I found this 12 part documentary very enjoyable, as an American who is kind of an anglophile. Also enjoyed the nostalgia of the 1970's, a time when I was a child. If this documentary had featured a "middle class family" as the preceding American documentary had, I'm not sure I would have been much interested.
The Wilkins family are a working class household with nine members: Parents Margaret and Terry, children Marian and her boyfriend Tom, Gary and his wife, Karen who lives with them, Heather, young Christopher, and their grandchild (Gary's son) Scott.
It's interesting to watch the older children going through the trials of independence, under the guidance of Margaret, their mother. For example, the viewer gets to see Gary and Karen's arduous journey to secure a council flat (public housing), something many people all over the world face in today's economy. But the viewer gets to see what it was like in the early 1970's; almost a history lesson.
It was also interesting to see a working class family coping with cramped conditions, and just spending so much time together; planning for the future (holidays and weddings), caring for the younger children, preparing meals, dining together, talking together. So intimate. Very different from what life is like today with all of us glued to our respective and separate screens, not really interacting with one another in daily ritual.
If you are an American anglophile, or if you enjoy honest portrayals of the working class, you might enjoy this very much.
The Wilkins family are a working class household with nine members: Parents Margaret and Terry, children Marian and her boyfriend Tom, Gary and his wife, Karen who lives with them, Heather, young Christopher, and their grandchild (Gary's son) Scott.
It's interesting to watch the older children going through the trials of independence, under the guidance of Margaret, their mother. For example, the viewer gets to see Gary and Karen's arduous journey to secure a council flat (public housing), something many people all over the world face in today's economy. But the viewer gets to see what it was like in the early 1970's; almost a history lesson.
It was also interesting to see a working class family coping with cramped conditions, and just spending so much time together; planning for the future (holidays and weddings), caring for the younger children, preparing meals, dining together, talking together. So intimate. Very different from what life is like today with all of us glued to our respective and separate screens, not really interacting with one another in daily ritual.
If you are an American anglophile, or if you enjoy honest portrayals of the working class, you might enjoy this very much.