Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

The assistant producer of this programme sent me a PR to mention here, so here goes:

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BBC Four on Wednesday 25th February at 21:00

PROGRAMME SYNOPSIS

Loved and loathed in equal measure, caravans have captured the hearts of British holidaymakers for over fifty years.

Now a new documentary for BBC Four, Caravans – A British Love Affair, tells the story of our remarkable love affair with these ‘homes on wheels.’ One that saw Britain establish the largest caravan manufacturer in the world and which transformed the holiday habits of generations of British families.

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“The caravan really pioneers this idea of the individual family
carrying its house on its back, and having its own possessions with it.”

Featuring the evocative memories and the unseen archive of generations of enthusiasts, Caravans – A British Love Affair tells the intriguing story of caravanning in Britain from the 1950s through to the present day.

The documentary reveals how caravans were once the plaything of a privileged minority but after the Second World War went on to become a firm favourite with almost a quarter of British holidaymakers.

The documentary also explores how changes in caravanning across the years reflect wider changes in British society, in particular the increased availability of cars during the 1950s and 60s but also the improved roads network and changing attitudes towards holidaymaking and leisure time.

“The story of caravanning in Britain is actually a revealing social history,” says the director of the documentary, Brian Henry Martin of DoubleBand Films. “These ‘homes on wheels’ tell us so much about how attitudes towards holidays and leisure time have evolved in Britain over the past sixty years.”

As the documentary also reveals, for early enthusiasts caravans provided independence and the freedom of the open road - the chance to explore hidden corners of Britain and abroad while keeping their home comforts in tow.

“Of course today people like to joke about caravans clogging up the roads. But in the course of making this programme we met remarkable people for whom caravanning has provided freedom and a genuine sense of adventure. These are people who, even back in the 1950s, took their caravans round every corner of Europe and even into Russia and north Africa.”

Such enthusiasts and contributors to the programme include Dorrie van Lachterop from the West Midlands and Christine Fagg from Hertfordshire, remarkable and adventurous women who started touring alone in their caravans during the 1950s. As Christine Fagg explains in the programme, her caravan was a means of escape and even emancipation:

“There are more ways to women’s lib than burning your bra. My escape from the kitchen sink lay on the open road touring the caravan behind the family car.”
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Rick - Admin
Home:https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk
Videos:https://www.youtube.com/user/oldclassiccarRJ/videos
OCC & classic car merchandise (Austin, Ford ++):
https://www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop

[cobber]

Crikey Rick that sounds like compulsory viewing.
Do you know if BBC4 or anybody else will be selling recordings of this program.

Cobber.

[gordon28]

hopefully they will put it online on

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv cheers gordon

[Rick]

yeah I'm hoping that too, as we're not digitalised as yet

R
_________________
Rick - Admin
Home:https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk
Videos:https://www.youtube.com/user/oldclassiccarRJ/videos
OCC & classic car merchandise (Austin, Ford ++):
https://www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop

[cobber]

Gordon !!!

When I go to that site... across the screen I get the message “Currently BBC iPlayer TV Programmes are available to play in the UK only” so I say again :-
Do you know if BBC4 or anybody else will be selling recordings of this program,if so please send me a PM, if the show is done properly I'd love to see it.

Cobber.

[Brian M]

Cobber

It is only right that you Colonials can't view IPlayer from overseas.

It is our Licence fee that pays for it!!

I'll try to record it to dvd and if I'm successful, if you send me your address by pm, I'll send one out to you.
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Brian
1970 Volvo Amazon and 1978 Safari 15-4 Caravan
Classic Safari Forum: www.classicsafaris.co.uk

[cobber]

Brian,
My son-in-law was a tax paying pom before he migrated and became a dinky-di true blue Aussie boy..... and knowing his addiction to the idiot box I'm sure he would have been paying his licence fee and most likely left England before his years subscription expired.... so the BBC owes him, and as I am his long suffering father-in-law .... he owes me.
I know it's drawing a long bow but..... doesn't that make it OK ?

I'll PM my address, you're a gentleman, thank you.

Bob.

[cobber]

I see from the reviews that this program was well
produced and apparently included a bit of vintage
footage..... excellent!

Did anybody watch it live.... or been able to see it on iPlayer ?

Cobber.

[Brian M]

Just watched it on iPlayer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00hw3s0/Caravans_A_British_Love_Affair/

Only a few minutes of real classic filming, and a lot of talk by a couple of OAP caravanning ladies, and the widow of Sam Alper (founder of Sprite Caravans).

I thought it was quite a good history of Caravanning in the UK, but should have included more makes than just Sprite, and some more old films would have been good.

But the good news, a Safari appeared for about 5 seconds - at 24 minutes into the programme!

Cobber - I will try to get it recorded onto DVD for you.
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Brian
1970 Volvo Amazon and 1978 Safari 15-4 Caravan
Classic Safari Forum: www.classicsafaris.co.uk

[gillberry]

We were pleased that it featured a continental Cheltenham fawn like the one we had but were disappointed that they didn't talk about it just spoke to the owner . But with the array of vans available you could understand them not talking about makes so why the story about the sprite ?

[yorkshireretro]

i just watched it on iplayer, i really enjoyed it, I enjoyed hearing about Sprite/Ci as I grew up in the 80's and those lime green sprites are what everyone had then! there was not much info on makes of caravans or specific caravans but I'm guessing thats because it was about the British love affair with them as a whole rather than individual caravans, I loved the brummie woman who had a Cheltenham - I wonder what her poor cat made of being dragged alaong caravanning! mine would go mental

[gillberry]

we have been to the cheltenham national and there is some one there who take their cats and the other year we were staying just outside birmingham and there was a motorcaravan next door that had 3 cats in, i did wonder if we should get a small cage and take the budgie with us as well as the dogs

[Brian M]

[gillberry]

Don't need the budgie to know she leaks gas (me as well sometimes) .

[vatco]

Good prog and well presented.

Should be renamed though ------ 'A potted history of Sprite'

Don't get me wrong. Sam Alper was prob the biggest influence on caravaning in this country but there are many others that deserved a mention.

I am sure that there are plenty of Sprite lovers and collectors who love the vans, especially the older ones, There are many that love model 'T's too but there are thousands of folk that love other makes as well. And there are hundreds of other influences that without which we would be preserving tents not vans.

Vintage/classic caravan use, preservation and collecting is still very much a 'closet' pasttime..............I know. As a professional in the industry we face it every day. It would have been nice if the BBC had delved more into the history and the people that preserve it rather than do a tribute to who most people into vintage caravans in this country know and admire as a "really topper chap"

It's just like when someone does a program on American 'caravans' they only mention Airstreams---------

WHY?
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS?
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