Can we have a thread to share interesting and preferably old-ish TV documentaries? Anything goes! Please share.

[Snooks1971]

I love a documentary that you can only see on YouTube. I’m into 1970s ones atm. Then the algorithm goes so narrow and ONLY shows me 70s docs. I need to see more…
I like the BBC Archive ones.
During lockdown I watched an 80s Boarding School documentary but I’ve been unable to find it since.
Can we share good ones?

Here’s one of mine, love Olly Reed

A 1970 World in Action about Quentin Crisp that I stumbled upon on YouTube the other day. This was before he became a celebrity later in the 70s. He was living a very frugal life in his poky, dusty flat and seemed perfectly resigned to it. He was utterly fascinating.

There was one maybe early 90s where the photojournalist Nick Danziger adopted 3 children from Afghanistan and went through a metaphorical minefield to get them out and keep them. They also struggled hugely with the culture and lifestyle shock, if I recall it was beautifully told. It’s always stayed in my mind.

7Up and Child of Our Time also have stayed in my mind, I often think of those people and wonder how they are.

so this is now about hunting down best forgotten triggering and upsetting TV footage? and everyone bangs on about mental health 🫠

I would say all of the Molly Dineen documentaries are exceptionsl. You can get on dvd.

AIDS the unheard tapes https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018t1c

There was one film that I have showed to students but I can't find it now. It's not a documentary it just shows news reports of how HIV / AIDS was covered on TV.

It includes delightful reports showing police at Pride wearing marigold gloves. The coverage of Ryan White's battle to attend school and the mistreatment of he and his family.

It absolutely stuns students (16 - 19) they cannot comprehend the attitudes or the fear.

Adam Curtis is fabulous. There's a series called The Century of the Self (it's on Youtube) and it makes a lot of things fall into place about the last 60-odd years of how society has changed. Most of his other stuff is on iPlayer, he has carte blanche to make what he wants there because he's so cheap (he says).

There was a BBC series about individual streets that was amazing, I forget the name, but most of it was in London then the next series ventured out to the rest of the UK. So interesting, really great social history.

Agree re Gale is Dead - terrified me at the time and still so impactful and sad now:

I remember watching Johnny Go Home with my parents when I was about 12. Terrified me.

7 Up was interesting and sad too. They would be 70 next year but the director died died a few years ago so I don’t think there'll be a 70 up.

'Cathy come home'

All of the Ken Burns documentaries are excellent. The Vietnam War is gripping - obv many of the people whose war experiences were part of the documentary (both American and Vietnamese) are still living, and seeing how their lives went on after the war ended was very interesting. I also saw a really good one on Ernest Hemingway (I believe by KB).

As mentioned up thread - The World at War.

It was made in 1973, so some 30 years after WW2 had started / ended - (for context, that would be 1995 nowadays).

People who had experienced it took part and it had interviews from people on all sides of the conflict, survivors of the Concentration camps and the other atrocities carried out during WW2

Very powerful

One of my favourite tv shows ever. The first one is adorable.

Up is amazing. One of the best things I have ever watched. I cried so many tears when Nick passed away. “I want to learn about the moon and all that”. What a life he led.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the documentary about a comprehensive that I mentioned in a previous post and watched the first episode. Well worth viewing IMO. The school reminded me of my own school days in the 80s: no uniform, a fairly relaxed but still disciplined environment. Things really have changed since then, especially WRT behaviour. In one scene on the first day of term, a boy wrote his name on his desk. The teacher was genuinely shocked and said he'd never seen such a thing. I can't imagine any teacher nowadays reacting so strongly -- they would probably have much more serious issues to contend with.

The documentary is called "Kingswood: A Comprehensive School." Highly recommended based on the first episode.

@OneBrightMorning What's wrt behaviour please?I couldn't work out what it was.

With reference to.

Look for an account called TheGrove on YouTube. Loads on there

Yes it’s heartbreaking.

I remember as a teenager 14 days in May having an impact on me and also being fascinated by Grey Gardens.

Sorry, it's just an abbreviation for "with reference to" or "with regard to."

ETA: And I see that@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0ghas already answered your question. I should read all the posts before responding!

Yes I remember that. The ones I like are 7up, The Family which was the first fly on the wall documentary about a family in Reading (think its still on Youtube) and another one about addicts having treatment at a hospital (can't remember the name). Grey Gardens was good too which someone mentioned.

Like other posters, I enjoyed the 7 up series, and Grey Gardens.

I loved the show about the family, although I was too young to watch it at the time. m

About 25 years ago, there was a series on BBC Wales about houses in Wales, presented by an architect called Malcom Parry. It was amazing, I'd love to watch it again, but I've never been able to find anything about it. I think it was called 'On the House' and I think I watched it in about 2000.

I watched a wonderful documentary called Christian the Lion about Christian, the lion, being reuinted with his previous owners about a year after they took him to Africa to be released (carefully) into the wild. He leapt into their arms despite now being an enormous adult lion

Then the following day he brought his mate and cubs to meet them. It was so touching.

That is a special clip. One of the 'owners' starts to stroke the female and then pulls his hand back. I think he probably thought 'WTF am I doing this is a wild Lion?'

Great thread - thanks for starting it!