How The Sixties Changed Britain | Turn Back Time: The Family | Absolute History

In this episode, the families are thrown into the swinging sixties and the street is introduced to a new family, the Hawkes, who are walking in the shoes of their ancestors who arrived as immigrants from the Caribbean. Brother and sister Jonathan and Rachel arrive on Albert Road first, and are shocked by life in the sixties. They discover life in the sixties was a difficult time, with racism, isolation and separation from loved ones taking its toll.

[aprilstilskin]

I'm jealous that in the '60s two teenagers could work in a boutique and afford a flat and a car

[theduchessofspring]

"this is garlic isn't it? is garlic."
no honey, that's ginger.😂

[SpudzMcKenzy]

Seeing the living conditions and hearing the stories from the Hawkes literally brought tears to my eyes. That's just appalling and heartbreaking. On the positive side, this show is absolutely fascinating.

[AA-hynb]

The "teenage rebellion" has not worked out very well for Medows girls, because they have absolutely different background to the teenagers of 60s-70s-80s and even 90s. Medows daughters have very loving, understanding & intelligent parents, who are also well-educated & comparably wealthy. Many rebellious teenagers of the past had totally different family situation. Their working class/farmers fathers were scarred by the war and were mentally&physically abusive, often "drinking to forget". Mothers were working very hard, often double shifts, just to support the children. Oldest daughters, when they were like 7-8 y.o., started to take full care of the house& younger siblings. Handwashing laundry for the entire family, including heavy bedlinen, because parents could not buy washing machine or were affraid, that machine would make clothes worn out quicker. Cleaning the house, including toilets&bathtubs. Cooking for the siblings and feeding the babies, changing their nappies. All that after spending morning in the school, - and later they had to find a quiet spot, where they could make their school homework without smaller children disturbing them non-stop. No own room, of course. No privacy. No place to relax in peace. No pocket money. No freedom. Practically, - no nothing, which is associated with happy childhood. And imagine after this hell for many years - since 7-8 y.ol. till 16-18-20 y.o., - finally getting own job, own money, own flat for the first time in your life! Of course, teenagers were eager to leave home! In their own little studios they could relax properly after work without interruptions; sleep late on weekends without younger siblings, jumiping on their bed and asking for breakfast; clean only after themselves, and not after the entire family; buy whichever food they wanted, - not what father preffered; buy - for the first time in their lives! - own pretty clothes! No angry fathers around, no cryng babies, no piles of dirty nappies and dirty dishes to wash. That was the life!

[trishdelacour]

I have always wondered how people managed to deal with moving from the sunny tropical Carribean to the cold grey old UK which in those days were full of people full of prejudice. It must have been shockingly depressing and the homesickness must be been devastating.

[kated]

Historian: ''Ya girls! Here's your new flat! Remember... parties, drinks, drugs, s*x and rock n roll!''
Girls:
Dad's Face: * Wait... what?? WHAT??? I didn't sign up for this!!! *

[pjschmid]

The Taylor kids cracked me up. I love how creative they were with their play. They had the saucepan-plunger Dalecs and standing in the window behind the underwear waving at people. What fun. And the dads freaking out about 50 year old fashion LOL

[Ozzy_]

As a fan of classic Dr.Who and watching the documentaries I appreciate the accuracy of the kids playing Daleks. Very authentic to the period.

[margaretsmallallan]

I was a teenager in the 1960's, and we thought about pop music a lot of the time. The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. My friends and I went to the only boutique in the West Highland town I came from, and the owner had to practically throw us out, as we kept looking at all the fabulous clothes, which we could not afford till we left school! This brings it all back, even though it is being shown in a large English City. The TV with "Top of the Pops, Ready Steady Go, Juke Box Jury etc. etc." showed us what was hip, regarding clothes and hairstyles too!

[oldproji]

That decade was the best decade of my life. I'm now 78 and miss it like mad. I feel sorry for those who never experienced it. It was hard for a lot of people. Many young girls coming from the sticks to London were in a very precarious position. Most young people renting in Brixton (my home town), lived in slum conditions, unable to get a Council flat. The Caribbean immigrants were badly treated, but I had some good times with them, eating soused pigs trotters and drinking a rather potent punch and listening to their music. Even so, there was an air of excitement about the sixties that I haven't experienced again since. Everything died in the seventies and now life is about the self, money, consumerism, and greed.

[moriartery]

I love how the Meadows have worked and prospered so far, especially Saskia and the father! Its nice to see them go up a class :)

[anthonychistoff]

The Jamaican family life is almost a copy of what I had to come through in 00's when EU opened the borders and I came to England. I was 19 years old. Of course, I didn't see the signs "no foreigners", but I remember when I kept a booklet for foreigners "Your rights in the UK" one chief on the kitchen where I worked said, "Rights?! Ha ha, what rights?! You have no rights, you are a slave here!". And no one wanted to rent a house to us so we had to live in the same conditions that are shown here paying a lot. Good old times. They are with me forever. But thank you England, now I am much stronger.

[noblemily]

"We have to wash up in the toilet!"
That perfectly described how it feels like the first time I leave my parents.

[cityhickstephanie]

I love this series so much!
I would watch this series with different families again if they made it.

[MissLaBoeuf]

Nice to see scummy landlords renting out disgusting "flats" hasn't changed since the 60s.

[___________]

Really really love how you have included actual history of non-European immigrants like black people and brown people, and not just threw in some random black family for "diversity"

I feel so sad to see how the Hawkes were treated just because of their skin color, while European countries have imposed themselves on black and brown people for years and pillaged their countries.

[katiebaylisward]

Love how she decided that the ginger was garlic 😂 not sure I would let her loose in my kitchen.

[perceblue]

I was born in the early 1950s to a working class family in the east end of London and can remember part of the 50s, the 1960s, the 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s well.
The only thing the show cannot recreate are the mindsets of the participants because those involved are of a 21st century mentality.
One has to mentally relate to and ways of thinking to fully understand how society was during those eras.

[saecae]

“Mom- stop throwing us away!!” Bwhahaha

[bananapeaches]

My mother was an au pair in London (from Finland) in the sixties. Her English is beautiful, they taught her a lot that family. I wonder whatever happened to them.
Great video!!!