Edwardian Britain in Colour – Channel 5

Edwardian Britian — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Colourised footage brings Edwardian Britain to life as social historians examine surviving film from the early years of the 20th century

A fascinating peek at Edwardian Britain as we’ve never seen it before

A window onto Edwardian Britain, usually seen in drab grey tones, is brought into focus by colourised footage in this two-part series.

In 1902, Edward VII was crowned and people looked to a brighter future after austerity under Victoria’s reign.

A Lancashire street parade for Coronation Day shows faces filled with pride for king and country.

Edwardian Britain in Colour - shows women workers in Wigan — Pit Brow Lasses posing for the camera at a Wigan colliery

But the nation’s prosperity was built on hard labour, and we see footage of miners and factory workers as social historians pick out clips that highlight ordinary daily life.

However, it’s the scenes of children, old before their years and pinched by poverty, that speak volumes about our country and how far we’ve come in 100 years.

TV Times rating: ****

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As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.