MP3 Audios - Biography

Authentic voices from the past illustrate this unique history of the Twentieth Century, written by Joanna Bourke and presented by Tim Pigott-Smith

Eyewitness provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen. A wealth of BBC archive recordings, some never previously broadcast, is interwoven with an illuminating commentary by the historian Joanna Bourke. Published in ten volumes, Eyewitness examines the role and the life of the British people in each decade of the century.

The Seventies began with a spectacular obscenity trial and ended with Margaret Thatcher quoting St Francis of Assisi on the steps of Downing Street. In the years between, the Sixties' social revolution settled into a variety of movements: feminist, gay anarchist, punk. However, economic misery, burgeoning union power and carnage in Northern Ireland characterise the decade.

The miners' strike and the three-day week toppled the Conservative Government in 1974. and the 'Winter of Discontent' defeated Labour in 1979. The horrors in Northern Ireland were unremitting. But the Queen's Silver Jubilee and Virginia Wade's Wimbledon win provided moments of optimism.

Politicians including Margaret Thatcher, Harold Wilson and Edward Heath illustrate the mood of the decade, as do journalists, social commentators and DJs.

Thought-provoking and moving, these are the voices of the past, speaking to the present.