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BBC TV BLOG
Karl Sergison, dad of the grocer family: 'Debbie had to be the perfect housewife and have my slippers ready every night when I returned home from work.'
Read Karl's story on the BBC TV blog -
Family Highlight: Gill Cockwell, Dressmaker
I was slightly apprehensive about returning to Shepton Mallet and entering the 1960’s as I’d enjoyed my 1940’s experience so much. It had been a wonderful week teaching people to sew a little and creating new garments out of old ones; I even made a nightdress out of an old valence sheet!
I was expecting my quaint little dressmaker’s workshop, which I so adored, to be changed beyond all recognition into a fashion boutique stocked with shapeless mini dresses and go-go boots. I was excited but nervous about the transition from dressmaker to sales assistant but nothing could have prepared me for what was waiting for me in the market square; my shop had moved to a new location and had morphed into a fully functional hair salon!
To say I was shocked is a huge understatement; I mean, I’m reasonably competent with a hair pin but I’ve never cut hair in my life - how on earth was I going to run a hair salon?
I soon discovered that I was to have an assistant in the form of the beautiful and talented young Naomi; if it wasn’t for her I don’t know how I would have coped. We both went on a training course at a hair parlour in London and learnt how to do Beehives, Bouffants and Flicks.
When we returned to the salon we were ready to welcome our first clients. We backcombed, hair-sprayed and pinned away, until it seemed most of the ladies of Shepton Mallet were wandering around sporting fantastically high hair and huge false eyelashes; even some of the lads got involved!
On the last day I had to do my very first hair cut (which I was hoping I would get away with letting Naomi do) and I was terrified! My client, Alexis, had beautiful long hair and wanted it cut into a short crop - I was so scared, I think it took me about three hours!
Naomi and I had lots of fun bringing a touch of 1960’s glamour to the ladies of Shepton and we got a fantastic response from them but I never want to do another haircut as long as I live; it’s too permanent, my nerves were frazzled by the end of it!
Hair cutting aside, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed having a salon; as I said in the programme, it wasn’t as far away from my comfort zone as I’d first imagined. I was still selling glamour after all. -
Photo: The 1960s
The 1960s saw the death of Winston Churchill, the England football team win the World Cup, and Barbara Windsor being caught in an embarrassing situation whilst exercising at camp.
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VW Campervan AKA Hippy Van AKA Breadloaf
The VW Campervan celebrated 60 years of production back in June; famous owners include F1 driver Jenson Button, musician Roger Daltry and actor Martin Clunes.
Credits
- Series Producer
- Cate Hall
- Executive Producer
- Leanne Klein



