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Britain's First Teenagers

Episode 2 of 20

Melvyn Bragg reveals footage telling the history of modern Britain. He looks at when Britain broke free of the burdens of WWII and the teenager was born.

Melvyn Bragg, accompanied by a vintage mobile cinema, travels across the country, to show incredible footage preserved by the British Film Institute and other national and regional film archives, to tell the history of modern Britain.

In Soho, Melvyn looks back to the 1950s and a time when Britain broke free of the burdens of the Second World War and the teenager was born. One of the original trendsetters, Wee Willy Harris, talks about the rockers who ripped up the dance floor. Molly Lowton and Jennie Prescott glimpse a much-loved friend and sister in films of their village dance. And 50s heartthrob Marty Wilde explains how the new music scene brightened up postwar Britain.

29 minutes

Music Played

  • Elvis Presley

    Heartbreak Hotel

  • Marty Wilde

    A Teenager In Love

  • Marty Wilde

    A Teenager In Love

  • Little Richard

    Tutti Frutti

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Melvyn Bragg
Series Producer Dympna Jackson
Executive Producer Ruth Pitt

Broadcasts