterday's bread.

I feel like I'll break a tooth, eating this bread!

There's just enough time to put on their clogs, before heading

down to the mill, where the machines turn over at 6.30 sharp.

In the north, there's mills everywhere.

My great-grandma worked in the mill.

It'll be really interesting to just step in her footsteps.

In the early 20th century, many northern towns

and cities were characterised by a single industry.

In Bradford, two-thirds of the town worked in the textile mill

six days a week.

Sheffield was known as Steel City and Liverpool had its docks.

A third of all British workers were employed in the manufacturing

sector, which was the driving force behind the national economy.

WHIRRING

John is working in a part of the mill known as the Devil's Hole.

It's pretty tough.

It's hot.

He's feeding waste cotton into fast-moving spikes,

which break it down into usable fibres.

With the fibres, you feel as though you want a drink all the time.

It's very thirsty work.

The job was all about speed and ignoring the dangers.

The more that I do, the more that I get paid,

so it doesn't motivate me to stop.

I'm just going to keep going.

A Devil's Hole worker with all ten of his fingers would get

called lazy.

This is so hard!

-Argh!

-I'm getting better at this.

I'm cottoning on!

Caitlin, Freya and Lesley are working on the spinning floor,

where cotton fibres are transformed into workable thread.

On a busy production line, every second counted.

If I go for a drink, just for a few minutes,

and the machine stops, I am letting the rest of the chain down.

So then that's a lot of pressure on one person.

By mid-morning, 16-year-old girls like Freya would have already

clocked up five hours' work.

I think it's a bit of a hard life, like, being my age in this time.

I don't know how they did it.

It's dinner time.

Local bakeries employed kids like Harvey as delivery boys,

even if it meant skipping school to earn a few pennies.

I just want a meal deal.

And as if by magic! Hello!

Oh, look at that! Thank you.

-So, what have we got, guys?

-Do you think it's potato pie?

Pie's a northern thing.

Do you think?

Well, we invent the best stuff, so, yeah.

I don't think it's just northern though, is it?

Maybe pies are a working class thing.

To low-paid manual workers,

pies meant a hot meal without the need for a costly plate.

And they needed the calories. By the end of the day,

a 1919 mill worker would have put in a very physical 10-hour shift.

Men's work ended at the gates,

but for Bradford's married women who were working full-time,

food shopping and making the tea still lay ahead.

-Your go.

-One three.

-Cheat, I've got all threes.

OK, me lovelies.

I need some space in the kitchen. Caitlin, you're helping me make tea.

Right! Caitlin...

This is it.

Tripe.

What the heck is tripe?!

-A kind of meat.

-What kind of meat, though?

It's from a cow.

Look at it! That's so disgusting!

Looks like fish. Ew!

Made from the lining of a cow's stomach, tripe was pre-boiled

and bleached in specialist shops and sold on every northern high street.

Manchester alone had 260 tripe shops.

It's very pleasant to cut, anyway. It slices easily.

Makes some weird noises.

It's got a life of its own!

Full of protein, quick to prepare and very cheap.

At home, women only had to re-boil it before following their own recipe.

-Smells disgusting.

-What does it smell of?

-Cows.

-SHE LAUGHS

Tonight, Lesley and Caitlin are making traditional Yorkshire tripe,

a baked dish with cheese and potato.

The peelings of which are being put to good use outside.

Right!

Du-nuh!

-What is that?

-That is...

-Fish pie?

Kind of. Without the fish.

-But with tripe.

-Yeah.

-That doesn't look too bad.

-Do you all know what tripe is?

It might be a northern classic,

but none of the Ellises have ever tried it before.

Do you think this used to be a weekly dish?

-Oh, my God!

-Yeah.

-I'd have been working away on that night!

-It smells really bad!

I see what you mean. Right, me and you, on countdown.

-This is stressing.

-Ready? One, two, three.

SQUEALS

Look at his face!

It's the chewiness and cowiness.

If mum doesn't like it, you know it's bad!

No, he's going to be sick.

You all right?

-This is bad.

-LAUGHTER

You don't say!

-I'm still chewing!

-LAUGHTER

The texture of the food was horrible,

like the texture just made you gip.

And like, the flavour, I can't really describe it.

Guys?

It's 1921!

The post-war boom was over and unemployment quadrupled.

Many working class men in the north lost their jobs.

-We haven't got any food.

-So, what do we actually

-have for breakfast?

-Is that bacon on there?

-One rasher.

-That's me. I'm sorted.

There was no redundancy package.

The most workers could expect was to be paid till the end of the week.

Every scrap of food had to be stretched further.

Lesley's making Wigan shape.

A single slice of bacon is fried and pressed on to each person's bread,

before the precious rasher is given to the head of the household.

-That's yours.

-Look at that!

Hey!

It's surprising what you can make out of a bit of bread

and a bit of fat.

It is tasty. It's actually really nice!

But it's somewhat lacking in protein.

We're going to be eating bread all the time.

Not only will you get bored of it,

but it's also going to have some effects on your body and health.

Times were hard, but there was one event that lifted northern spirits.

The 1921 Kangaroo Tour saw an Australasian rugby league side

take a trip round the north, playing against all the top local teams.

With tickets costing only a few pennies,

thousands could afford to watch them play.

-I'll wreck you.

-You'll try.

-Back in my day, I were good.

-All right, whatever.

Let's see.

No sport defined the differences between north

and south better than rugby.

-Great throw, Dad!

-Down south, they played union,

a gentleman's game for unpaid amateurs.

-That's it!

-Up north, it was semi-professional league,

with teams of working lads who couldn't afford to play for free.

-You got me!

-The rugby league players were working class heroes.

Played it a little bit better than I do.

Oh, what a catch, lad!

After the Australasian matches,

both teams were treated to a slap up meal, and I've sent Lesley the menu

and ingredients to recreate one.

Monday January the 17th 1921, Leeds Football Club complementary dinner.

-So this must be the rugby team.

-That's cool.

We've got fillet of beef, garnished with pommes chez nous.

These would have been working class boys that work in the mill,

in the mines, during the day.

-I wonder what they thought of things written in French.

-I don't know.

A fillet of beef cost around a quarter of a working man's

daily wage. So to families like the Ellises,

this cut would be about as common as pommes chez nous.

I want to get this beef on ASAP.

The beef is braised with vegetables in a sauce flavoured

with an old Yorkshire favourite.

-What's that?

-It's mucky dripping.

What's dripping?

Well, when you cook a joint of beef, all the fat renders out of it

and all the flavour from the beef,

and that's what they called mucky dripping.

-Urgh!

-And it's really, really delicious.

-Just have a taste.

-No!

-Just have a taste.

-Urgh, no!

-Stop it!

-Mm!

I'm really, really looking forward to eating this meat!

The potatoes chez nous are made from mash and breadcrumbs

and flavoured with cheese and nutmeg.

If only I had my food processor, these would be fabulous breadcrumbs.

So, five potato doughnuts in there. What are you doing there?

Trying to balance one on my arm, so I can do more than one at a time.

The last ingredient is a luxurious egg, baked into each one.

This is the first joint of meat

and the biggest meal the family have eaten so far.

-It's a welcome respite from bread and lard.

-You all right?

Yeah, I'm just like mesmerised by all this food.

I can't stop looking at the meat.

-It's really nice.

-Them egg things are really good!

But wonder what it must have felt like for those poor rugby boys,

who all they've ever eaten before is what we've been eating.

Tripe and really basic stuff.

I think it would have been really interesting for them to come

back and tell people how good food can be.

Do you think they'd go back for seconds?

I would!

It was just really refreshing to have something that wasn't bread.

It's 1925!

Guys, listen to this.

"Ugly scenes marked the first day of the textile industry

"strike at Bradford yesterday.

"The strike has arisen over the 5% reduction in wages

"and about 50,000 Bradford workers are concerned."

50,000 people is a colossal amount. It's not just 5% for one

individual, it's families, you know?

So it's a wider impact, really.

In an attempt to deal with Britain's faltering economy,

Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill had returned

Britain to the gold standard.

It overvalued the pound and British exports suffered.

In response, mill owners cut wages and during the resulting strike,

many families had no money coming in at all.

Keep going.

So if the Ellises are going to have any tea tonight,

it's up to John and Harvey to catch it.

-Oh! He's going to bite me!

-Is it 'eck, going to bite you!

You just hold it like that and then when you get to the wall,

you let go, yeah?

So, are you ready?

Oh, got on my line.

Nice!

Oh!

Went through my finger.

That's it!

Not really.

-Hopefully get something before the sun goes down, eh?

-Mm.

If your angling skills weren't up to scratch...

..you could still get a cheap meal, if you knew the right people.

Those who escaped the gamekeeper might take

payment in kind for their catch.

We've had a great time fishing, me and Harvey.

So I just thought we'd give you what we've caught.

-Have you been fishing in park lake?

-Yes. Brilliant.

Look how big it is.

Oh, my God!

You've even...

What?

That ain't a fish!

It's a rabbit.

With fur!

I always wanted a rabbit.

-I did, too!

-You've got one now, love!

LAUGHTER

OK, bunny.

OK, I'm sorry.

I'm quite cross with myself for being so...

..squeamish about it because, I feel sure that if I was starving,

hungry, I would be grateful for this.

I guess people had to do whatever they could to feed the children.

It's just done a poo.

I can't say I blame it.

While Lesley's got her hands full, Caitlin

and Freya are doing their bit for the family.

Try and get as much soap in there as you can.

And then we'll get the dolly on it.

Until the strike's over, they're taking in washing to make ends meet.

Why do you think it's called a dolly?

Cos it looks like a doll, doesn't it?

A wooden doll. Going like that.

It is like hard work.

This is probably why middle class people get other people

to do it for them.

What, poor people like us?

Argh!

Well, if you don't lose a finger, you aren't doing it right!

That's what they say at the mill!

I don't think I've ever been as bad at something in my life!

Look at that sheet! We are the laughing stock of the working class!

Here we go. We've got rabbit fricassee!

-Thank you.

-Is that the most you could get out of the rabbit?

Yeah, there's very little meat on a rabbit.

Looking at it now, it's still just meat, isn't it?

Like any other meat.

It must have been hard to know that you have to go out and catch

food and if you don't catch it, then you're going to starve.

-Yeah.

-Tastes really nice. Thank you.

So, who's having the last bit, then?

I think you should have it, man of the house.

Thanks for a lovely meal.

It were actually really nice. Well done, Mum.

Thank you.

It's 1928!

-Yee-hee!

-Woohoo!

Things are brightening up for families like the Ellises.

SHE GASPS

-Rice Krispies.

-No way!

Launched in 1928, and nicknamed the Talking Cereal, Rice Krispies

were marketed as a quick, healthy and affordable breakfast.

They were an instant hit.

It actually really does snap, crackle and pop. I've never noticed.

We're going on holiday.

Things were improving beyond the breakfast table too,

as a minor recovery in British industry saw employment

rise for the first time in years.

For most workers, the only paid time off they enjoyed was a bank holiday.

And there was one destination on top of every northerner's list.

'Blackpool's the place for a holiday and no mistake,

'with crowds converging on the tower.'

The Ellises are enjoying their day out with Lesley's mum,

Christine, who used to holiday in the town as a girl.

Yes!

Oh!

By the 1920s, Blackpool was welcoming around

eight million visitors every year.

The rides were mind-blowing, at a time

when owning a car would have been almost unimaginable.

Dad's getting scared!

SCREAMS

LAUGHTER

-Was it really scary?

-It's not, Grandma. Jump on.

It's perfect.

Look what we've got, kids!

Blackpool was a world away from its visitors' everyday lives

and full of unheard-of treats, like this sweet American newcomer.

Imagine not even being able to have breakfast one year

and the next, you're at a theme park, eating candyfloss.

Bit different to tripe, isn't it?

Just a bit!

-We've got a grand view of tower from here.

-We have, that!

It almost felt like I were in Paris.

I've never felt as relaxed for ages.

-LAUGHTER

-Will someone come swimming with me?

Hold on to my pants, I'll come in with you.

Harvey, what's that?

Oh, my God!

LAUGHTER

I love it, Harvey!

I'll count you down!

Three, two, one!

Go!

He's like a flippin' dolphin!

LAUGHTER

He did it again!

The seaside was also the perfect place for ordinary folk to

try some fresh flavours.

-Oh, God!

-Oh, my giddy aunt!

LAUGHTER

Nowadays, oysters are an expensive luxury,

selling in restaurants at around £30 per dozen.

Back in the '20s, they were cheap as chips

and a staple of seaside holidays.

I actually think this is my first oyster.

-I think.

-Hopefully, it's not your last.

There's quite a few to go through there.

My dad used to eat them, but I've never had one.

Eurgh!

-It's just like swallowing seawater.

-No, don't even think about it!

-I'm not doing it.

-Go!

LAUGHTER

Let's just leave them to the posh people.

I've had a really good day today.

I feel that coming here must have offered people an opportunity

to feel freedom.

Putting myself in the shoes of the main guy in the house,

taking his family on holiday, and do you know?

If he's had as much fun as what I've had, it's been brilliant.

Really enjoyed it.

# Don't know why

# There's no sun up in the sky

# Stormy weather... #

It's a new day and a new decade for the Ellis family.

1931!

If the Ellises have learnt anything about the inter-war period

so far, it's that what goes up must come down.

The unemployment figure has reached over two and a half million.

Lesley?

-Where's the coal?

-None left.

-Seriously.

We've no coal.

I need a cup of tea so much. Sod the food! I just want tea!

A global depression was sparked

by the American stock market crash of 1929.

Britain's heavy industries collapsed and unemployment soared to

three million, with northern towns hit hard.

For many men, the 15 shilling dole became the only

means of survival, cutting income by three-quarters.

'In these hard hit valleys, government hand-outs didn't go far.'

It was barely enough to cover most rents, never mind fuel

and feeding a family.

We've got some bread.

I'll check if there's any jam left.

Stale bread...

-LAUGHTER

-There's no jam.

No jam, I'm guessing, from that reaction, Harvey!

We've got no margarine, no dripping.

The only thing I can find in here is lard.

Once again, many people only had bread to fill them up.

Why can't we have margarine? That's cheaper.

Actually, margarine's double the price of lard.

We must be pretty desperate, if we're having to have lard, then.

-Didn't taste of anything.

-Look on the plus side, we're jobless,

so we don't have to go to work.

Let's go back to bed!

Got something delivered!

Many northern families had no-one in work,

so took any opportunities available.

I've sent the family an offer of help.

"Dear Ellis family, I can offer the girls jobs as domestic servants.

"The only hitch is they need to move down south today. Sara."

-Do we have to go?

-We have no choice, do we, so...?

Doesn't make it any easier,

splitting your family down the middle.

-Love you.

-Love you, too.

Bye.

The numbers of domestic servants rose during the Depression,

as young men and women left their families and headed to the

more affluent south for some of the few jobs available.

For those left behind,

absence of loved ones wasn't the only hardship they faced.

KNOCK ON DOOR

You take my seat, I'll sit over here. I'll make room over here.

-Thank you very much.

-I'm afraid I can't offer you a cup of tea

because we've got no coals, we can't heat the water.

1931 is a tough year and, I'm really sorry,

I'm not coming with any good news either.

More bad news!

I'm afraid so, because 1931, record levels of unemployment.

22% of people unemployed across the country.

40% in places like Durham.

-40%! That's a huge...

-Really shocking.

That's massive, isn't it?

Almost a fifth of the nation was unemployed

and the government faced a crisis.

The National Insurance money, used to pay the dole,

had not only run out, it was £75 million in debt.

When it became clear that the end of the Depression was a long

way off, the government looked for ways to cut payments.

They introduced the household means test.

Depending on how much you own,

your benefits income is going to be adjusted accordingly.

-So, should that benefit us, then? Because we haven't got any assets.

-We've got nothing!

Well, you think that, but perhaps your chairs, your dresser...

-Do you have a Sunday best suit, John?

-Certainly do, yeah.

All of that would be taken into account

before you would be entitled to any benefits.

-It's just like...

-It's just like... You're knocked back every time.

In this area and in much of England, if you had goods that were seen

to be worth more than about £20, you would be expected to sell them.

I've come here to give you a warning about what is going to happen.

And that might give you a chance to be a little bit

wily about some of your belongings.

I didn't officially say that, OK?

Rather than sell their few precious possessions,

or have their dole money cut,

some northern communities bonded together to try and beat the

assessor, passing the message along that Old Nosy was coming,

so families could hide anything valuable.

Take the dogs, Harvey.

With the house emptier and a few lumps of coal borrowed

from next-door, Lesley's making tea with a familiar favourite.

Baked beans.

Yes!

Cheap and quick to heat, Heinz had targeted their beans at northern industrial towns.

By 1931, it had paid off.

The north was eating more baked beans than

the rest of the country put together.

Right, so, I'm going to make the fritters now.

-They're not going to be especially pretty to look at.

-SHE COUGHS

It's no wonder the walls are this colour, is it?

-SHE COUGHS

-I'm going to have to open this door.

I think perhaps I need to work on my frying technique!

They are burnt.

-What are these, then?

-Onion fritters.

They're like onion bhajis, but without the flavour.

LESLEY LAUGHS

This isn't a very big portion,

but imagine if the girls was here, as well. It'd be tiny.

-Good point, yeah.

-Seems a bit empty in here.

Only us three.

KNOCK ON DOOR

-I'll get it. You sit down, man of the house.

-OK.

-LESLEY LAUGHS

-You're welcome.

As communities faced hardship,

many families found welcome support from friends and neighbours.

It's like a raisin...

A raisin something.

-There's a note.

-There's a note underneath it.

"Heard you had a visit from Old Nosey.

"Rotten. Hope this slice of means test pudding heartens you a bit."

-That's friendship for you.

-Yeah.

You'll never keep a northerner down.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-LESLIE LAUGHS

We are going through hard times at the moment. We've all...

Money and everything going pear-shaped.

My sisters have just gone to the south to work as...

basically...

slaves.

I hope that the fortunes for working-class people...

improve as this decade goes on,

because they sure as hell deserve it.

1930S UPBEAT MUSIC

It's 1934, Johnny.

It's Sunday, a precious day off work.

With the girls away and Harvey out to play, John and Lesley are packing

a picnic of bread and dripping and heading to the great outdoors.

-Ready?

-Yeah.

MUSIC STOPS

In the '30s, cheaper train fares saw rambling clubs sprout up

across the North, as workers took the opportunity to explore

the countryside surrounding them.

Nice little breeze, get some fresh air in your lungs.

To find out more about it,

John and Lesley are meeting Bradford-born nature lover,

Anita Rani.

-Good to see you. How are you doing?

-Good to see you.

Welcome to Ilkley Moor.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

We take it for granted now in Britain, that we can wander

the beautiful countryside whenever we fancy,

but in the 1930s, these signs were everywhere.

I mean, this was a very real threat, and I think because people

were so poor, they were cowered by that

and they wouldn't come up here.

Although the wealthy could always tipped a gamekeeper to get access,

working-class ramblers couldn't gain entry to private land.

I think I would've come up still and, you know, with my family

and gone on the land, but obviously...

suffer the consequences if I get caught.

There was certainly a movement taking place

across the north, where people were just not going to put up with this.

Yeah.

In the '30s, thousands joined mass trespasses to assert their right

to roam, most famously at Kinder Scout in the Peak District in 1932.

These acts of defiance would eventually lead

to the freedom of the countryside we all enjoy today.

-You're going to love this.

-Look at that, my favourite.

-You love that!

-Kendal Mint Cake.

-Gives you energy.

It gives you energy, course it does, it's pure sugar.

-Big up the north.

-Big up the north!

Look at the countryside we have and the slabs of sugar that we eat.

THEY LAUGH

-Cheers. This has been lovely.

-Mm, Cheers. Cheers...

Costing less than 3p a pound, sugar had been

a staple of working-class diets since the late Victorian period.

Before I go, I think we've got to sing the Yorkshire anthem, haven't we?

-Oh, we have to.

-Yeah, why not?

-Yes!

# Where hast tha bin since ah saw thee?

# Ah saw thee?

# On Ilkley Moor baht 'at... #

MUSIC

Whilst John and Lesley ramble on,

I'm popping round with a surprise for Harvey.

-Have you any idea what this is?

-Don't have a clue.

It's a bladder.

-Pig's bladder?

-It's a pig's bladder, well done.

Do you want to hold it?

Not too bad, it's kind of like bacon that's just been handled a lot.

Pigs' bladders were inedible, but not to be wasted.

With a bit of effort, they made the perfect toy.

We've got to try and get this into there.

I can't believe I'm saying this like this is a normal thing to be saying to you, Harvey.

We've got to now inflate the pig's bladder.

-All right.

-Yeah. You with me on this?

-I'm with you.

Give me a high-five on that.

That one, yeah. Not with that one. THEY LAUGH

Ooh, it's gone in.

-This is quite environmentally friendly, isn't it?

-It is,

-it's using waste products.

-I know.

There's no point in killing a pig and not getting all of it, is there?

I know, if you had a pig skin coat on, eating a bacon butty

and playing football with this,

you're the ultimate eco-warrior, Harvey.

THEY LAUGH

Harvey Ellis, promising young lad.

Put a pig's bladder in front of him...

Is he going to score?

Ooh! Oh, no, he didn't. I saved it!

There's only one Sara Cox!

SARA LAUGHS

All right, it's gone over to next door's.

You can go and get pig's bladder back.

Go and knock on, say,

"Excuse me, missy, can I have my pig's bladder back?"

-All right.

-SARA LAUGHS

# Things are looking up... #

The Ellis family are back on top.

They've weathered the Great Depression

and the economy is finally picking up.

It's 1937!

-Yay!

-Yay!

For working-class families,

the upturn bought new home comforts.

Nearly two-thirds of Britain's homes now have access to electricity -

and many front rooms have a new focal point.

We have a wireless!

LAUGHTER

-How good is this?

-Wow, that is a big step forward.

-It is!

And I think it'll be a great addition to the family.

By 1937,

high-powered transmitters were beaming out to the whole country,

and that year,

over eight million households took out a radio licence.

If you could afford to buy a set outright, you could hire one

for a few shillings a week from Radio Rentals.

# A kid on a swing... #

-PRESENTER:

-Food seems to be in England a rather neglected subject.

It is not given the importance the importance it deserves...

Cookery programmes were popular,

and the BBC sent food expert Mrs Arthur Webb on a tour

of the northern hot spots to gather recipes for a series.

Lesley and Caitlin are following her method for Whitby polony.

It's meat and bread crumbs, basically, with a bit of spices in.

Have you got a mouthful of bread?

-MUFFLED

-Maybe.

THEY LAUGH

Will you go get me some butter out of that meat sieve?

Mm-hm.

THEY LAUGH

GENTLE PIANO MUSIC

Yeah, just pack it in.

Usually bought as a sausage, this home-made potted recipe

is Whitby's version of the Yorkshire classic.

LESLEY WHEEZES AND LAUGHS

I'll tell you what, why don't I help you do yours

and you help me do mine?

THEY LAUGH

-LESLEY CLEARS HER THROAT

-Thank you.

-There you are, madam.

Put these in here.

This is...

Whitby polony.

What's that?

It was a recipe that was broadcast on the wireless

in an attempt to embrace...

the northern listeners.

Right. Never seen anything like this before. Cooking in a jar.

Smells nice, doesn't it?

FREYA GROANS

What's the matter, Freya? Why that noise?

I don't like the look of it.

It's nice... It's all right.

It's an unusual texture.

It could genuinely be dog food.

What do you think southerners would've have thought if they'd have eaten this?

I think southerners would've thought that...

northern cuisine is just plain,

because I don't think they'd be used to...

-these kind of foods.

-Mm.

With tea over, Caitlin and Freya are off to enjoy a hugely popular

pastime of the '30s.

Costing around 6p each, cinema tickets

were an affordable treat - and in 1937, 946 million were sold.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you. Here, look at that.

-Rolos!

It wasn't just the films that were enticing.

Like today, cinema kiosks were full of sweet attractions.

-We haven't seen any like chocolate, have we?

-Yeah.

Oh! Aero!

Milky Bar, Rolo, Kit Kat.

This was the era of combination bars, using cheaper ingredients

like biscuit so they could be sold at half the price of pure chocolate.

-I really miss chocolate.

-Same. I've been craving it.

-Can I have two Rolos, please?

-Yes, Miss.

Thank you. That's 4p, please.

-There you are.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

UPBEAT MUSIC

"Feather Your Nest".

Look how old-fashioned it looks.

-Why, there's nothing to wait for, is there?

-Well, no...

-Hey, don't be daft, Mary...

-INDISTINCT

George Formby was as famous for his Lancashire tones as his comedy,

and in an era of cut glass accents,

he was one of the few stars who sounded just like his northern fans.

THEY GIGGLE

I thought it were really good.

It generates like a feeling of pride,

watching someone who's northern

amongst so many people that sound so posh.

MUSIC STARTS

Back at home, John and Lesley have got their own treat.

Is it beer?

It looks like it. Beer at its best, from a can.

-You're not having any.

-I bloody well am.

You're not having that all to yourself.

In the mid-30s, Felinfoel Brewery in Llanelli perfected a tinned ale.

Within a few years there were over 40 brands on the market.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

LESLEY LAUGHS

It really tastes good.

I hope kids don't come in.

LESLEY LAUGHS

They've never seen you dance.

MUSIC FADES AND RESUMES

It's the last year of the era.

It's 1939!

Big year.

On Sunday the 3rd of September,

the nation tuned in to a momentous broadcast.

-NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN:

-'This morning, the British ambassador in Berlin

'handed the German government a final note

'stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock,

'that they were prepared at once

'to withdraw their troops from Poland,

'a state of war would exist between us.

'I have to tell you now...

'that no such undertaking has been received,

'and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.'

This isn't the first time I've listened to this

and I've still got goose bumps now.

It feels a lot more poignant sat here in a 1939 lounge.

-It really does bring it home, doesn't it, really?

-It does.

Britain had been preparing for this moment

since Hitler's rise to power six years ago.

Rearmament meant plenty of work to go round.

By 1939, 16% of the population

were employed in munitions manufacturing.

With almost full employment came new luxuries.

Look how much stuff is in here.

-LESLEY GASPS

-Weetabix!

Corned beef, marmalade...

HP Sauce!

Dad will be happy.

Salmon, look at that.

The Ellises have invited friends and family over

to mark the end of their inter-war time travels.

What are you making?

We're making magic salmon mould. Basically, what we're doing

is we're layering the salmon with cabbage and eggs

and then we're going to pour in gelatine over the top.

It's going to be very delicious.

Imported food prices had fallen by 40%,

so expensive delicacies became affordable to ordinary families,

like Lesley's Canadian tinned salmon.

Don't pour that full, everyone's going to be drunk.

They're not going to be able to ride their horses home!

LAUGHTER

-Hi!

-Hi!

Hiya.

Whoo!

-Hi!

-Look who's here!

LAUGHTER

-Hiya.

-You look beautiful today.

-Anybody want a drink?

-Great.

-Cheers!

-Cheers!

Chin, chin!

'Polly and I are back to join in the fun and find out

'about the family's experience over the last two decades.'

-Hiya!

-Hi!

This looks lovely.

-Hello, Polly.

-I love it.

What happy memories have you got from the last 20 years?

Well, me and my dad went and played rugby, and we don't...

like modern day,

me and my dad don't have a lot of time together,

with these two either.

What were your favourite bits about the whole thing so far?

Going on the rollercoasters at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

and... going to the cinema.

-OK. And you survived the rollercoaster, didn't you? FREYA:

-Barely!

FREYA LAUGHS

GENTLE MUSIC

Cheers!

To the past 20 years.

And how's it been for you?

Plenty of ups and plenty of downs.

LAUGHTER

Have you found that you've been chucked together much more as a family?

We've all gravitated to this table, that's where we've spent our lives.

What about those days for you when you didn't have enough

and you were having to try and feed your family?

I just stood in the shoes of that 1931 mum feeding her children...

It were the look on the faces and it really, like got me.

This is for real, this WAS for real.

This has made me really think of the value of things,

because I take too much stuff for granted.

It sort of made me realise that I've got things really easy

and I've been given so many opportunities,

so I need to take them.

-LESLEY:

-The women who lived through this era, I look at them

with admiration and awe.

Raising families and working, and cooking, and cleaning,

and maintaining their spirits at the same time.

I just... I don't know how they did it.

'I believe that we're stronger than we were

'when we first came into the house.

'There's one thing about northerners, we stick together.'

I definitely know where Yorkshire grit comes from, and...

you won't take the grit out of Yorkshire.

Next time...

This is well nice!

LAUGHTER

The Ellis family have their first taste...

SHE RETCHES ..of the post-war years.

I can hear... a steam train coming, look.

What do you reckon, guys?

It's not runny!

LAUGHTER