Timeshift: The Golden Age of Coach Travel
02:20 am - 03:20 am, Monday, June 8 on BBC Four (9)
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About this Broadcast
The Golden Age of Coach Travel
The history of the coach, which offered a cheaper alternative to rail travel upon its arrival in the 1950s and gave greater freedom to people previously restricted to their own villages and towns due to limited funds. The documentary looks at the distinctive liveries employed by different transport companies and the activities of passengers, including singing and pub visits, as they travelled to destinations such as Blackpool, Margate and Torquay. Narrated by June Whitfield
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Did You Know..
June Whitfield
(Narrator)
Born:
November 11, 1925
in
London
Best Known For:
Terry and June, and Absolutely Fabulous.
Early-life:
Born June Rosemary Whitfield in Streatham, London, on November 11, 1925. Her mother had hoped to become an actress, but was forbidden to do so by her father. Instead, she appeared in amateur dramatics and encouraged June to enter showbusiness by enrolling her in dance classes at the age of three. Her father was a company director. After the Second World War she moved to Huddersfield with her parents and trained to be a secretary before attending RADA, after which she landed her first professional role on the London stage.
Career:
Whitfield became one of BBC Radio's most beloved stars - 22 million people regularly tuned in to her show Take It From Here during the 1950s - but is probably best known for her TV appearances, and has starred alongside Frankie Howerd, Peter Sellers and Tony Hancock. Among her many comedy programmes during the first half of her career were Steptoe and Son, Hancock's Half Hour and The Benny Hill Show. Her long professional relationship with Terry Scott resulted in such series as Happy Ever After and Terry and June. She has also appeared in several Carry On films. Since then Whitfield has won acclaim in Absolutely Fabulous, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, Jude and Mirrorball.
Quote:
'I was never a great beauty. I think I amused more than I aroused. But at least that meant I didn't feel the pressures that many glamorous actresses do when they reach a certain age. Playing mums and grans never bothered me.'
Trivia:
She was awarded an OBE in 1985, and a CBE in 1998.
Michael Poole
(Executive producer)
Ben Southwell
(Series producer)
