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Bouffants, Beehives and Bobs: The Hairdos that Made Britain

Episode 3 of 7

Timeshift takes a loving and sometimes horrified look back at the iconic hairdos and 'must have' haircuts that both men and women in Britain have flirted with in the past 60 years.

It is said that the average woman gets through around 30 hairstyles in a lifetime, with some changing their look entirely every 15 months. Timeshift takes a loving and sometimes horrified look back at the iconic hairdos and 'must have' haircuts that both men and women in Britain have flirted with over the past 60 years.

And it's some journey... from the meringue-like confections of Raymond 'Teasy Weasy' via the geometric 'bob' cuts of Vidal Sassoon, stopping off to take in the 'big hair' heyday of bouffants and beehives, and not forgetting the mullet, the feather cut and the ultimate 'bad hair day' look of 1970s perms.

Our hair is the one part of our identity we can change in an instant and which speaks volumes about who we are, where we've come from and where we're going. Today, young women are revisiting hair fashions of an earlier generation - big hair and blowdrying are back in demand, whilst many young men sport Edwardian 'peaky blinder' short back and sides.

Narrated by Wayne Hemingway.

58 minutes

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • America

    A Horse with No Name

  • Local Natives

    Airplanes

  • The Barbarians

    Are You a Boy Or Are You a Girl?

  • The Chiffons

    He's So Fine

  • The Rembrandts

    I'll Be There For You

  • The Who

    I'm The Face

  • The Rolling Stones

    Paint It Black

  • Wild Cherry

    Play That Funky Music

  • Small Faces

    Sha-La-La-La-Lee

  • Hot Chocolate

    So You Win Again

  • 补濒迟鈥怞

    Tessellate

  • The Shirelles

    Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

  • Burt Bacharach

    Wives and Lovers

  • The Gaylads

    Young Gifted and Black

  • Sophia Loren

    Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo

  • 00:12

    Dusty Springfield

    (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher

  • 00:21

    The Spencer Davis Group

    Gimme Some Lovin'

  • 00:26

    Si Zentner

    Charade

  • 00:30

    Manfred Mann

    Five-Four-Three-Two-One

  • 00:31

    The Who

    I Can't Explain

  • 00:44

    Marvin Gaye

    Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

  • 00:46

    Wild Cherry

    Play That Funky Music

  • 00:50

    Electric Light Orchestra

    Mr. Blue Sky

  • 00:56

    Stooshe

    Slip

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Wayne Hemingway
Producer Rebecca Whyte
Director Rebecca Whyte
Series Producer William Naylor

Broadcasts