Living in the Past (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Living in the Past was a fly on the wall documentary programme aired by the BBC
in 1978 which followed a group of 15 young volunteers recreating an Iron Age
settlement, where they sustained themselves for a year, equipped only with the tools, crops and livestock that would have been available in Britain in the 2nd Century BC.
Produced at BBC Bristol by John Percival for BBC Two
it consisted of twelve fifty minute episodes airing from 23 February to 11 May 1978.
A follow-up programme aired in the same year Living in the Present discovered what the participants had thought of the experiment and how they were adjusting back to modern day living.
In 2001 the BBC repeated the experiment with Surviving the Iron Age, which included three children of Living in the Past's volunteers.
In 2008, BBC Four's What Happened Next? revisited participants in the original series thirty years on from their year living together.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1978 which followed a group of 15 young volunteers recreating an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
settlement, where they sustained themselves for a year, equipped only with the tools, crops and livestock that would have been available in Britain in the 2nd Century BC.
Produced at BBC Bristol by John Percival for BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
it consisted of twelve fifty minute episodes airing from 23 February to 11 May 1978.
A follow-up programme aired in the same year Living in the Present discovered what the participants had thought of the experiment and how they were adjusting back to modern day living.
In 2001 the BBC repeated the experiment with Surviving the Iron Age, which included three children of Living in the Past's volunteers.
In 2008, BBC Four's What Happened Next? revisited participants in the original series thirty years on from their year living together.