The Fifties

Synopsis

Restaurant critic Giles Coren and writer and comedian Sue Perkins experience the food culture of years gone by.

Giles and Sue go back to the 1950s, an era started on rations and ended by Prime Minister Harold MacMillan remarking that 'we'd never had it so good'.

Cookery writer Mary Berry helps Sue become the perfect housewife as they start the week on rations with canned salmon and horse. Giles has his real boss from The Times round for Babycham and a dinner taken from Elizabeth David's bestseller Mediterranean Food.

They are joined by Marguerite Patten and perfect housewife Anthea Turner for a coronation buffet to celebrate the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II. Giles experiences the meal laid on for the Australians when they lost the Ashes to England, while Sue demonstrates against the Bomb in Trafalgar Square.

After being shown how to dance by Bruce Welch of The Shadows, Giles and Sue end their week at a holiday camp, dining on a meal taken from a 1959 menu with guest social historian Dominic Sandbrook.

Credits

Presenter

Giles Coren

Presenter

Sue Perkins

Participant

Mary Berry

Participant

Marguerite Patten

Participant

Anthea Turner

Participant

Bruce Welch

Participant

Dominic Sandbrook

Director

Louise Walden

Producer

Louise Walden

Producer

Alannah Richardson

Broadcasts

1. Mon 20 Jul 2009
   21:00
   BBC Two (except Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue))
2. Thu 23 Jul 2009
   00:20
   BBC Two (except Wales, Wales (Analogue))
3. Tue 11 Aug 2009
   01:45
   BBC One