0:00:04 > 0:00:07Just over a century ago, the motion camera was invented
0:00:07 > 0:00:11and changed for ever the way we recall our history.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16For the first time, we could see life through the eyes of ordinary people.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Across this series,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24we will bring these rare archive films back to life
0:00:24 > 0:00:26with the help of our vintage mobile cinema.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32We'll invite people with a story to tell
0:00:32 > 0:00:37to step on board and relive moments they thought were gone for ever.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43They'll see their relatives on screen for the first time,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46come face to face with their younger selves,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and celebrate our amazing 20th-century past.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53This is the people's story.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54Our story.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Our vintage mobile cinema was originally commissioned in 1967
0:01:22 > 0:01:26to show training films to workers.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31It's been lovingly restored and loaded with remarkable film footage
0:01:31 > 0:01:34preserved for us by the British Film Institute
0:01:34 > 0:01:38and other national and regional film archives.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42We'll be travelling to towns and cities across the country
0:01:42 > 0:01:44and showing films from the 20th century
0:01:44 > 0:01:47that give us the Reel History Of Britain.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Today, we're pulling up in the 1970s...
0:01:56 > 0:01:58..to hear stories about a time
0:01:58 > 0:02:02when Britain was enjoying a right royal fling
0:02:02 > 0:02:05in order of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17We're in Countesthorpe in Leicestershire,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and in places like this all over the country,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23people were determined to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Coming up - precious memories captured on camera.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40It's much more emotional than sitting holding a photograph in your hand.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Royal biographer Hugo Vickers reveals how he helped
0:02:43 > 0:02:46to get the party started.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49One of the things they did was to give £1,000 to every borough
0:02:49 > 0:02:51and say, "Use it as you will for celebrations."
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And a former beauty queen comes face to face with her younger self.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00You feel like a film star.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03You're never going to be a film star but that's how you feel.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Today, we've come to Countesthorpe in Leicestershire,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21which celebrated the Silver Jubilee in style.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24This village was like many communities across the country
0:03:24 > 0:03:28that pulled out all the stops for a right royal celebration.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41The Queen was only 25 when she came to the throne
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and she quickly became one of our most popular monarchs.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48So it wasn't surprising that a year of festivities took place
0:03:48 > 0:03:51to mark her Jubilee in 1977.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53# Here we are and here we are
0:03:53 > 0:03:54# And here we go... #
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Did you know the Queen was having a meal today?
0:03:58 > 0:04:00What do you think she's been having to eat?
0:04:00 > 0:04:02The same as what we're having - turkey.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06But the booming Britain she reigned over when she came to the throne
0:04:06 > 0:04:10in the 1950s had changed radically by the 1970s.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Economic problems and political unrest prevailed.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Yet it didn't stop most people going Union Jack crazy.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23How do you know the flag is the right way up?
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Ah, well, this could be a problem.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32Jubilee Day on 7th June was one big national party,
0:04:32 > 0:04:33to which everyone was invited.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And we'll be talking to some of those people today.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Joining me are guests from across the UK,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52all of whom have special memories of that Jubilee year of 1977.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Many of them will be seeing their younger selves on screen,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59telling us how they celebrated and showing us souvenirs
0:04:59 > 0:05:01of this Royal occasion.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08It wasn't just the Queen who made the headlines on 7th June 1977.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Childhood best friends Jane Taylor and Linda Leake, from Derbyshire,
0:05:12 > 0:05:13were actually there on the day.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16They camped out overnight outside St Paul's Cathedral
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and made the headline news.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24To go to London for the day was magnificent. We camped out overnight.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- You were 14 years old. - 14 and 15, yes.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29And this is how we got on.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32On the front page of a national newspaper.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- And that's you two? - That's us two, yes.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37"Linda Knight, left, and Jane Hunt from Derbyshire."
0:05:37 > 0:05:39- That's us. - It had rained all night.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41We were actually in bin liners.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Today, we'll transport Jane and Linda back to their youth
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and remind them of the day they made the front pages.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I'd never been to London and we set off from our small village
0:06:06 > 0:06:08that I'd never ventured far from.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13It was a really big adventure. We were one of the first to arrive.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- We really were, weren't we?- Yeah.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20And we chose the prime position didn't we, outside St Paul's?
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Linda is watching a special BBC programme about that day,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29when millions of people from all over the country and the world
0:06:29 > 0:06:32descended on the capital to catch a glimpse of the Queen,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34the Royal family and world leaders
0:06:34 > 0:06:38attending a thanksgiving service held at St Paul's Cathedral.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45I'd forgotten how many people were there. It brought that flooding back.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48The crowds and the sense of community.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51We do this once every 25 years!
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Yes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55It will be really worth it to see that gold coach.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59You know, you were anticipating what was going to happen.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Then when it did happen, it was well worth the wait.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05CHEERING
0:07:05 > 0:07:07The golden carriage seen here
0:07:07 > 0:07:10was originally built for the George III's coronation in 1760,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13but it wasn't completed in time.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14CHEERING
0:07:14 > 0:07:19It's been used for every coronation since George IV's in 1821.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Seeing it again today reminds Linda how spellbound she was by it.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38It was magical and the coach, unless you see it in real life,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41it's hard to imagine how beautiful it really is.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47So luxurious. Fairytale, almost.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52The last time Britain celebrated a Jubilee pageant on this scale
0:07:52 > 0:07:57was for Queen Victoria's Diamond celebrations in 1897.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02There were hundreds and thousands of people but when she waved,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05you felt like she was waving at you. And I waved back.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08"The Queen's waving at me and she knows I'm here!"
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Later that day, the Queen and members of the Royal family
0:08:12 > 0:08:14attended a luncheon at the Guildhall,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17where she gave her famous salad days speech.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22This was delivered as part of over five hours of live BBC coverage.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26It's estimated that half a billion people tuned in
0:08:26 > 0:08:29on television, all over the world.
0:08:31 > 0:08:37When I was 21, I pledged my life to the service of our people.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43Although that vow was made in my salad days,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46when I was green in judgment,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50I do not regret, nor retract, one word of it.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52APPLAUSE
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Seeing the Queen, she was a special lady
0:08:56 > 0:08:58and it brought them memories back.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01CHEERING
0:09:04 > 0:09:06It was like I was there yesterday.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25But the Queen's Silver Jubilee wasn't just a one-day event
0:09:25 > 0:09:28in the capital. During the summer of 1977,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh embarked on a large-scale tour.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Her Majesty was determined to mark her Jubilee
0:09:35 > 0:09:38by meeting as many as possible. No other sovereign had visited
0:09:38 > 0:09:41so much of Britain in the course of just three months.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44The six Jubilee tours in the UK and Northern Ireland
0:09:44 > 0:09:46covered 36 counties.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53On the list of places to visit was County Durham.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57And one local resident made sure she was there to see the Queen.
0:09:57 > 0:10:011977 was the first, I think, big event of my lifetime.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Is that when you started becoming a memorabilia maniac?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- It was. - How many pieces have you got now?
0:10:07 > 0:10:10It's over 5,000, but I've lost count.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15You know, from bars of soap, boxes of matches, staplers, badges
0:10:15 > 0:10:20and I had this waistcoat that used to fit us once, made in 1977.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23I went on from there to be the Guinness World Record holder.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25It's crazy, isn't it?
0:10:29 > 0:10:33We're about to take Anita, the record-breaking royalist,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37back to the day it all began, on 14th July 1977.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45What memories will these films bring back for her?
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Every night you switch the news on and there she was
0:10:53 > 0:10:55at a different village or a different town.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57It was Royal fever everywhere.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Watching her own home movie of the Queen's Royal visit to Durham
0:11:02 > 0:11:06reminds Anita of the extraordinary lengths she went to
0:11:06 > 0:11:07to get the best position.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13My dad had said to us it was pointless going,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15cos you wouldn't get anywhere near.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19The night before, we found a spot where we would like to park.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24We had a box of chalk and wrote on the road, "No parking".
0:11:24 > 0:11:26The next morning, we went there -
0:11:26 > 0:11:28there were people and cars everywhere.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30sure enough, there was the big space
0:11:30 > 0:11:33just big enough for the Vauxhall Victor! Fantastic.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39With the invention of Super 8 film in 1965,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and the availability of cheap cameras in the '70s,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Anita, like so many others,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46was able to record her own memories of that year -
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and here she is as a young woman of 20.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56The Queen and Prince Philip arrived.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I was looking through my cine camera thinking,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01"Oh, no, she's gone over the other side!"
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Prince Philip came right up close to us.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11I thought, "I don't want to see you, I want to see the Queen!"
0:12:13 > 0:12:17To see the Queen in the flesh is something really special.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23It took me back to a time before I was married, before any children.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28I was a different person. But I remember that feeling of pride.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It was an incredible year.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38These films reflect the patriotic feeling throughout the country.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40They're a visible reminder
0:12:40 > 0:12:43of how the public regarded the Queen and the Royal family.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45But not everybody was celebrating.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49MUSIC: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols
0:12:49 > 0:12:52For Republicans and punks, the Jubilee meant nothing.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57# God save the Queen
0:12:57 > 0:13:01# The fascist regime... #
0:13:01 > 0:13:05'I was absolutely annoyed to death at the punks.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08'I had members of my family who were punks,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11'but I thought they were ridiculous.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13'I thought they were disgraceful.'
0:13:13 > 0:13:16# No future... #
0:13:16 > 0:13:18The Sex Pistols were at the vanguard of dissent,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21but their own Jubilee message was rumoured to have been
0:13:21 > 0:13:24kept off the top of the charts for political reasons.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33I have never heard that record before.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37That's the first time I've heard it. I was given God Save The Queen
0:13:37 > 0:13:41by my cousin, who was a punk, and I nearly hit him with it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44But I didn't, I kept it and it's part of my memorabilia.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45But I never listened to it.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53We've come to the village of Countesthorpe in Leicestershire
0:13:53 > 0:13:57to remember the Queen's Silver Jubilee of 1977.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02During the Jubilee celebrations, an estimated 10 million people
0:14:02 > 0:14:05attended street parties up and down the country.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Manchester hosted almost 2,000.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09In Wales, there were around 4,000,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12but it was London that held the record
0:14:12 > 0:14:15of 5,000 street parties across the capital.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I'm meeting the man who worked on the London celebration committee,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24the Royal biographer Hugo Vickers.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29It was a bad time, wasn't it, 1977?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Inflation was 17%, unemployment rising,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35the IRA were very troublesome.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Yes, and James Callaghan made it clear
0:14:37 > 0:14:39he wasn't going to spend government money
0:14:39 > 0:14:41on celebrating the Silver Jubilee,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45which is why a spontaneous committee sprung up in London
0:14:45 > 0:14:48to help get the celebrations off the ground.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51One of the things they did was to give £1,000 to every borough
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and say, "Use it as you will for celebrations."
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Some said, "We're not doing a thing." They all did in the end.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00It was quite late that people took to the idea.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02It was extraordinary. You're right.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05No-one was in the slightest bit interested in the Jubilee
0:15:05 > 0:15:06until round about April.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10But once the Queen had been travelling, it suddenly took off.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Everybody realised they could have fun.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Why do you think it is the Queen calls up such support
0:15:16 > 0:15:17on these great occasions?
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Because we know. We've seen the Queen
0:15:19 > 0:15:23since she was a tiny little girl with a little car going round.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25We know exactly where she's come from.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Politicians come fully baked - They come with their own agenda.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Her only agenda is to be pro-Britain.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40It's said that the crowds of people who turned out to see Her Majesty
0:15:40 > 0:15:43during the Silver Jubilee tour of the UK
0:15:43 > 0:15:45surprised even the Queen herself.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50But the Troubles in Northern Ireland brought a political dimension
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and some opposition to the celebrations there.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59One Belfast resident saw this as a unique opportunity
0:15:59 > 0:16:03to reach across the sectarian divide.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Ruth Girvin organised a street party and invited people
0:16:06 > 0:16:11from both sides of the political argument to join in.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Was there a certain tension about having street parties for the Queen
0:16:15 > 0:16:16in Northern Ireland?
0:16:16 > 0:16:20No, not where we were, anyway. But it wouldn't have mattered,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22everybody still had their street party.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25They wanted to show the Queen how much we enjoyed her
0:16:25 > 0:16:27and we wanted to celebrate with her.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31In our street, we had Catholics and Protestants.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35The lady, a Catholic lady, made jellies for our party.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Her little girl ran in the races with us. It was good fun.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47The home movie was ubiquitous by the '70s
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and Ruth is about to watch her own home movie of the day,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52filmed by her husband John.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02How will she feel about seeing herself
0:17:02 > 0:17:04as a young mum back in the '70s?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Oh, unbelievable. Unbelievable.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15You don't realise it's so far away
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and how different you look from then till now.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24It's great to have a film. Any sort of the movie film of yourself
0:17:24 > 0:17:26when you were younger. It really is.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Towns and cities all over the UK
0:17:30 > 0:17:33came to a halt for one mass celebration
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and Ruth and her neighbours of Moorgate Street in East Belfast
0:17:36 > 0:17:38joined in, too.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41You think you forget the things, but once you see the film
0:17:41 > 0:17:43it all comes back to you about the day.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46It's great community spirit.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52We had great fun on the day. We had the tables set up.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56We had lots of games and music and lots of races.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Oh, yes, I won my race. I don't know how I won it!
0:18:02 > 0:18:05I think it was fixed!
0:18:06 > 0:18:10I won the Jubilee coin and the little silver cup.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Ruth's film didn't just capture a Royal celebration,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16it holds precious memories of her family
0:18:16 > 0:18:18before her boys Frank and John grew up
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and before her mother Frances passed away.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27It seems so much as if you can reach out and touch her and hold her again.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28It's lovely.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I must say, the cine films do bring
0:18:31 > 0:18:35that extra closeness of people who have passed on.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Um, yes, and she always enjoyed the children, so she did.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44But she was always in any of our street parties
0:18:44 > 0:18:45and always helped out.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53It's much more emotional than sitting holding a photograph in your hand.
0:18:53 > 0:18:59You know and... I don't know, it just keeps them alive that much longer.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Ruth's street party was one of 125,000 parties
0:19:19 > 0:19:21held across the country.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24We've come to Countesthorpe in Leicestershire because this village
0:19:24 > 0:19:29was determined to have a good time all through the summer of '77.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Countesthorpe held events from June to October.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37They included street processions, dressing up, gymkhana,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41fireworks, parties - on and on it went.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Three Countesthorpe residents are here to share their memories today.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Sylvia Salter has brought along some family photos from that year.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- That's my daughter.- That's me.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Like four million other children around the country,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Jane Measures received a Jubilee coin that was given to her
0:20:02 > 0:20:07to commemorate the year, and she's kept it to this day.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08- Is that legal tender?- Yes.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12- I think a lot of people spent them on the day.- Did they?- Yes.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Countesthorpe parish councillor David Jennings
0:20:14 > 0:20:16was involved in planning the events.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- Pram race?- Yes.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24- Was there a bonny baby competition? - No, I didn't enter that!
0:20:27 > 0:20:30All three will be stepping on board and stepping back in time
0:20:30 > 0:20:35to the '70s, and one of them is about to get an unexpected surprise.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41# Jubilee
0:20:41 > 0:20:43# Are you coming to the Jubilee?
0:20:43 > 0:20:46# There'll be plenty of company
0:20:46 > 0:20:48# Cos this is Jubilee day
0:20:49 > 0:20:50# Smile... #
0:20:50 > 0:20:53The film they will watch was made by David's relative -
0:20:53 > 0:20:56another villager, Percy Lord.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01It brings back a lot of memories.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Percy was a village lad, he was my mother's cousin.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10It's a unique record of what happened.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13We must retain it for the future generations.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20David's fundraising efforts made Countesthorpe
0:21:20 > 0:21:23the first village in Leicestershire to raise £500
0:21:23 > 0:21:24for the Jubilee events.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30And taking part was Jane Measures. She was ten at the time.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35The gala's a big event in the village.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Everybody used to come out and see the floats.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45As well as the usual equestrian pursuits, there was whippet racing.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49And a coconut shy to keep the spectators entertained.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51There was even some monkey business.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I have no recollection of the monkeys at all.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I do remember the gymkhanas, because I was very into horses
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and sadly I wasn't on the proper horse at the Jubilee.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Jane was captured on film.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12She hasn't seen the footage until this day.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I was sitting on the little wooden horse with the dice game.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19You could get the mood of what was happening
0:22:19 > 0:22:21and it looked like it was a carefree time.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Watching the film takes Sylvia Salter right back
0:22:27 > 0:22:29to the Jubilee day.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34It was really fascinating to see the film of Countesthorpe
0:22:34 > 0:22:38and all the different things that went on.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43The weather was so absolutely terrible that the tables
0:22:43 > 0:22:47had to be put into people's garages.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52But afterwards, we came together and had party games.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56I took part in musical chairs.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00I can remember sitting on various gentlemen's knees!
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Sylvia is about to get an unexpected glimpse of her father, Leslie,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10who died 15 years ago.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I didn't even know anybody had been filming.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21And there's my daddy standing there with the pram.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26It's only a fleeting glance, really, but,
0:23:26 > 0:23:31you know, it made me feel very emotional.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Just to see him smiling like that, it's absolutely wonderful.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- What do you think of the films? - Wonderful.- Very nice.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52- They're good, aren't they?- Yes.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- You kept recognising people. - I spotted my father, you see.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01He's not with us any more so it made me go all emotional.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05When I see my daddy on the film. "Oh, there's Daddy!"
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- He's my daughter's grandpa.- I see.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10So that's... He was with the pram and I was in the pram.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16The Jubilee united the nation in a fantastic year of celebration
0:24:16 > 0:24:18that went way beyond just street parties.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20My next guest, Nicky Grossman,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25will never forget the day she was crowned Silver Jubilee Princess
0:24:25 > 0:24:28in her village of Edwalton in Nottinghamshire.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- You are the beauty queen? - I was.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- Have you seen yourself being a beauty queen?- No. I haven't.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38- 34 years ago.- Are you looking forward to it?- Yes, no. I don't know!
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Nicky is about to relive her five minutes of fame, but how would
0:24:44 > 0:24:48she feel about coming face to face with her much younger self?
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Those shoes!
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Initially, when I saw myself, it was just, I couldn't believe it.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13I felt, "Where have 34 years gone?"
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Beauty pageants were a popular pastime in the '70s.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21The Miss World TV show pulled in over 20 million viewers.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25So it was no surprise that villages and towns across the country
0:25:25 > 0:25:28were crowning their own Silver Jubilee queens.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Nicky, like many others, had an important job to do.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Everything from giving speeches
0:25:34 > 0:25:37to unveiling anything connected with the Jubilee.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40On this Jubilee day, I, Nicola,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44your elected Silver Jubilee Princess, invite you...
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'I had to make a speech for the unveiling of the bench.'
0:25:49 > 0:25:53And I remember shaking the people's hands
0:25:53 > 0:25:57and I remember the pink dress very clearly.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I really didn't think it suited me.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10So it was a big thing. You feel like a film star.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13You're never going to be a film star, but that's how I felt.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18I can laugh, because I'm embarrassed about what I looked like.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22But thank you to whoever it was that took that footage,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25because I've got something to show my four girls now.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28That is special. It is, it's really special.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And from a beauty queen to a Pearly King.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45With royalty at last.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49George Major has been the Pearly King of Peckham since 1958.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52He met the Queen in the year of her Silver Jubilee.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Have you seen this photo?
0:26:55 > 0:27:00Well, love a duck! No, I've never seen that.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Pearly Kings and Queens or Pearlies as they're known,
0:27:03 > 0:27:04were working class people
0:27:04 > 0:27:07who dressed up in a finery of pearl buttons
0:27:07 > 0:27:11to raise money for London's poor in the 19th century.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I looked down and it was the Queen in a Roller.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17And she gave that Royal, "Come over here".
0:27:19 > 0:27:21I'm bowing all the time.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24You know. I goes over there.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28I'd met her before, like, but this was something special.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30She commanded me to go to her.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34And when I get up to the door, the window was down.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36And I said, "Hello, Ma'am."
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Yeah!
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Yeah. The Queen was there and the Duke's there.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46- There they are. There it is. - Yes. There it is.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47Young there and good-looking.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Well, to be honest with you, I still am. You know what I mean?
0:27:50 > 0:27:52You haven't changed since then.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02So many people remember that time with such enthusiasm now.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07The Queen, she brings together people to celebrate her,
0:28:07 > 0:28:08to celebrate themselves,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and just to celebrate, as a community.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15That's what happens on days like these.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Next time on Reel History, we're in Kent,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24reliving rural life in the '30s.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26I can sow seeds against anyone
0:28:26 > 0:28:29and I can sow ten acres of land with ten pints of seed.
0:28:29 > 0:28:35It was jolly hard work and when machinery made it easier,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38I think everybody was jolly pleased.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:58 > 0:29:01E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk