0:00:02 > 0:00:04Us Brits have a passion for property
0:00:04 > 0:00:08and, of course, our national obsession is house prices...
0:00:08 > 0:00:09How much to buy?
0:00:09 > 0:00:12You're looking at about £1.7 million for an apartment like this.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17..but housing is about so much more than bricks and mortar.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Look at the smile on my face.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23It's about who we are, and how we choose to live.
0:00:26 > 0:00:2975 years since the Beveridge Report
0:00:29 > 0:00:32vowed to rebuild Britain's housing...
0:00:32 > 0:00:33Slums must go.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36..we're opening the door to Britain's Home Truths.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39From council houses...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41..to suburban semis.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42High rises...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44..to country pads.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46In fact, anywhere we call home.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50To find out if, three-quarters of a century later,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53we really have built a better place to live.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09In my athletics and broadcasting career,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I've travelled all over the world -
0:01:11 > 0:01:14but nowhere beats my home town of Cardiff.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21I guess that's why I still live here, in this very house.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24I love waking up here.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I've even got a bit of a morning routine.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Every single day I look out across this view over Cardiff Bay.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34It's pretty cool, I must admit,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37but it's a view I never knew existed when I was growing up in Llanedeyrn.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39It's pretty cool.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43I grew up in a very different part of the city,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47on the Llanedeyrn council estate on the other side of the bay.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I often look at the view I have now
0:01:52 > 0:01:54and I wonder, how did I ever get here?
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Well, like many of us,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00the truth is that a lot of it is down to the foundations
0:02:00 > 0:02:02that were laid where I grew up.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04As I flick through these pictures now,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I think about where I am today and who I am today.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12That has a lot to do with growing up on a council estate,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15which, me growing up, I didn't know the difference, you know?
0:02:15 > 0:02:19All I knew was that I had a massive house, a huge bedroom,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24in my opinion, and lots and lots of open space.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27I remember my old three-bedroom council house fondly,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31which I shared with my big sister, Suzanne, and my mum and dad.
0:02:31 > 0:02:37Wow, my mum outside, looking after the flowers in the garden.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42Now, a garden, again, was one of these things that was pretty rare,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45especially with grass, green grass!
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I can remember my dad putting up this fence, actually.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51It was one of the first and last things
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I most probably did with my hands as a labourer, if I'm honest.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56# Where's your mamma gone?
0:02:56 > 0:02:58# Where's your mamma gone?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00# Little baby boy... #
0:03:00 > 0:03:04For my family, like many other working-class families
0:03:04 > 0:03:06across Britain, it offered the chance
0:03:06 > 0:03:08to escape cramped and poor quality housing,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11the sort my grandparents might have lived in,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14giving kids growing up in the second half of the 20th century
0:03:14 > 0:03:16the chance to have a happy childhood
0:03:16 > 0:03:19with places to play, and friends to play with.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21It's certainly no coincidence
0:03:21 > 0:03:24that, throughout my running and broadcasting career,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I've met so many people,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30some of them my idols and mentors, who have come from council estates.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34I know for sure that it provided the foundation
0:03:34 > 0:03:36on which to build my own success.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40In the UK, there are 130 large council-built estates
0:03:40 > 0:03:44of over 10,000 people, and lots of smaller ones.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45In this episode,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I want to pay my own tribute to these estates
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and find out how much they've changed since the first one.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58First up, I've come back to my old estate, Llanedeyrn,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00to my own particular patch.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I'm a little bit nervous, and excited.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It's been years since I paid the old place a visit.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08It's nice coming back home, though.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09It is, I must admit.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12As I'm looking around and seeing the flats again, you know,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14it just brings back memories -
0:04:14 > 0:04:17who used to live in the flat at those particular times,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19all the running up and down we used to do here,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23how I used to park my bike outside the garage, call for your mates...
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It is pretty interesting to be back, actually,
0:04:26 > 0:04:27and to have a look around again.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Meeting me here is my big sister.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33She's also had quite a journey since growing up here,
0:04:33 > 0:04:38becoming a professional actor and starring in Brookside and Casualty.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39Oi!
0:04:42 > 0:04:43Welcome home!
0:04:46 > 0:04:49My darling! So, OK...
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Hello!
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- We're in Llanedeyrn. - Yes.- We're back on real home turf.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Yeah, yeah. I mean, it was a well trodden path, this path.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Going up and down to the corner shop,
0:04:59 > 0:05:00which is not that corner...
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- It's not that corner.- No, but it was for us, running up and down.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09But one of my biggest memories of this path is badminton.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Do you remember?
0:05:10 > 0:05:14I always used to make you go down the hill
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- so then it was easier for me to whack it...- It was easier for you!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Yeah. And then you'd have to do the running down.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22- I forget how green it was. - Yeah, yeah.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- And you forget that the woods are just on the doorstep.- Yeah.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29This is actually where used to play the game Bulldogs.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33I don't know if you remember us kids tearing up and down this path here?
0:05:33 > 0:05:34No, but I think it was...
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- And this was the finishing line. - Oh, yeah.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40So once you came across this post here, it was safety for us.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- So, here we are.- Oh, wow.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Back to the old gaff. Anything missing?
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Oh, yeah, the fence! Ahh! All Daddy's hard work!
0:05:52 > 0:05:54- I know.- Oh, it's amazing.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Shall we knock on the door, see if anyone's in? Be a bit cheeky?
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Go on, then.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01What about the porch? Did we put this porch up?
0:06:01 > 0:06:03We did put a porch up, but not this one.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- You don't think it's this one? - No, it's double glazed.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11It just looks so much smaller.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I don't think anybody is in. That's a shame.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Do you remember having that really, really, really snowy winter,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and we were out here, throwing the snowballs?
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Mmm!
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Even though it's been over 30 years since we've lived here.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30It's not long before we see some familiar faces.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31Our old neighbours.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33You've come home!
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Oh, my goodness!
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Oh, my God!
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- Bless you!- Hello!
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Your mum is one in a million.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47We got on so well as neighbours.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Yeah.- You know? You caused us no trouble when you were kids.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52You were good as gold.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54And you've turned out like this, the pair of you.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- Troublesome!- From our hometown.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02You're absolutely wonderful, and your sister.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Yeah. You've made Llanedeyrn proud.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06You're a proud Welsh man, like everybody else here.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- Brilliant.- Cheers, mate.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11I can't see you, but never mind.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- All the best.- Ta-ra!
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Now, what's the chances?
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- What are the chances? - What are the chances?!
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Gordon Bennett, that's amazing.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Today has just been marvellous, is the only thing I can really say.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Coming back to my real roots, this is where I grew up,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36this is where I was formed.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38This is where my ideas came from and I think,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40perhaps my ability to run.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49It's just really engaged me to find out a little bit more
0:07:49 > 0:07:52what was happening right across the United Kingdom
0:07:52 > 0:07:56in communities like this, on council estates, all around.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Before I head off around Britain, though,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03I've decided to start my council house journey
0:08:03 > 0:08:06a little closer to home, at Cardiff Castle,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10at what is probably the city's most famous council house.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13OK, I'm pushing it here, but it is owned by the state,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16and it's also a great place to take in the view.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- It's pretty good, yeah?- Yeah. - Bit of a climb.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Joining me is historian Lesley Hulonce.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25The thing is, I think that I forgot to tell her
0:08:25 > 0:08:30- that I wanted to chat at the top. - Oh, my God.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34I'm hoping that Lesley will be able to tell me how Cardiff,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and other cities,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40looked after housing people before council estates like mine existed.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42I might have to wait a while, though,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45for Lesley to get her breath back!
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- Oh, wow.- We've made it!
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Hopefully, Lesley will get over the climb
0:08:51 > 0:08:53by looking at these fantastic views.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54Beautiful, eh?
0:08:54 > 0:08:58It's just a little too far, though, to make out my house.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01I'm just looking for where my council estate is,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04which you can't see because of the... Literally, the urban sprawl.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08But I would have been right, right outside of the edge of the city.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- Is that the norm? - Well, taking people out of the city,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13it was considered healthier.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14So, before council housing,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18what was put in place for people who were struggling a little bit
0:09:18 > 0:09:20and fell on hard times?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Well, if you fell on really hard times,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and you had nowhere else to go,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26you could always go to the workhouse.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29It was a place of last resort.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33It was a place the respectable poor never wanted to end up in.
0:09:33 > 0:09:39So the workhouse, I guess, was kind of the original council house?
0:09:39 > 0:09:41It was a large council house,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44quite like this one, but it housed a lot more people
0:09:44 > 0:09:47than this wonderful council house.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I'm keen to find out more about the workhouses.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54So, sorry, Lesley, it's time to go back down.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03We're off to really get a sense of what it's like
0:10:03 > 0:10:07to live in a workhouse by digging deep in Glamorgan archives.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10It's amazing how much information you can get
0:10:10 > 0:10:13from the Cardiff workhouse records that are kept here.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17So these are the actual people who found themselves in the workhouse
0:10:17 > 0:10:20during the Victorian period.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21There's so many.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24And it goes on for pages and pages.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32When you arrived in the workhouse, what would you expect to do?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Is it like, proper work? - Oh, yes. Yes.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36It's called workhouse for a reason.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Women would clean, they would scrub floors,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43they would possibly look after the children.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Men would break stones for road building,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52and possibly grind down bones for bonemeal.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58All 15,000 parishes in England and Wales had a poor law union
0:10:58 > 0:10:59and its own poorhouse.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01And, in the mid-1800s,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05there were over 120,000 people registered as paupers,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07many of them were children.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11The central authorities didn't want children to stay in the workhouse
0:11:11 > 0:11:15and be contaminated and catch pauperism and fecklessness
0:11:15 > 0:11:18from the adults there.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22So they built these huge separate schools.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24So how long would they stay in these schools?
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Three would have been the very youngest.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30They tended to be a bit older than that.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Say about five or six.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Most would stay until they were 13 or 14.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39On Cowbridge Road,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43the entrance building to Cardiff Union Workhouse still exists.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Ironically, today, rather than housing Cardiff's poor,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50the building is full of fancy apartments,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53going for around £170,000 a pop.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58At its peak, this workhouse could house 1,000 inmates.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02But it wasn't just the residents of workhouses
0:12:02 > 0:12:04who were having a pretty grim time.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07The respectable poor, as they were known,
0:12:07 > 0:12:12often lived in overcrowded and dirty slum dwellings, like this.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17Cardiff had its share of some of the worst housing conditions in the UK.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22But one seismic event was to change all that.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24The end of the First World War.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31The poor were now returning soldiers who had saved the nation
0:12:31 > 0:12:34and it was decided that they shouldn't come back
0:12:34 > 0:12:37to carry on living in workhouses or slums.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42So, in 1919, Prime Minister Lloyd George, another fine Welshman,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45announced a state-funded house-building programme,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49and the idea of a mass-produced council housing was born.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52There are millions of men who have come back.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57Let us make this a land fit for such men to live in.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Slums are not fit homes for the men who have won the war,
0:13:01 > 0:13:02or for their children.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06For what is our task?
0:13:06 > 0:13:12To make Britain a fit country for heroes to live in!
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Lloyd George's push for decent housing in the '20s
0:13:15 > 0:13:17became known as Homes For Heroes,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20and estates went up all over Britain.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23So, to find out more, I'm visiting the biggest.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25The Becontree Estate in Dagenham.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30Yep, for council housing after the war, the only way was Essex.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34More than 25,000 houses were built in Becontree,
0:13:34 > 0:13:39and it was then, and still is, the largest council estate in the world.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42As a five-year-old, I still remember to this day
0:13:42 > 0:13:44my first feelings about Becontree.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46My navigator today is Bill Jennings.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49There's nobody who knows this estate better than him.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52I went to school here,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I went to the youth clubs here, I met my wife here,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57I married here,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and I lived here until I was 30.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03In addition to that, I worked for the local authority for 40 years,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05in the Housing Department.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08And even now, I've retired eight, nine years ago,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and I come back once a year as a tour guide on a bus
0:14:12 > 0:14:15to show people the wonders of the Becontree Estate.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18The whole estate is very big.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20You've only seen a fraction.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22It's four square miles.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23- Four square miles?!- Yeah.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26As I say, the coach tour takes me four hours.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29And I could extend that, to be honest. I cut that to a minimum.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33And I'm still proud of it to this day.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- Brilliant. So it's in your soul? - Absolutely.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44I lived in a terrace of six houses.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46My house was the second one.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Number 59.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51If I tell you there was eight children living there...
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- Eight?!- Eight, with mum and dad.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54There was ten of us in there.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57There were seven children in that one, four in that one.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59COLIN LAUGHS
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Oh, I bet you had some good times.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Some cracking times.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10These were large, four-bedroom houses, initially.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14They had lots of money and they had plans to build all four bedrooms,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17probably, but very soon, you were reduced to threes and twos.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20They all had front gardens, back gardens,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23inside toilets and running water, etc.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26And, compared to what we had in the east end of London,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28it was absolutely magic.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30One elderly lady in those days
0:15:30 > 0:15:33described it as heaven with the gates off.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Very good.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Very, very good.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Heaven it may have been, but down the road in London,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41all hell was about to break loose.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48When the blitz began in World War II,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51estates like Becontree became even more important,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55providing homes for a new set of war heroes.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Hello, Colin!
0:15:58 > 0:16:00People like Peter Railton,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03whose family got bombed out of Poplar in East London.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05He was a child when he came here,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and he and his wife Kathleen have invited me in for tea and cake.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Well, it's brilliant that you've invited me in here and, of course,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- food, good coffee.- Good company.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- That's always the most important thing, isn't it?- Yeah!- Absolutely!
0:16:21 > 0:16:23So, tell me a little bit about you.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26How old were you when you came here, and why you come here?
0:16:26 > 0:16:27I was four.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31One particular night we were in the shelter,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33thank goodness we were.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37We woke up the next morning, the house had gone,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40in Poplar, it had been bombed completely.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45So we were allocated a house in Dagenham.
0:16:45 > 0:16:46Unbelievable.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Marvellous countryside, coming from Poplar,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52which was very built up.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Also, we had more room.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56We had three bedrooms.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59We had an inside toilet.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Well, in our house, we had two.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Toilet downstairs and the bathroom upstairs!
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- How about that?- That's lucky!
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Well, that wasn't 1942.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18The war had a profound effect on estates like Becontree.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22People came looking for safety and a new start.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25It was a feeling that would really build a sense of community.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Of course, don't forget, the bombing was still around.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- Right.- So it was a horrendous time.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38In 1942, 1943, I can remember it quite well.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42- Yeah.- So as we moved on,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45we had our victory party in 1945.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Tell us a little bit about that.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50That must be part of the community truly getting together.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- It was unbelievable.- Yeah.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57All streets had community parties, victory parties
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and everyone joined in.
0:17:59 > 0:18:05And they built huge bonfires - it wouldn't be allowed nowadays.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Unbelievable. They were so intense.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12They actually burnt the paths, and the tarmac.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It was unbelievable.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19It was a great time. It was a time to bring together, come together.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Everywhere, people let themselves go!
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Everybody knew everybody else.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35Every neighbour knew, through their children, who their neighbour was.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37So, you know, that's...
0:18:37 > 0:18:40You used to leave your doors open then, couldn't you?
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Well, yeah.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Because everyone used to help each other.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48And there's still a community spirit around here.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51We hope it lasts a long time.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01This sense of "we're all in it together"
0:19:01 > 0:19:04is something that never left the council estate mentality.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06It was certainly there when I was growing up -
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and, in the post-war period,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11the Government saw this as a way of rebuilding national morale.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17So they knocked down the slums and started building en masse.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19In spite of the modest rents,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22which vary from 13/6 to 26/6 plus rates,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26these particular flats can boast of many first-class amenities.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30By the beginning of the 1950s,
0:19:30 > 0:19:341.5 million public homes had been constructed -
0:19:34 > 0:19:37but it wasn't enough, and, in 1951,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40a new Government promised to build even more,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42with a new dedicated housing minister.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47£4,000 produces four of these houses.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Less than the cost of three of the former houses.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Harold Macmillan launched what he called the people's house.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Smaller than the previous council houses,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01but with everything a modern family would need.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05With three bedrooms, a living room, dining annexe and all mod cons,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07these houses seem to be just the job.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10That means Britain can't possibly have too many of them too soon,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14for hundreds of thousands of people have been waiting for years.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22By the time we got into the '60s,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25we were in the middle of a house-building bonanza,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27As housing estates went up everywhere,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30very far up, in lots of cases.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35Millions of working class families finally had a place to call home.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Well, Christopher and David, how do you like your new home?
0:20:39 > 0:20:41- Very much, thank you. - Yes, thank you.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43What do you particularly like about it?
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Well, we don't have to boil every drop of water now.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Whereas in the old days, we did.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51The new houses had all the latest domestic gear,
0:20:51 > 0:20:52with a proper kitchen,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56proper plumbing and, something I know my family appreciated -
0:20:56 > 0:20:57a bit of space.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59If you're listening to television,
0:20:59 > 0:21:04you don't want the youngsters having a party in the same room,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and nor does the young daughter want to bring her boyfriend in
0:21:07 > 0:21:09to do a bit of courting
0:21:09 > 0:21:12in the same room where Ma and Pa are looking at the television.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19And then came the '70s.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21My era.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It's what I regard as a golden age,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32with council estates now firmly entrenched in British culture.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39For the first time, music, fashion and sporting idols
0:21:39 > 0:21:42were coming out of these concrete jungles,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45creating inspiration for kids like me and my sister.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51In Cardiff, this was also the era of the newly built Llanedeyrn estate,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and I've come back with Suzanne to relive some of those glory days.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- Let's have a knock.- Yes, because one of my friends at the time...
0:21:58 > 0:22:00We've decided to drop in on the Reids,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03old neighbours who are still living here today.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06I always thought she was a bit posh, because her house was much bigger.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09And, given how we looked back in those days,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12I'm really surprised they remember us.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13Oh, wow.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Oh, my goodness. Hello!
0:22:17 > 0:22:19It is so good to see them again.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- Good to see you! - Oh, thank you very...
0:22:25 > 0:22:26Oh, thank you!
0:22:26 > 0:22:31Have you done much remodelling since I was here 40 years ago?
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Oh, wow, yes, I do remember.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Oh, after all that travelling about,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44it is also good to take the weight off.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Oh! That's nice!
0:22:47 > 0:22:49That's better.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51It is, much better, much better.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I think this is bigger than ours.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Yeah. I think so.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Do you feel it was solidly built?
0:22:58 > 0:22:59The roof... Isn't it? With...
0:22:59 > 0:23:01A lot of them, they say along here, all the roofs...
0:23:01 > 0:23:04But the other thing is trying to drill.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06I don't know what concrete they put in there,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08but sometimes trying to drill through...
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Well, I think for 40 years...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- It's not bad.- No.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15It's not a mansion, but it's not bad.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Yeah, it's definitely survived the test of time, hasn't it?
0:23:18 > 0:23:20For sure.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22We often used to see you.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26We never dreamed that one day you'd be a bloody superstar.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28To put it mildly.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31You should have won Strictly Come Dancing, that Erin.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33It was her fault, wasn't it?
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- I always blame her, but I love her to bits.- She's lovely.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40So, has the estate changed much in all those years?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Well, along here, a lot of them have been here years, as well.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- Oh, right.- Keith was here.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48Keith, yes.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51- George.- George.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- There's not many more. And Jean next door.- Jean next door.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Well, that seems a fair few people that are still remain here,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- from back in the day. - They moved in at the same time.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Compared to us, who lived over the other side,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07- there's only one or two people still over there.- If that, yeah.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10There was one couple... This is going back a few years.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11He was a postman, wasn't he?
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- Yeah.- And every Saturday night, they'd have a barney.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I mean, it was as sure as...
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- We'd all get prepared. - Every Saturday!
0:24:21 > 0:24:24I used to hang out the bedroom window and they'd say
0:24:24 > 0:24:26"Hello, Mrs Reid!"
0:24:26 > 0:24:27Yeah!
0:24:27 > 0:24:31- Yeah! Carry on! - Then they'd carry on at the row!
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Welcome to Llanedeyrn!
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Well, there were a few barnies when we were growing up.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39- Not between us.- No, no.- But in the neighbourhood, for sure.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Yeah.- So that hasn't changed.- No!
0:24:41 > 0:24:45So, you've been here for over 40 years now?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47- Yeah.- Would you ever move?- No.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49No. Not unless we won...
0:24:49 > 0:24:52I say, if we won a lot of money...
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I mean, obviously, if it's millions or something daft, a daft figure,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58that would be different. But if it was a realistic sum,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- we'd spend it on this and stay here. - Yes.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02What does that tell you?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05It's really nice to hear you say that.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- That you're happy here.- Yeah. - That's a brilliant thing to hear.
0:25:08 > 0:25:09That's really nice.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Well, we brought all our children up here, for a kick-off.- Yeah.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19The post-war council estates were also the beating heart
0:25:19 > 0:25:22of a new multicultural Britain,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26where black, white and Asians lived as neighbours for the first time.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28With neighbours like the Reids,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32I can't ever remember there ever being a problem for my family.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34But I wonder if my sister thinks the same?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37So, did you feel any different then,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41that being black, and virtually we were the only black family here...
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Yeah, definitely, but I never felt...
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Until you came, I think I was one of two black people in the school.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52But I never felt particularly special.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57- I was always proud to be called... That I was from Llanedeyrn.- Yeah.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Oh, gosh, absolutely.
0:25:59 > 0:26:06And also, I think I do have a sense of being privileged, in a way.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Because, when you think that our parents were low income,
0:26:10 > 0:26:15and the fact that they established themselves in their own home,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18it made us feel, I think, very equal.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And out of that grew that lovely community,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25even if it was just this street, there was a sense of community.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I think the home truth of our positive experience
0:26:30 > 0:26:33of growing up in Llanedeyrn is partly down to the city.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Like most places based around the docks,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Cardiff has a long history of multicultural communities
0:26:39 > 0:26:41stretching back centuries.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46In other parts of the country, though,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48the situation wasn't as rosy.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Discrimination, economic hardship and unemployment
0:26:51 > 0:26:53lead to racial tension between neighbours,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and with the police, particularly on estates.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03One area that was to suffer more than most is this council estate.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Broadwater Farm in London.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11The Tottenham riot.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Tonight, police say a revolver, as well as a shotgun, was used.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19It all came to a head when a local black woman, Cynthia Jarrett,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21died after a police search.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Long-held grievances suddenly came to the surface,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and the estate erupted in terrible violence.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30During the rioting, many people were hurt,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and police constable Keith Blakelock was killed.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37'In the words of one senior officer, it wasn't England, it was madness.'
0:27:38 > 0:27:42It's been 30 years since the riots, and I'm keen to hear the perspective
0:27:42 > 0:27:46of the residents who lived through it and its aftermath.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52These guys between them have given Broadwater Farm Estate
0:27:52 > 0:27:54more than 70 years' service.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58David Singh, Chris Hutton, and Archbishop Frimpong Manson.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01I was brought up on a council estate in exactly the same way,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04and I couldn't believe what was actually happening.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06So, the riots themselves,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10do you think that came about from what was happening on the estate?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12The way the housing was... Was it a...
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- Frustration.- Frustration.- There were youngsters in that period,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18a lot of youngsters, and they were frustrated.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21There was nothing for them. There was no community centre.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Where do they go?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Police were aggressive on the youths.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28The youths were all angry.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31And one thing is, I will not blame the youths
0:28:31 > 0:28:33because when you call for, even a minor incident,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35you see ten police cars here.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37And violence brewed violence.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41So, once the riots had happened here, did lots of people shift out?
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Yeah. After the riots, yes, a lot of people asked for transfer.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49And they were given transfer, really nearly without any problem.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53And most of them were white people.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54We did know it was brewing,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57we'd known something was going to happen sooner or later,
0:28:57 > 0:28:58we just didn't know when.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01The press was not good to this place.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03That day we went there, we got up in the morning
0:29:03 > 0:29:07and the Mirror had publicised it a no-go area,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10for the police - "the estate of death".
0:29:10 > 0:29:14When we try to rebuild the reputation of Broadwater Farm,
0:29:14 > 0:29:16how important do you think that the residents
0:29:16 > 0:29:18really take responsibility,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21as well, of living here and, you know,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25pushing and driving everything on the estate?
0:29:25 > 0:29:31At first, Haringey were very reluctant to involve the residents,
0:29:31 > 0:29:32in any way, shape or form,
0:29:32 > 0:29:37but I think they soon realised that if they didn't involve residents,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39that things were not going to be happening.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40We have done a lot.
0:29:40 > 0:29:46The residents, we decided that we have to rebuild our own place.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48We can bring the change.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51I think, for me, what was pretty clear
0:29:51 > 0:29:54was that I was welcomed when I arrived here.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57When I was walking in, somebody came to me and said,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01"Hey, Colin Jackson, it's so nice to see you, and welcome to Tottenham!"
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Achievements... We don't talk about our achievements enough, OK?
0:30:04 > 0:30:06And that is part of the problem.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08We are always on the back foot.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10In the '90s, Broadwater Farm,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14in consultation with the residents of the estate,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17began a £33 million regeneration programme.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21Today, around 40 different nationalities live here
0:30:21 > 0:30:23and the crime rate has been dramatically reduced.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25It's also become a model to other estates
0:30:25 > 0:30:28of what can be achieved when residents are involved.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30In this very room,
0:30:30 > 0:30:35we had a deputation by the Housing Minister talking to us,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37wanting to know how we managed it,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39how we got through all this,
0:30:39 > 0:30:43and how we now have a nice, calm, settled community.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44I am proud to be here.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Because it is my home.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49And we talk about everything negative,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51we need to talk about positivities.
0:30:51 > 0:30:52I'm the oldest one here,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56and I've been living on this estate a long time.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57I'm getting on in years,
0:30:57 > 0:31:02but I still have the ambition to see Broadwater Farm come back
0:31:02 > 0:31:04as an estate, as it should be.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09Well, gentlemen, thank you very much for inviting me on this day.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10I've had a wonderful time.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13I was recognised, and I was welcomed wonderfully.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15So, thank you very much indeed.
0:31:15 > 0:31:16You're welcome, Mr Jackson.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Yes, thank you, Colin, for coming to Broadwater Farm.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22- Brilliant. Thank you. - Always welcome.- Always welcome.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27While Broadwater Farm and many other estates across Britain
0:31:27 > 0:31:29were working hard to fix their problems,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32another council house revolution had also begun.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39It was called Right To Buy, and it was championed by Mrs Thatcher.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44It's fundamental in our history that you have the right to own your home
0:31:44 > 0:31:46and the land on which it stands.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Over the past year, hundreds of thousands of council tenants
0:31:49 > 0:31:51have sent for the Right To Buy booklet,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55and have applied to buy their council houses or flats.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Buying your council house wasn't new,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00but this was on a nationwide scale.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Councils were forced to offer tenants massive discounts.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08The electorate loved it and council housing would never be the same.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12I am conscious of no single act of social policy
0:32:12 > 0:32:15more likely to change the attitudes and opportunities
0:32:15 > 0:32:18of countless thousands of our people...
0:32:20 > 0:32:21..that ranks higher
0:32:21 > 0:32:24than the enfranchisement of the council tenant.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26It will be seen and remembered
0:32:26 > 0:32:30as one of the great social revolutions of our time.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Right To Buy transformed British Council housing
0:32:34 > 0:32:38and it all started here on the very spot I'm standing -
0:32:38 > 0:32:39on the Harold Hill estate,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43just seven miles from the homes for heroes in Becontree.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46The Pattersons have lived in the house for nearly 19 years
0:32:46 > 0:32:50and James Patterson is justifiably proud of the hard work he's put in.
0:32:50 > 0:32:56Because it was here in 1981, in a carefully staged publicity stunt,
0:32:56 > 0:32:58that the Prime Minister handed over the deeds
0:32:58 > 0:33:01to the first Right To Buy council house.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04It's so strange to actually be standing on this particular spot,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07where it all seemed to stem from.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10And my parents actually bought their property,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12courtesy of that law and regulation.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14And it's quite bizarre, isn't it,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18to see that the house is up for sale again.
0:33:18 > 0:33:24This will be the house's eighth owner, at a cost of £290,000.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32I'm off to meet local taxi driver, Steven Key,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34who has lived on the Harold Hill estate most of his life.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38When Margaret Thatcher came here,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42can you actually remember the noise and the commotion that was made
0:33:42 > 0:33:47- when she turned up?- I remember it was quite a big thing at the time.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50I remember it all being in the papers,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53but I don't think she got that great a reception in the area.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56But it was a good thing to happen.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01The big opportunity for people round here was the children
0:34:01 > 0:34:05of the parents - because the parents had bought the houses,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07and when they die, they passed them down,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10and that's where they've done really well.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12So what did your parents think about it?
0:34:12 > 0:34:14They'd been on the estate a long time.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16He was a bit old school, my dad.
0:34:16 > 0:34:17He wasn't interested.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21He was more of the, "Oh, if the roof gets broken, what do I do?
0:34:21 > 0:34:23"If the water system breaks down, what do I do?"
0:34:23 > 0:34:26And I would say, "Dad, we'll come round and repair it."
0:34:26 > 0:34:28But it never happened, it never happened.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31So in hindsight, if you could have pushed him a little bit,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33would you have encouraged him to buy?
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Well, it was an opportunity for me,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38I could have bought the house for £15,000.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40That was late, as well.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42I mean, a lot of the houses around here,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45friends of mine bought their mum and dad's house
0:34:45 > 0:34:47- for between £8,000 and £10,000.- Wow!
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Steven did eventually get his chance
0:34:50 > 0:34:52to buy a Harold Hill Council house,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54albeit with one previous owner.
0:34:54 > 0:35:00We had the opportunity, back in about 1983, and I paid about 35,000.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03So, how much would a house of £35,000 then be worth now?
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Well, I had it valued on Tuesday.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07£340,000.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14So, with that in mind, are there any downsides?
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Well, I mean, there could be the possibility of...
0:35:17 > 0:35:20My son now is on the waiting list
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and he's not really got a lot of chance.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25He's 35 years of age and I think, the reason is,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29there's so many houses being bought, council places being bought,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32that there's probably not enough available now
0:35:32 > 0:35:35for the people who used to live on the estate,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39with their kids now for them to get a place.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42- So there's plusses and minuses. - There's plusses and minuses.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50There was another plus or minus to Right To Buy,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52depending on your sense of taste.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55This is one family that bought its own council house
0:35:55 > 0:35:57when Birmingham offered it the chance.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01You can't mistake it. In contrast to the council houses on either side,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03it's now painted a bright purple.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08Well, bright purple... I'd seen a house painted the same colour
0:36:08 > 0:36:11and I thought it looked rather attractive, being a roughcast house.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14I painted the top half purple and the bottom half white.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18I think everybody wants to own their own house eventually.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20Now we could all be house designers.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Stone cladding, elaborate porches,
0:36:22 > 0:36:27pebbledash, and coloured renders all made an appearance.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30But it was inside that the real horrors were happening,
0:36:30 > 0:36:34as we attempted to make our houses are unique.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Genius is said to be 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40And the genius who invented the sauna proved it.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44With a home sauna, the whole family can get steamed up in comfort.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Upstairs wasn't any better.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51Someone called it "bad taste Britain",
0:36:51 > 0:36:54and I've come to meet one of the Queens of the era,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56interior designer Linda Barker.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58This colour's so lovely.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I have to say, I'm a little excited, because in our house,
0:37:01 > 0:37:03she was a bit of a design guru.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Linda, I've just come back from seeing some of the houses
0:37:07 > 0:37:11that were bought and sold during the Right To Buy period in time,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14and saw how they changed and became very individual
0:37:14 > 0:37:18in their designs after they were bought from the council.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20What do you remember about that era?
0:37:20 > 0:37:25I loved the fact that people wanted to make their home their castle.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30It was so important for everybody to put their stamp on it.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32But most astounding
0:37:32 > 0:37:36was that absolute love of having your own home
0:37:36 > 0:37:40and doing whatever you wanted to do on it, which is a brilliant thing,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43although aesthetically, looking a bit bonkers.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46But the interior, as well, went through a bit of a change
0:37:46 > 0:37:49and I brought some pictures to see if you can jog your memory
0:37:49 > 0:37:51about anything - can you remember this?
0:37:51 > 0:37:53The coloured bathroom suite!
0:37:53 > 0:37:58The avocados, the primrose, the yellow!
0:37:58 > 0:38:00- Salmon!- Yes, salmon.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04I must admit we had a salmon bathroom suite.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Which was my mother's dream.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11Yeah, I mean, my parents had one that was light turquoise,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14but I remember loving it as a kid.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17You know, it was the height of sophistication.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19And gold taps!
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And carpet up the side of the bath.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25And all these kind of things that you look at now and think,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27"Why on earth did we do that?!".
0:38:27 > 0:38:30I've got some more pictures to jog your memory.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Now, have a look at this room.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36That's astoundingly bad, isn't it?
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Here you have matching curtains,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42wallpaper, furnishings...
0:38:42 > 0:38:46You probably have accessories like a teapot and cups
0:38:46 > 0:38:49that were covered in this same floral pattern.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51I mean, it's Laura Ashley on acid.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54It's bonkers, isn't it?
0:38:54 > 0:38:57I mean, this is so typical.
0:38:57 > 0:38:58Like millions of Brits,
0:38:58 > 0:39:03my family took our design advice from home improvement shows on TV.
0:39:03 > 0:39:08So I reckon in terms of "bad taste Britain", Linda needs to 'fess up.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12A little bit of a cheeky question,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15but do you think you should take a little bit of responsibility,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- in Changing Rooms?- Oh...
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Well... Changing Rooms was of its time, definitely.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25It was encouraging people to be their own interior designer,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29which people took wholeheartedly into their own domain.
0:39:29 > 0:39:30I mean, prior to that,
0:39:30 > 0:39:34interior designers were really for the rich and famous
0:39:34 > 0:39:37and, you know, the wealthy part of society.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41What we did was we brought interior design to everybody.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43And everybody went crazy!
0:39:43 > 0:39:46What I want to do here, Kate, is to paint odd tiles,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49so we've got a real Mexican feel about it.
0:39:49 > 0:39:50How many colours are we using?
0:39:50 > 0:39:52About five.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55I think today's designs are much more considered,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58much more bespoke and for the individual in their home
0:39:58 > 0:40:00and we really consider our purchases.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03All that excess of the '80s is gone, thank goodness.
0:40:03 > 0:40:04We just about did it!
0:40:04 > 0:40:08- You don't even look too flustered, well done.- I feel it!
0:40:10 > 0:40:13And so we're right back to the present.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Today, less than 8% of people live in council houses,
0:40:17 > 0:40:21compared to 42% in the '70s, when I was a lad.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25Which means for kids growing up in estates like my old one,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29the future of their living arrangements is an uncertain one.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32So I guess the ultimate home truth I've learnt
0:40:32 > 0:40:34is that my generation had it good.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Council houses allowed our families to get out of the old slums
0:40:38 > 0:40:42before paving the way for us to get on the property ladder.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Since the Beveridge Report
0:40:45 > 0:40:49identified the need for social housing 75 years ago,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51there have been difficulties along the way,
0:40:51 > 0:40:55but I've seen how these estates also forged a sense of pride
0:40:55 > 0:40:58and community that allowed their residents to get back up
0:40:58 > 0:41:00when they were knocked down.
0:41:02 > 0:41:07You could say we council estate folk are the real bulldog breed,
0:41:07 > 0:41:11so, to end my journey, I'm organising a special little game,
0:41:11 > 0:41:16one I played 40 years ago on this exact part of the Llanedeyrn estate.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Who lives really close to the actual street here?
0:41:19 > 0:41:21OK right, four or five.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22Yeah, a couple of you live here.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Well, I used to live in number eight.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28So, who lives pretty close to number eight here?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- How close do you live? - I live in number seven.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34- Right next door.- Yeah. - That's pretty close!
0:41:34 > 0:41:36So what's is like living here now?
0:41:36 > 0:41:39Well, it's really quiet.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Do you find lots of kids around there playing,
0:41:42 > 0:41:43or has it completely changed?
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Most people are not really interested in sport any more,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50they're interested in just...
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Well, I don't know what they're interested in.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Phones, internet, that's all they care about.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56So you think it's a lot of social media?
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Yeah, pretty much.- Yeah. OK.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Well, do you know what?
0:42:00 > 0:42:03I hope that you guys are feeling quite energetic,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06because I'm going to play Bulldogs with you.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- Have you heard of the game Bulldogs?- Yes!
0:42:08 > 0:42:10That's what we used to do on this street.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13So I think I should reintroduce you to that.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14- Are you game for it?- Yeah.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17- That's a good thing. - Definitely.- Definitely?
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Three, two, one, bulldogs!
0:42:20 > 0:42:24SCREAMING AND LAUGHING
0:42:24 > 0:42:28# That's neat, that's neat that's neat, I really love... #
0:42:28 > 0:42:29Ohhh!
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Bulldogs!
0:42:33 > 0:42:35# Your tiger feet
0:42:35 > 0:42:37# Your tiger feet... #
0:42:40 > 0:42:42They're having great fun,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45and it does fully remind me what it was like back in the day.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48There was noise, there was excitement, it was just brilliant.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50And it's really nice to see it again.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Three, two, one,
0:42:52 > 0:42:55let's go! Bulldogs!
0:42:55 > 0:42:56I'm out of it.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01I thoroughly enjoyed that.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03- Did you have a good time doing that? - Yeah!
0:43:03 > 0:43:04Some people got a little bit...
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Falling over a little bit, battered and bruised, but it was cool, right?
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Yeah!
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Yeah, it was really nice to see.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13But do you know what? I must admit this now.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15I'm coming from this estate,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18I thoroughly had a good time coming back visiting.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21And, for me, I can honestly say that I'm truly proud
0:43:21 > 0:43:23to come from a council estate.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25This was right at the beginnings.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27And you know what? You never know...
0:43:27 > 0:43:28We could have...
0:43:28 > 0:43:31He was the winner this time, he could be a champion of the future.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33So, guys, let's give it up for Llanedeyrn.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- Hip hip...- Hooray! - Hip hip...- Hooray!
0:43:36 > 0:43:39- Hip hip...- Hooray!
0:43:39 > 0:43:41# Tiger feet
0:43:41 > 0:43:43# That's right, that's right that's right
0:43:43 > 0:43:45# T-T-T-Tiger feet
0:43:45 > 0:43:49# I really love, I really love I really love, I really love
0:43:49 > 0:43:52# I really love your tiger feet
0:43:52 > 0:43:53# T-T-T-Tiger feet
0:43:53 > 0:43:56# That's right, that's right that's right
0:43:56 > 0:43:57# T-T-T-Tiger feet
0:43:57 > 0:44:00# That's right, that's right that's right... #