Kirsty Wark new BBC Scotland series – The Years That Changed Modern Scotland (in conjunction with Two Rivers Media)
Over the last half century, the way Scots live, play, work and vote has been transformed. Kirsty Wark explores these changes through the memories of those who experienced them.
Episode 1 ‘Scotland for Sale’ starts tomorrow 10pm BBC Scotland (Scotland only), and it is also available to view live and on catch up (including in the rest of the UK) on BBC iPlayer
In this first episode of The Years That Changed Modern Scotland, Kirsty Wark looks at the 1970s and the start of the 1980s and reveals that while this period is often remembered for miners’ strikes, three day weeks and power cuts, it was also a time of rising consumerism, oil powered optimism and urban renewal. These were the years when Scots discovered leisure, when Highland yards constructed engineering marvels and when Scotland began to see itself, and sell itself, as distinctively Scottish.
Kirsty visits Irvine to look at the ambitious plans that were devised for Scotland’s new towns, and discovers how installing indoor toilets in Govan tenements revolutionised our approach to urban living. She also reveals how the coming of oil changed communities, how theatre roused the Highlands, and how the new Scottish Tourist Board rebranded the country.
This people’s history will tell the stories of these years through the memories of those who experienced them – featuring individuals and families from across Scotland, along with a host of familiar faces. Kirsty will hear from Val McDermid and Ian Rankin on the culture that shaped them, from Bill Patterson and Alex Norton on their revolutionary theatre tour of the Highlands and from Roseanna Cunningham MSP and Alistair Darling on the political changes of the era.
Episode 2 ‘Getting Creative’ featuring Alan McGee broadcasts 12th January 10pm (news to follow)
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