91Èȱ¬ Four Winter/Spring 2007
The Edwardians – People Like Us?
In just a few years at the start of the 20th century, Britain changed in unimaginable ways.
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From the first foray into aviation, to the invention of labour-saving devices for the home, to the rise of "the brand", and the birth of not only "the High Street", but also of the "commuter class", mass consumerism and tabloid journalism, the Edwardians lived lives not too distant from our own.
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This new 91Èȱ¬ Four season investigates, interrogates and celebrates the richness and excitement of this pioneering and world-changing time.
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The season includes some of the era's best-known names, from literary giants such as George and Weedon Grossmith and Saki, to the doyenne of the music hall, Marie Lloyd.
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Along the way, it also uncovers lesser-known figures. It hears about trailblazers in the fields of social reform, journalism, photography, entrepreneurship and technical invention, uncovering what it really felt like to be Edwardian.
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Dramas
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The Diary Of A Nobody
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The season launches with Andrew Davies's brilliant, two-part adaptation of the classic comedy novel The Diary Of A Nobody, starring Hugh Bonneville as the wonderfully pompous diarist Mr Charles Pooter – the Victor Meldrew of his day – who guides his audience through the minutiae of middle-class manners.
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It first appeared in Punch as a two-and-a-half-column sketch in 1888, and George and Weedon Grossmith's superb satire on the snobberies of suburbia was considered so successful that it was released as a novel in 1892.
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It is testament to its success that it has never been out of print since publication. Evelyn Waugh described it as "the funniest book in the world" and this superb drama is sure to delight all those who enjoy a good tongue-in-cheek comedy.
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During the Edwardian era, people of all classes had more spare time and disposable income than ever before, fuelling a massive expansion in the entertainment industry – the undisputed king of which was the music hall.
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Marie Lloyd
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In a compelling drama about the life of one of the biggest stars of the time, Marie Lloyd – starring Jessie Wallace as Marie – the season exposes the seedy underbelly of this peculiarly Edwardian entertainment.
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Marie Lloyd follows the star's rise to fame and depicts her inevitable, spectacular fall.
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Famed for her generosity and good humour, Marie was, nevertheless, dogged by a failed love life and scandal upon scandal, laying her open to the vicious talons of the emerging tabloid media.
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Uniquely, the film intersperses drama sequences depicting Marie's life with some her most famous songs, such as My Old Man Said Follow The Van and A Little Bit Of What You Fancy Does You Good, painting a poignant portrait of the mad, bad and often sad world she inhabited.
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The Short Stories Of Saki, "Unabridged" (working title)
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The season hosts another gem of a drama series in The Short Stories Of Saki, "Unabridged". Saki is known as the master of the short story and these three tales – The Storyteller, The Lumber Room and Sredni Vashtar – feature detested aunts, wayward children and malicious animals in a hot house of Edwardian sensibilities. The cast is to be confirmed.
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Documentaries
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Sickert V Sargent
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In addition to pioneering literature, art at the turn of the century went through groundbreaking changes, too.
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In Sickert V Sargent, celebrated art critic Waldemar Januzczack looks at the work of Walter Sickert and John Sargent – both masters of their time.
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Sickert famously announced "… any fool can paint, drawing is the thing."
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Januzczack steps into the fray, comparing the works of the two artists.
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Gotcha! (working title)
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Today's tabloid media are so powerful that it's hard to think of a time without them, but they
were very much an Edwardian invention.
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In Gotcha!, Kelvin MacKenzie explains why and how the tabloids emerged at the beginning of the 20th century.
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Doing what he does best, MacKenzie delves into the murky past to reveal the genius of Alfred Harmsworth Northcliffe – the founder of The Mail – pinpointing the X Factor that sent The Mail's circulation soaring.
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Along the way, he also paints a unique portrait of the British public a century ago.
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Scouting For Boys (working title)
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Striding forward – with a stiff upper lip – is Ian Hislop, as he takes an affectionate look at one of the most influential and best-selling books of the 20th century.
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Scouting For Boys, by Baden Powell, is a hotchpotch of true crime stories, stern moralising, adventure tales and practical tips and advice.
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In this quirky documentary, also entitled Scouting For Boys, Hislop finds out how the book serves as a window on the Edwardian psyche.
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The Worst Journey In The World
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From Scouting For Boys to hunting for penguin eggs, 91Èȱ¬ Four's Edwardian season also looks back to the time when, prior to Captain Scott's fateful journey to Antarctica in 1912, Scott and his men spent two years conducting scientific experiments in that harsh environment.
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One such task saw three men set forth in the snow, facing the harshest of conditions and risking their lives and their sanity – all for a penguin egg.
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In The Worst Journey In The World, Mark Gatiss tells this often overlooked story of epic endurance.
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Edwardian Supersize Me
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The season also peruses what the Edwardians liked to cook, eat and buy as, above all else, the Edwardian years were undoubtedly a time when food and retail goods took centre stage.
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How would a modern-day couple about town fare on an Edwardian gourmet's diet? The season investigates – with side-splitting results – in Edwardian Supersize Me.
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Ensconced in a privileged Edwardian home, food critic and writer Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins gamely accept the challenge to exist on a gargantuan dietary regime, with parlour games and all things turn of the century thrown in for good measure...
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The Edwardian Larder (working title)
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Further investigation into all things foodie can be found in The Edwardian Larder.
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The Edwardian era saw the invention of ground-breaking brands such as Marmite, Oxo and Bird's Custard; this fascinating documentary finds out just why brands were born and why they were such a hit with the Edwardians.
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Edwardian Retail (working title)
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In the early 20th century, shopping began to slowly resemble the leisure pastime it is today.
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In Edwardian Retail, the truth behind the entrepreneurs involved in the retail explosion is revealed.
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Explaining why it happened, and just what impact it had on society, the programme sheds new light on the history of our High Street.
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Edwardian Archetypes (working title)
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In Edwardian Archetypes, the real must-have objects of desire of the age are discussed, from bicycles to typewriters, vacuum cleaners and beyond.
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Flight Of The Intellectuals
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Not everyone, however, was a fan of this emerging consumerist society; novelist John Carey looks at the loathing middle-class intellectuals had for the burgeoning mass culture in Flight Of The Intellectuals.
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How To Be Edwardian
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A treat for real fans of the Edwardian period is served up in How To Be Edwardian, a programme dedicated to getting viewers up to speed on the etiquette of the age.
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The Return Of The Edwardians
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In The Return Of The Edwardians, Peter York rounds off the season nicely with a look at why the Seventies was the golden age of the Edwardian rip-off: from Upstairs Downstairs to Laura Ashley, he uncovers why the decade known for free love and flower power went potty for all things Edwardian.
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