Where to Watch BBC Documentaries • Season 1966
6 Episodes
- Travelling for a LivingE1
Travelling for a LivingFour young people huddle in the cold and discomfort of an old van as they travel, maybe hundreds of miles, to a singing engagement in a folk club, and back again to their home town of Hull. They are a group called the Watersons - Michael, Norma and Elaine Waterson, brother and two sisters, and their cousin John Harrison. The three Watersons were orphaned in early life and brought up by a fiercely matriarchal grandmother who said they had to stick together. Even today the closeness of the family unit is maintained. Despite the fact that two of them have married, they all live together in a single, scruffy terrace house, whose centre is a common kitchen, always full of friends and noise. This close, cosy home life is in total contrast to their professional life. In the last two years the Watersons have become one of the most popular folk singing groups in the country, yet they are far removed from the fashionable exhibitionist folk singers. This film is about the Watersons' world. It is about their lives - down to earth, vibrant, receptive, and haunted by all kind of influences from the past: their Irish tinker and farming ancestry, their grandmother's second-hand shop where a love of tradition grew up among horse brasses and sing-songs, the rich historical and trading association of the port of Hull. Above all it is about exciting old music, its source and its meaning today. In this film, the Watersons are played against the broader picture of the folk revival - Intimations: John Le CarreE2
Intimations: John Le CarreFirst transmitted in 1966, Malcolm Muggeridge talks to the novelist John le Carre, who at the age of 34 had written the best-seller The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Although their conversation covers much about the author's influences and ambitions - with the notable exception of any mention of his time as a spy - much of the interview looks at the modern phenomenon of the secret service agent as a hero. In a revealing insight, le Carre explains that his dislike of James Bond stems from the fact that Bond doesn't exist in a political context, making him more of an "international gangster" than a spy. Although Malcolm Muggeridge talks about his own, very brief, period of spying, John le Carre remains close-lipped about his (much more extensive) career in espionage. Le Carre (real name David Cornwell) began working for MI5 in 1952 and transferred to MI6 in 1960. There he remained until 1964, when a combination of Kim Philby's defection, which exposed many British agents, and his own growing success as a novelist caused him to leave the secret service. Le Carre remained secretive about his former career for many decades. - Francis Bacon: Fragments Of A Portrait
E3Francis Bacon: Fragments Of A PortraitFrancis Bacon's paintings have been called sick and corrupt. He has also been hailed as the greatest British painter since Turner. This film study - Bacon's first appearance on BBC Television - shows his work and its sources, and critically assesses his paintings. (1966) - Choice: Holiday Camps
E5Choice: Holiday CampsChoice reports on a unique British institution - the holiday camp. There are 100 of them, all over the country, and this summer nearly two million Britons will be joining in the fun. Derek Hart asks what kind of value holidaymakers will be getting for their money. - Going to Work: The Rag Trade
E6Going to Work: The Rag TradeFirst transmitted in 1966, Going to Work looks at some of the many sides of the hectic fashion industry in the 60s. The programme features interviews with fashion designers Mary Quant and James Wedge, catwalk shows of the 60s, and follows the process of turning wool into finished cloth.
