Season 6

1973 · 33 episodes

Episodes

11963A year to remember; but was it a turning point? William Hardcastle looks back on one of the most dramatic years of the century. The year of ... the coldest winter for nearly 200 years, the death of Hugh Gait skell, the resignation of Harold Macmillan , the assassination of President Kennedy, the death of Pope John , the peak of That Was The Week That Was, the first fame of the Beatles, the Great Train Robbery, the Profumo affair. How significant were so many dramatic events within the same year? Was there a pattern to 1963 or were its sensations merely a set of coincidences? F
2It's The Only Way To GoThis is the time of year when the travel agents want you to think ahead to jetting away from it all next summer. Some of us do think about it, but with dread. What makes so many people afraid of flying? (and psychiatrists claim that anyone who says they're not afraid is either a fool or a liar). The answer seems obvious-crashes like last year's BEA Trident disaster killing 118 people are enough to put anyone off flying. And yet it's not as simple as that. There are more people killed in one week on Britain's roads than in any major air disaster, but that doesn't stop most of us travelling by car. JAMES BURKE , himself a nervous man when flying, travels with a holiday group from Luton to Nicosia and tries to find out what worries them most and how they, and he, can be helped.
3Our Sporting LifeA Personal View by Dr Anthony Storr From the playing fields of Eton in Georgian England to White Hart Lane any winter Saturday afternoon young men have experienced and enjoyed violent bodily contact. What is it that makes men entertain themselves by hitting one another's heads until they bleed in a boxing ring, or throwing one another's bodies hard on to a rugby field? Is violence predominantly a male problem and, if so, why? In tonight's highly personal film DR ANTHONY STORR , psychiatrist and author, examines the roots of man's aggressive behaviour. Can violent sport help men get rid of these aggressive impulses or does it simply encourage them to further violence?
4The Longest DrinkThe Story of a City's Water Each of us now uses 35 gallons of water a day and it costs next to nothing - about ½p apiece. So it's a shock in this free-swigging and sodden island to learn that some reservoirs are already down to the dregs and the whole country is in for a thirsty spell unless something drastic is done soon. The government is bracing itself to act. Tonight's film takes the water story so far, from the raindrop through a great industrial city to the sea, from the Victorians' first brash floodings of country valleys to the politics of meekness and the technology of electronic gadgets.
5The GroupAlcoholism could affect anyone. It's the fastest growing illness in the country; an illness of stigma, mystery, disastrous consequences. Most people have at some time over-indulged their body with the drug alcohol. For most it is a cautionary experience but for The Group it has been an ever present nightmare. Tonight's documentary watches the ritual of group life in a hospital ward for alcoholics. A therapy based on mutual help to combat one thing - their compulsion to drink alcohol.
6The Big ScreenWith two of Britain's leading film directors, you can share the anxiety, the hopes and the risks experienced by those who are involved with films in the making. Peter Sellers, David Hemmings Jon Finch, Roger Moore & Jenny Runacre are among those seen at work.
7The Saboteurs Of TelemarkThe Secret Battle for Heavy Water. In April of 1940 the Germans invaded Norway and took over the hydro factory in Telemark. Here, heavy water was made for the German's atomic experiments. Thirty years ago tonight nine Norwegian saboteurs, trained in Britain, completely destroyed the heavy water stocks. Wrote Churchill - 'What rewards are to be given to these heroic men?' Theirs was an undercover war which ended with the sinking of a ferry in a Norwegian fjord, fought to prevent the possibility of a German atomic bomb. Reconstructed sequences were filmed at the factory with Norwegian soldiers, and film of the occupation, much not shown before, is also included.
8The Times of Printing House SquareThe story of a newspaper. It started life in the 1780s as a four-page advertising sheet. It wasn't even called "The Times" to begin with. Its first proprietor went to gaol for libel. It prospered so quickly that by the 1820s it was considered the leading journal in Europe, and could be described as ' the greatest organ of temporary opinion in the world.' It moulded policies, toppled governments, attacked establishments, whether political or military. Like all great institutions it was sometimes dynamic, sometimes fossilised; but when its fortunes ebbed there were always remarkable journalists, or remarkable proprietors, at hand to rescue it. It has survived 188 tempestuous years, is still thought of in many parts of the world as the flag, as Britain; and hasn't finished with history yet.
9When Johnny Comes Marching HomeEight weeks ago President Nixon announced the end to the war in Vietnam - it was, he said, peace with honour. As the PoWs were returning home to a heroes' welcome, JULIAN PETTIFER set Out On a journey across the United States to discover how some others felt about America's longest war. Like the Kane family, who sent three sons and a father, all of whom returned from a war which for them still goes on. Tonight we hear from the ordinary people who now look forward to a peace that will last and a peace that must heal. Now is the time to count the cost as 'Johnny Comes Marching Home.'
10Hussein Of JordanThe King of Jordan talks to Lord Chalfont about his life and times Tonight's documentary was filmed in the royal palace at Amman, at the Jordanian army base at Zerka and in the Jordan Valley at the King Hussein Bridge - Jordan's principal link with the much disputed ' West Bank,' which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. King Hussein describes the high points of his intensely dramatic life. He tells the story of his grandfather's murder; recalls his days at Sandhurst; and talks frankly about his marriages, the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, the Civil War of 1970 and his hopes for peace and the future of his country.
11The Right Of SilenceAre too many guilty people going free? Some experts believe so, because - they claim -we have to use out of date rules of evidence in our criminal courts. Sir Robert Mark , Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has said: Only a small proportion of those acquitted by juries are innocent in the true sense of the word.' At this moment Parliament is considering overhauling these rules. MPs have before them a massive report, produced after eight years' work by the Criminal Law Revision Committee, which recommended important changes. These recommendations have aroused violent controversy in the legal world. Supporters and critics both base their case on what they think is in the best interest of the public. What is in our best interest?
12Someone From The Welfare....A report from the front line of the Welfare State by Esther Rantzen Television programmes often show people with problems - poverty, homelessness, children in trouble. Now, for the first time, a programme has been allowed to show the people whose job it is to deal with the problems - social workers: someone from the welfare. Their work is usually confidential. But with the co-operation of both sides, we follow just a few social workers as they try to cope with the problem of providing housing and money; holding families together; or even-when finally necessary - separating children from their parents.
13The Year Money Went MadThe story of the great currency convulsion that paralysed a nation. Inflation is a familiar word these days but to those who lived through the fantastic German inflation of the 20s the word has a different meaning. By November 1923 the German mark had sunk to one million-millionth of its pre-war value. Currency of astronomical face values of millions and billions was whirling through the country, its purchasing power dwindling eventually from hour to hour. In the end no one would use it. Money was dead. This monetary madness was cured almost overnight - and by a psychological trick. But irreparable damage was done to the structure of German society. The way was opened for Nazism and the second world war.
14The U-Boat War: Win the Atlantic - Win the WarTonight LUDOVIC KENNEDY tells the story of the changing fortunes of the U-boat war, with rarely seen film from Germany of U-boats in action and British war film of the Royal Navy's and Coastal Command's reply. Men from both sides, who were enemies at the time, describe their experiences, including: Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Gretton , KCB, DSO, OBE, DSC, wartime commander, 7th Atlantic Escort Group Captain Donald Maclntyre , DSO, DSC, in command of the destroyer Walker Rear Admiral Otto Kretschmer , Commander of U-99, leading U-boat ace, who sank some 300,000 tons of Allied shipping Grand Admiral Doenitz, former C-in-C U-Boats who was, briefly, second Fuehrer of the 3rd Reich.
15People Of The ExodusThe story of a historic voyage In the summer of 1947 an old river boat packed tight with 4,500 Jewish refugees on board sailed from the South of France in an attempt to run the British blockade and land illegally on the shores of what was then Palestine. The voyage of that ship, Exodus 47 as it was renamed, is now recognised as one of the most successful propaganda coups of all time.
16South Africa - A Touch Of The BritishA return visit by Hugh Burnett People of British descent in South Africa form one of the biggest English-speaking minorities in the world. As the tide of Britain's imperial power receded, they were left high and dry. They are, as one of them puts it, both comfortable and bewildered. They once ruled the roost and don't quite know how they lost it. But they are an intensely patriotic group and do not like criticism of South Africa. There are one and a half million of them - outnumbered nearly two to one by the white Afrikaners and 14 to one by the rest of the population. Tonight's film highlights some of their extremes of attitudes, their mixed feelings and some unusual forms of their British way of life.
17Belfast FiremanIt has become part of his everyday experience to contend with incnediary bombs and booby traps, to attend the detonation of gelignite bombs and to be caught in the crossfire between army and gunmen.
18The Energy Crunch – The Bottom of the Oil BarrelThe first of three programmes on one of the most urgent problems of this half century. Do you run a car? Do you heat your home with oil or gas? Do you travel by air on business or on holiday? If you do, your life style may be radically altered in a few years' time. World supplies of oil and gas are running out. The crunch won't happen suddenly - it's a gradual process.
19The Energy Crunch – The Nuclear DilemmaAmerica's need for electrical power will double in ten years, Britain's within about 20. Nuclear energy has seemed to hold the answer: with the promise of clean, safe, economical electricity, thanks to the fantastic power in uranium. By the year 2000 half of the United States' grid may be supplied from atomic reactors; two-thirds of our homes could switch on with nuclear power. But now there's opposition. Some scientists ask ' Is it safe?' because radiation is the inevitable danger of splitting the atom. Raymond Baxter , Michael Rodd and William Woollard examine the arguments.
20The Energy Crunch – The Sunbeam SolutionThe last of three programmes on one of the most urgent problems of this half-century. If oil is running out and the safety of nuclear power is in doubt, what else is there? What energy will carry us through the last decades of this century and into the next? Curiously, the answer may be staring us in the face-the sun. It has been heating and lighting this planet since time began. The technology for harnessing it properly is available. Every household could have a virtually free supply of power. In addition to the power over our heads, there is plenty more under our feet. Geothermal energy only a few miles below the earth's crust is already being tapped. But many governments and big corporations are not looking at these things. The research is being done by small groups, often by amateurs. Why?
21Great ExpectationsWhat do you expect from three years' higher education? July is the month of the year when expectation runs high in schools, universities and poly-technics. Have you passed your A-levels - have you got your degree? And if you have is it worth going on to some form of higher education-and if you did get your degree what's it worth? With a quarter of a million students studying for degrees the question of what they expect from higher education becomes important, not only to them but also to their parents and prospective employers. Tonight's programme reflects our changing attitudes towards the value of a degree.
22Graham Hill's Shadow'You win races by taking as few chances as possible - it's a calculated risk and you have to calculate on your car's performance and your own performance' - GRAHAM HILL should know, twice World Champion, the oldest (at 44) Grand Prix driver still racing, with more Grands Prix under his belt than any other driver - ever. Next Saturday Graham Hill will race in his 153rd Grand Prix the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He will be racing for the first time in this country his new car Shadow, described by Graham as 'a mobile fuel tank on wheels, divided into three compartments, two for fuel and one for me in the middle.' This documentary is a personal record of weeks of intensive effort by Graham and his mechanics.
23The World Of The Eleventh DukeTwenty-three years ago Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish inherited the title Duke of Devonshire and set himself the formidable task of preserving the seat at Chatsworth in a style evolved through four centuries by one of the richest families in Britain. For the pleasure of it they had put thousands of people to work, built and rebuilt the house, demolished a town, transformed the landscape and through a system of artificial lakes and aqueducts created the grandest pattern of waterworks perhaps in the whole world. Outwardly, the estate is little changed, a monument to great thinking and to eccentricity, but industrial towns have crept up the other side of surrounding hills and Chatsworth itself is by no means an island where time stands still.
24The Big Eat - Food, Glorious FoodFood is a necessity of life that has become a major pleasure industry. We eat 70,000 tons of it each day... Home cooking is going the way of sewing and knitting-a dying craft. We make up for it in Britain by being Europe's biggest eaters of frozen and tinned foods. We are illogical and ill-informed when it comes to choosing our foods. For instance, many of us believe a full feeling after a meal is the same as nutrition. We eat seven or eight times our own weight in a year. Our consuming passion has made the food industry the biggest in Britain. We're sitting targets for food men on the lookout for gaps in the social scene for which they can dream up a profitable new food. The film looks at our changing eating habits. It follows a typical new food from birth in the experimental kitchen to the first test-marketing among unsuspecting provincial shoppers.
25What's In A Face?The unspoken and sometimes hidden language of the human face. There's more in your face than just the eyes, nose and mouth with which you were born. Scientists are beginning to understand how facial expressions form a language of their own. Without realising it we may often be giving away our innermost thoughts and feelings. The face of a lover might briefly flash the hint of passion to come. Or the smile of a colleague that's just a little too quick may not be such a friendly gesture. The face may be used, and is used, for any and every human purpose - to dominate, to terrify, to harm, to please, to amuse ... the face is no different in this respect from speech. In this programme doctors and psychologists in Britain, the United States and Holland explain how we may read the meaning of facial expressions. Can we mask emotions? Does social background show in the face? How is the face used in courtship? And what is it in the face that can make it truly attractive?
26The Race Of The Power Bikes - The Compulsion to WinA story of personal tension centred around the Formula 750 cc motor-cycle race held on the Isle of Man during TT week. Tonight's documentary watches the progress and tries to understand the motivation of two racers, their mechanics, managers, and wives. For these men are determined to contest, complete and conquer the most dangerous race circuit in the world. A contest that has already taken the lives of over 100 men.
27The Ballad Of Henry FordEveryone associates Henry Ford with his famous' Model T, the Tin Lizzie, and with the birth of mass production. But he was a man of startling contrasts: a billionaire who hated bankers; a pacifist who published anti-Jewish pamphlets. One of his greatest talents was for publicity. He started his own film unit in 1914, and over a million feet of the film it made survives - a record of an industry that reeled from dizzy success to near-disaster, of a man whose ideas dominated the first half of our century. Here is the best of it.
28The Valley Of The PoA journey along Italy's most important river. Narrated by RENE CUTFORTH Two thousand years ago the River Po was where southern civilisation stopped and northern barbarism began. It is still a dividing line nowadays between a practical hard-working north and a sensuous, artistic, holidaymaker's south. But in the valley of the Po the people are united in one essential - a love of beauty in all forms. Tonight's film examines some of the ways in which they try to apply this approach to life.
29Quite A FamilyIn 1969 John Letts and Rosemary Letts were a young childless couple living in a two-room rented flat with practically no possessions of their own. Then, following a visit to a Fertility Clinic, they became national news: Rosemary, aged 22, was told she might become the mother of-the largest number of children ever born at one time. For three years after the birth of the Letts Quins, film cameras followed the progress of the family of seven, struggling to find equilibrium in a world new to both the children and their parents.
30Target TirpitzThe story of the German battleship - the biggest ever built in Europe - and the many and ingenious attempts to sink her.
31Cudlipp And Be DamnedHugh Cudlipp has, for more than 30 years, been one of the most outstanding journalists of his generation. He steered the Daily Mirror group from an early reputation for brashness and bare breasts to a position as the most powerful group of newspapers in the world. He became the terror of the Establishment; the pressure in politicians' lives; the man who, under the banner ' Forward with the People,' favoured only the underdog, attacked always the Establishment. He has been rude to Royalty and prime ministers -and remained friendly with both. He started in journalism at 14, was a national newspaper editor at 24 and now, at 60, has decided to retire because 'it would be an unpardonable vanity to continue.' He is the first of the Mirror group's chiefs to go quietly.
32Last Night, Another Soldier ...Two hundred and thirty-six soldiers have been killed in Ulster since the emergency began in 1969. But very little has been heard publicly about the thoughts and feelings of the ordinary serviceman. Tonight's film covers three weeks in the life of eight riflemen bound for a routine four-month tour of duty in Belfast.
33The Last LighthouseAn inside view of life on the Bishop Rock Lighthouse. Perched on a tiny outcrop of rock at the edge of the Atlantic, ' the Bishop ' has something special about it for the Trinity House officers who man Britain's light-houses. It's the last lighthouse for westward-bound ships, and the last still operating almost as it did under Queen Victoria's patronage. Soon, it may be replaced by an unmanned light, but in tonight's programme Tony Parker talks with the men who still maintain their lonely vigil in the ' Ships' Graveyard,' off the Isles of Scilly.