1957: THE BIG GAMBLE - A Trip to the UK Seaside | Eye to Eye | Classic BBC Documentary | BBC Archive

[@hilaryepstein6013]

I wonder if any of the children will see this film. If they do, how wonderful to have this record of themselves and their parents.

[@gavinathling]

I sent it to my mum who's the right age to have been five here, although she wouldn't have gone to Broadstairs, I still think it will be as interesting to her for memories as it was for me as a history piece.

[@JJONNYREPP]

1957: THE BIG GAMBLE - A Trip to the UK Seaside | Eye to Eye | Classic BBC Documentary | BBC Archive 4.1.2.25 2033pm i dont wanna give you any ideas but taking your partner to the seaside is well worth it.. or going it alone. the idyll is that the solitary can get away with being solitary just as the furtive lovers can demand they be allowed to fulfill their liaison..

[@davids8449]

Taking your wife, husband, girl friend to the seaside..... only cowboys have partners

[@sarahc2533]

I loved this, magical looking back. No mobiles, no cameras, just people enjoying simple pleasures.

[@brettlittle9913]

Amazing to see Viking bay in broadstairs,grew up there in the late 60s and 70s,apart from shop names and pubs and banks it hasn’t really changed even in 2025,great nostalgia thankyou for posting.

[@JohnRiley-lj5sn]

The photography and overall production definitely has a touch of artistry and class. The sharpness and tonal richness of the film is notable too and well-preserved. If you look up James Balfour and Richard Cawston from the credits, you will see that as cinematographer and producer, they had very distinguished careers and very well-known films and TV programmes to their credit. (Notice also the formal forms of language, Mr and Mrs and no forenames.)

[@ferglesnerk]

Right - I've got my vest and shirt on, waistcoat, nice tie and my coat. A nice pair of trousers with thick black socks and highly polished shoes. Dressed like this must mean only one thing - The Beach!!

[@PietPattyn]

The decline started with the sandals ,what's next bare feet in public?

[@leadbelly1495]

@@PietPattyn😂

[@AllyPerrott]

Hilarious 😂

[@tonycraib5939]

Very good. I thought the same thing

[@garethpepin6167]

I was born in Broadstairs in 1961, this is a wonderful reminder of my childhood !

[@JJONNYREPP]

1957: THE BIG GAMBLE - A Trip to the UK Seaside | Eye to Eye | Classic BBC Documentary | BBC Archive 2039pm 4.1.25 is the narrator jack warner?

[@james-faulkner]

@JJONNYREPP The commentary was spoken by Jack Warner, say the credits. You were correct, good ear!

[@JJONNYREPP]

@@james-faulkner Comments on ‘1957: THE BIG GAMBLE - A Trip to the UK Seaside | Eye to Eye | Classic BBC Documentary | BBC Archive’. 4.1.25. I never read credits....i bet when I saw Nosferatu last night and ignored the credits there was a final skit in reference to the film just seen....an Easter egg as the gamers call them.

[@steveburn8125]

I hope the chap who’d bought the fish and chip shop had great success, years of serving toffs, he so deserved to be his own boss 😊❤

[@arilebon]

I came here to say the same. Wonder if anyone could update us

[@markbrown4039]

As an American living in Canada, I've had a fascination with British holiday culture. This film may be going on 70 years old, but it was very well done. Hoping the BBC can revisit Broadstairs for a current look.

[@sallyarmstrong8612]

Regarding the housekeepers' remarks about the working class being more appreciative, it still holds true today. My neighbour, who works as a delivery driver, has always said that the elderly and working class are the ones who try to tip him the most. The wealthier people will simply stand and watch him without even saying thank you.

[@MrSimonmcc]

8:06 priceless!

[@nickthelick]

I know it's not the same era (or even the same place!), but this takes me back to holidays in the chalets at Skegness. Walking with my dad to look into the rock pools on the beach and also watch the sunrise over the North Sea. Wonderful memories from 1980-1987

[@GaryJohnWalker1]

Skegness? Chalets? Butlins?

[@JonasWEBnorge]

This is like watching a movie, well done 1956!

[@58thanet]

Lived in Broadstairs first half of the 70s work for my uncle in the summer who own the Old Curiosity shop. Great time of my life. Not much has changed except for the shops.

[@sarahlouise7163]

quite amazing, Valerie's parents actually look like her grandparents. poor Valerie. no siblings, having to hang out with that pair. hope she made some holiday friends, but her parents look the sort to stop her. fabulous film! Let's All Go Down The Strand! HAVE A BANANA!

[@clioflano421]

At first I thought the mother had brought her friend along,l was expecting the daughter to walk out after them from the train station.Poor Val,I'm certain the crest on her blazer is a school issue.I Also noticed her skirt is the exact same style & pattern as mothers dress. I think they had her when they were in their forties.Im sure she went out and rebelled!!!

[@Bookmarkerer]

28:21 beautiful shot scene here; real pleasure to meet such sweet souls.

[@IngenerateIngenue]

Poor Valerie, 15 yrs old and looks really fed up. I wonder how her life turned out.

[@arilebon]

Yes, and wasn’t a time teenagers could voice opinions as freely.

[@GerardChoo]

Live in Broadstairs and very little has changed Beaches still packed every Summer but mainly day trippers rather than People staying for a whole week, Punch and Judy during School Summer Holidays Fireworks every Wednesday Evening during August a lovely little Cinema great to see the Families rushing from the Train Station to get their place on the Beach and the old fashioned Ice Cream Parlour Morrellis still going strong! A lovely little Town to both live in and visit

[@karenhunt9029]

I live in Broadstairs too

[@bonnetdedouche437]

"We're all off on a beano to Margate!" - Jolly Boys Outing 1957 👌

[@Funeeman]

Nice narration from the great Jack Warner.

[@smithy3520]

Peoples expectations were very basic then."most rooms have a bedside lamp"

[@terrybrown4400]

Guests probably had to supply their own bulbs

[@heinkle1]

When a holiday wasn’t a holiday if you didn’t wear a suit at the beach

[@mandyweaver3348]

I lived in Broadstairs as a child, it was and still is a lovely place 🙂

[@ToshStem-o3d]

I miss soooo much uk holidays good old days 😊

[@crazyherisson6500]

Where is this charming and civilised country with well dressed, eloquent and polite people ? I'd love to go there ...

[@domp51]

In your imagination. The uk was grim, just the bbc only aired "respectable" people

[@Llotel972]

Yes, what a beautiful country with its high rates of domestic abuse, polluted cities, people who litter everywhere and have no respect for the environment and to top it all off, a total lack of education. Truly a civilised country!

[@cockles007]

Kier will surely be pressing the BBC to have these banned.

[@Seminal_Ideas]

A land lost to us now.

[@gavinathling]

Nostalgia always make people of the past better than the people of today. Remember that crime of all kinds has been falling the whole time. And that kid clinging to the clown clearly had a terrible home life, too.

[@moffatt43]

I’m only in my 50’s and I have some pretty amazing memories of holidays in the UK and her Beaches. The Punch n Judy Man was always one of the highlights, I can remember rushing onto the beach to check out what time the next show was and then sitting there at the front waiting just to get a good spot. As a Family ( Mum, Dad and Me ) would do the boarding houses ( later to be known as Guest Houses and then Hotels with a Family Room ),then it was Pontins or Butlins and finally the Self Catering Holidays in caravans or chalet’s. Great Yarmouth was one of the most popular but we would also go to Heacham,Hunstanton,Wells,Bacton,Happisburgh,Hemsby and Gorleston or Cromer etc. Personally Great Yarmouth was always the best place though with the Pleasure Beach and the Snail Ride lol 😂. Sadly Great Yarmouth isn’t that Great anymore but even so,me and my partner go there a few times a month just on the Saturday mind you, we as a Family haven’t been on Holiday for over 7 years now because we simply cannot afford it but we do go out occasionally for family Days out to the Beach or the Amusements. I wish my Children’s children could experience the Beaches of the UK in the ways that I did but I don’t think that’s going to happen anymore because they have changed so much. I bet Broadstairs doesn’t get 10,000 people on the beaches in a week these days,let alone in a day !!. It always amazes me and my partner that even in Summer when the weather is quite Hot,the Beach in Yarmouth is more in the hundreds of people than the thousands, I can remember when you would struggle to get a ' spot ' for a family of 3-4 but nowadays the Beach is comparatively empty. The Amusements and the Pleasure beach are busy but nothing compared to how busy they used to be an unfortunately even the Town is dying out with its gift shops and shops of so many different things. Lots of places have taken on a dingy and even dirty atmosphere,all the old family run Guesthouse and B + B have gone and are now Apartments or flats but for Affordable Housing needs and the Locals have been pushed out or have moved out because they don’t like the way their Home Town is going

[@MrSimonmcc]

Surprised Jack didn't say 'Goodnight all' at the end.

[@mikalilypops3259]

Aww this is lovely ❤❤

[@mc-yt2rc]

not a single guest house promoted their free wi-fi!

[@arkyoptrix]

My Dad was a year old when this film was made. I had to ask him whether 5 guineas a week was expensive or not.

[@69spook]

I was 6 months old in the summer of 1957. I can't remember it...😂

[@rgarlinyc]

Those two stuffed-shirts who wanted to get rid of the Toy Train - they're the sort of people who live in abject fear every hour of every single day that there MAY be some ONE, some WHERE who is thoroughly enjoying themselves! 🤦‍♂

[@garethpepin6167]

I rode that train many times, a few years later, it was an important part of my childhood, many wonderful memories of that beach..

[@PietPattyn]

It leads to amoral behavior, a sturdy hike is fun enough, maybe a swim ( in the proper attire ) for the men.

[@danielcalvert5260]

I actually wondered if that part was scripted. It seems a little unnatural - and the camera angles too cleverly set to be on the fly

[@rgarlinyc]

@@danielcalvert5260 Ha ha - yeah I can see why you could be suspicious here!

[@DartmoorAR]

Blackpool - wince! Sad times. I was born in Plymouth and despite being a garrison & port town our seaside amenities have fared better than most.

[@CarlStJohn-x9w]

Have you noticed in these old films that the young people look approaching middle age ?

[@realbillymiller1011]

Didn't have moisturisers back then 😂

[@ssss-df5qz]

I really think that one guy wants to open up his own boarding house the way he keeps mentioning getting in the kitchen, and if he were boss - bless him.

[@whiteonggoy7009]

Over 60 year ago fond memories of margate,only bad thing hard to sleep with your sunburn skin 😊

[@nickthelick]

So nice that that lady was proud of earning what was obviously a lovely, self-earnt reward for herself and her family! (I mean, duh, obviously she's proud! But you know what I mean!)🤔😉😄👍🏻

[@Alison-LoveAndUnity]

It's was hard fought for for many women wasn't it. To have that bit of independence and be able to contribute to give the family a fee treats and a holiday. Lovely point made in this

[@showreelcast]

The Peter Pan railway brought all the wrong crowds to Blackpool.

[@colinu9209]

Pirates 😮 ?

[@kevinmoffatt]

Debauchery, had to dig out the smelling salts.

[@PietPattyn]

Exactly, what s wrong with a brisk walk ( when dressed properly)

[@daveworthing2294]

The teenage daughter didn't look very happy.

[@gavinathling]

I couldn't work out if the parents were staid, older, or both. Either way, this holiday was clearly not intended for her.

[@jillyb9995]

Coconut shies! Oh no 😱

[@colinu9209]

Cruelty to coconuts 😮

[@Funeeman]

3:27 I thought that was John Arlott for a moment.

[@mickyboy1955]

Everything has changed and yet,little has changed.

[@colinu9209]

Not a plastic bag in sight 😂 Daughter Valerie looks about 40 . Uncle Smokey was a bit creepy TBH . Who eats cold tongue these days?

[@gavinathling]

Ooh, I love tongue. And because many don't, it's quite cheap in the cold meats aisle.

[@69spook]

I nearly swallowed my own tongue 😂

[@IngenerateIngenue]

TBH, who wears a suit and a tie to the beach these days? 😂

[@leadbelly1495]

When he said “her daughter Valerie whom is 15 years old “…I had to pause the screen and have a good old hearty laugh !…

[@IngenerateIngenue]

Poor donkeys...out in the hot sun all day, walking up and down. 😢

[@theoriginalchefboyoboy6025]

I.... Aaaaaaammmm.... the Seeeeaaaaaa.... BELLBOY-oy, Bellboy-oy, bellboy-oy... Is it me... for a moment... for a moment... for a moment...

[@catbreath007]

Suppose quite a few of those hotels will still be in use today, or maybe turned into HMPO's 🧐

[@IngenerateIngenue]

Likely housing asylum seekers...

[@thomaswright7562]

People today, full tracksuits, belly hanging out, kids and parents glued to tablets or smart phones. No respect, manners, rubbish all over the beaches, and no appreciation for the seaside holiday. Bring me back!!!

[@gavinathling]

Yes, there was no better time than when women were expected to be homemakers, gay people were chemically castrated, and B&Bs had signs that said, "No blacks or Irish". Better times indeed.

[@ToshStem-o3d]

Uk people I miss😮

[@AllyPerrott]

I would love to know how Valerie got on in life. She looks very unhappy here 😢

[@grahamday1582]

My dad 👨 wore his suit on the beach ⛱️

[@paulief3817]

I hope the parents were keeping an eye on old "Uncle Smoky". Seems a bit strange to see him walking along the beach holding hands with children

[@bobwhitenstall3148]

I know that I'm in a minority, but I don't like crowds, especially crowded beaches. I can understand the attraction for parents of small children, however, even as a child I liked a lot of space around me. These days accommodation with en suite facilities is the norm, the thought of a shared bathroom some distance away from the bedroom wouldn't be acceptable to the majority today. Not the "good old days" for me!

[@professormcclaine5738]

Hope his Fish & Chips shop was successful.

[@paulief3817]

That young girl Valerie looks like she is having a whale of a time on holiday with parents who look and act more like grandparents. Especially since it looks like they make her wear her school uniform.

[@robbflynn4325]

We had less but were happier. No question. RIP England😢

[@Alison-LoveAndUnity]

Every generation has it's happiness. There's no RIP about it. Young families today have good times too. We always have and always will. Rose tinted glasses and all that. Lots of struggles then too

[@robbflynn4325]

@Alison-LoveAndUnity we obviously view things very differently. But that's ok.

[@a_soft_landing]

Not even the takeaway cup had been invented.

[@academiccatlady]

See the cat at 2:34 🙂

[@sleepyheadsleeps]

😮

[@RolandoRatas]

Who here has ever said to themselves "I would love to go on a beach holiday to Scotland." ?

[@davidhamm7909]

Midges?

[@jasonayres]

Well, there was the Vikings. (Apparently though, a King Alexander III ruined their travel plans in 1263)

[@IngenerateIngenue]

😂

[@peterharvey1762]

Can we turn the clock back to this era please

[@PietPattyn]

We should, but no Peter Pan railway that started the decline.

[@spidyman8853]

Did I hear this right, 17 Million ? in 50 years we went up to 60+ Million????????

[@Diggersleftpeg76]

No. He said 17 million in the UK go on seaside Holidays each year. The population of the UK in the mid fifties was around 52 million.

[@spidyman8853]

@@Diggersleftpeg76 Cheers for the clarification

[@Diggersleftpeg76]

@ No worries bro.

[@mandychapin9411]

I wonder how many romances or marriages happened because people just happened to meet on this beach during their vacation.

[@sarahlouise7163]

all i ever have is a boiled egg

[@selfraisingsugar898]

Funny even in the 50s they thought the seaside hadn't changed. Even now, this could have been filmed yesterday!

[@lesleyscott938]

That is so true 😊

[@richardjones8699]

Are you being serious? Seaside towns have changed massively.

[@lesleyscott938]

@@richardjones8699 how..? They do exactly the same thing as they did in the 1950s... No different

[@richardjones8699]

@@lesleyscott938 Huge economic decline, outdated infrastructure, massive deterioration.....This is why I'm asking are you being serious? Most seaside towns now have a massive run down appearance.

[@lesleyscott938]

@richardjones8699 yes but not all is it... You don't think it was like that then 😅

[@jojojo8835]

1957- silly I know but I wonder what kind of war they all had, if they still woke up screaming.

[@RepublicIcon]

Back when Britain was great. Don't know what it is nowadays but it certainly not great anymore. Sad times indeed

[@depniff]

They were moaning people back then the same as today and that poor beach manager showed that few wanted to actually do anything about it but moan and go home. Little has changed on that front but I still find a lot of things to like. Focus on the positive.

[@domp51]

It wasn't great. You are deluded by your childhood memories. It was class ridden, poor, bad life expectancy, crap food and idleness as you all were on strike.

[@gavinathling]

@@domp51 Definitely. My mum was 5 years old in 1957 and from reasonably well-off parents, and she said her room was never heated and that the single-pane window had frost patterns on it in the morning. Things are never as good as we want them to be, but looking to the past for better times is naive. I found this video interesting as a history piece, but let's not pretend it was better!

[@davids8449]

Now people come back from flying abroad on holiday and say in 2025........I could do with a good holiday and off on holiday they go again.

[@thepracticalsurveyor]

Did Valerie escape her parents? She looked miserable.

[@richardjones8699]

How this Country has changed - for the worse.

[@domp51]

Old people have been saying the same since Shakespeare. The uk in the 50s was a class ridden, poor, unhealthy dump only made worse in the 79s when the boomers refused to do a day's work and spent all their time round a brazier.

[@benedictdesilva6677]

@@domp51 Precisely. The world has been steadily monotonous decline since long before Shakespeare-nothing ever gets any better. It is a universal law for unreflective curmudgeons that current times are *always* the worst and any golden age is *always* in the past...

[@markynorthy1878]

Makes me laugh 😂seeing people laid on the beach with trunks on and a jumper 😆 or even fully clothed 😆🫶great video 💯

[@PietPattyn]

The decline started with the acceptance of sandals, what's next bare feet in public?

[@FlibDokky]

back before the dystopian hellhole we live in now

[@Coolcarting]

What are you talking about? It was even more of a shithole back then.

[@user-ve3gh5xg9q]

Old 🇬🇧❤️

[@tonymckenna8860]

Not a single mention of sun tan creme. No big skin cancer problem, makes you think.

[@terrybrown4400]

I wonder if the clown had to get a working with children certificate😁 More innocent times back then

[@james-faulkner]

Money cannot buy you a good time says the narrator. Didn't these people on holiday pay and they had a good time. I don't think he has tried very hard at all. wink wink nudge nudge

[@AndrewKodachrome-qo9qs]

Pity scratch removal and flicker wasn't undertaken prior to uploading. I'm sure more effort would of been done if the subject was banal Dr Who.

[@johnathanryan2117]

Eeeeeh, i dont know... Folk from "The North" and escaping from " The City" ....

[@claireblair6175]

I expect those beautiful boarding houses are now flats or housing immigrants sadly

[@sue.F]

To escape this slavish mentality where even holidays were strictly regimented and everyone seemed to have a scripted part - this is why my generation took psychedelics.

[@hopebgood]

I had a well good static caravan holiday in Great Yarmouth with my bf. A few drugs might have been taken 😉

[@joanne26]

Looking at this with Rose Tinted Spectacles What I notice in many of these types of videos is How many Men and Women wore HATS They were all in their ‘Sunday best’ on the beach No litter No obese adults or children What is Broadstairs like now? The demographics 50% of these children will still be alive Some mentioned Spain 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@bugandbay]

All rooms may come with the luxury of an interior sprung mattress but nevertheless I am British & as such I crave disappointment, which makes me happy & so I will be complaining on the last day of my holiday while eating my soggy cabbage to anyone (apart from the landlady of course) with my concerns, such as “how would you like this for your breakfast” 😂 😂 Unfortunately the British sea side holiday depicted & spoken grammar have long gone, if only those councillors knew then they could have all experienced the joy of riding the Peter Pan train together. 🤍