Daniel Farson's Guide to Britain Volume 2

Here’s to Volume 2 of this often hugely entertaining archive gem! Bon vivant ITV reporter Daniel Farson presents another interesting glimpse into 1950s life in Great Britain, often with attitudes which these days would leave most of us bewildered if not altogether amused. Available in a 3-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Edition, this release is a must for anyone interested in British culture.

The release included three episodes from Farson's ‘Out of Step’ series, and it’s ‘Nudism’ (1957) which strikes one as particularly interesting. Here, Farson visits the Spiel Platz nudist camp (he’s allowed to keep his clothes on though) near St. Albans and interviews various ‘disciples’ of the nudist cult, who explain as to why they find it liberating and one married woman explains that both she, her husband and their young daughter all spend down-time at the camp. When Farson asks an elderly man about the aesthetic aspects concerning those who are of a certain age and whose bodies are far from being ‘perfect’ (whose bodies are anyway), the gentleman explains that the nudist camp is not about showing off an impressive physique but it’s the liberating aspect of taking off your clothes which makes all the difference. At the other end of the spectrum are those who are deeply against this nudist trend, due to personal moral principles or because they don’t understand why certain people feel the need to shed their clothes in front of others. This episode marks the first appearance of a naked woman on TV-screen in Britain. And some men, too.

Equally interesting is the episode ‘One Man Against the World’ (1958) in which Farson interviews 63-year old Harold Steele, a poultry farmer from Worcestershire and a self-styled pacifist who, one year prior, attempted to sail with a boat into the center of the British Pacific nuclear test zone, though (luckily) didn’t succeed. Together with his wife, Steele explains why he attempted this courageous move in order to make the public aware of the lunacy of the H-bomb and its consequences.The ‘Out of Step’ episode ‘The Seventh Day’ (1958) addresses the fact that in England, practically everything is shut on a Sunday. Farson interviews a member of the Lord’s Day Observance Society’ campaigning for even stricter laws with the aim of even shutting down public transport, milk- and newspaper deliveries on Sundays. He would spin in his grave if he knew that since then, England (and the rest of Britain) has become a 24/7 shopping and entertainment cornucopia!
In contrast lies Farson’s ‘Keeping in Step’ series and here, Farson participates in ‘Children’s Parties’ (1958) while in his ‘People in Trouble’ series, he reports about ‘Sex Education’ (1958) and ‘Unmarried Mothers’ (1958), during which he interviews some young mothers and listens to their plight and their stories.

From the ‘Success Story’ series, it’s the episode ‘The Cradocks’ (1959) which is particularly interesting, as shows glimpses from then celebrated TV-cook Fanny Cradock who, together with hubby, whips up some posh nosh live in a TV studio, before Farson falls foul of the intimidating Fanny Cradock by refusing to try out seafood prepared by her which is, oh shock oh horror, still alive alive oh! Given her glamorous attire and impeccable make-up, one wonders whether she’s been an inspiration for current Master Chef host/judge Grace Dent!

In ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ (1960) - Farson interviews actress Shirley Ann Field about her ambitions, hopes and dreams, while the lengthy ‘Something to Say’ (1964) interview with a young Shirley Bassey is particularly revealing! Not getting off to a great start when Farson suggests that for someone who grew up in a slum, Bassey did very well indeed, Bassey responded by pointing out that the back then impoverished Tiger Bay district in Cardiff is not a slum and that during her travels around the world she’s seen some genuine slums! That said, Bassey soon warms up to Farson and his many question and we hear some interesting revelations, some of which are standing at odds with nowadays attitudes…for example, when Bassey mentions that an ideal partner should be intelligent (as she herself isn’t particularly intelligent, according to her own account) and that it’s absolutely ok that during a conversation, a man should do most of the talking while the woman should only occasionally contribute. Ouch! 

Save the best for last or so the old adage goes, and the 2-parter ‘Living for Kicks’ (1960) is a hugely insightful documentary during which Farson interviews various teenagers at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go club in Brighton and its interesting to hear their stories, in particular the disagreements most seem to have with their parents about their choice of clothing, lifestyle and general attitudes. We then move on to a youth club in a church in Northampton, followed by an interview of a very young couple in the East End of London, barely adults and already having two kids. There’s also an interesting comparison with regards to spending habits of teenagers in the 1960s compared with those from a decade earlier.

Altogether, there are 15 episodes and the Special Features include:
Newly remastered in 2K and presented in HD and Standard Definition / Newly recorded audio commentaries on selected programmes / Illustrated booklet.