1976: Meet the COMMUTERS | Nationwide | Retro Transport | BBC Archive

Bernard Falk investigates a modern social phenomenon, commuting. What inspires hundreds of thousands of people to spend up to four hours a day commuting to work in London? How do they pass all that time spent cooped up inside crowded train carriages and buses?
Bernard meets all manner of people on his travels, from the Waterloo Station announcer Margaret Knight - who only ever sees the commuters from afar - to Spud Murphy, the helpful stationmaster at East Farleigh - who knows the names of every commuter at his station and tries to bring his own personal touch to their journeys. Solicitor Michael Gilbert uses his commute to write 'whodunit' novels, while another commuter writes poetry, and then there's the bridge players - for whom the daily commute is often too short.
Originally broadcast 4 October, 1976.
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[@alecstronach]

Regardless of who you are or what you believe in, I think the one thing we can all agree on is that the world needs more Spud

[@mccobsta]

Spud is a legend every station needs a spud

[@stefanxt350]

can you tell anything more about that nice man ?

[@djpeekay25]

The kind of person who deserves an OBE or MBE.

[@Chris_34]

A Sick Boy and Renton, also👍

[@mjstefansson7466]

@@stefanxt350 Spud is still alive at 116 and still enjoys breakdancing and collecting hardcore gay porn

[@prodigalretrod]

@@Chris_34 This Spud has even got the same surname as that Spud.

[@nickharvey7233]

Spud - fantastic. Making his little corner of the world better, bit by bit - if only more people took his approach to life. Lovely.

[@dommidavros2211]

I'd love to see what he's doing now! Is he still there?

[@danielf1313]

@@dommidavros2211 highly unlikely as the programme was made in 1976 and he was well into his 50s then.

[@jimtuite3451]

No Spud today... the station in now unmanned - ticket office closed in the 1980s and Spud with it

[@dommidavros2211]

@@danielf1313 Well where's he working now?

[@kcat80]

@@dommidavros2211 working? Are you kidding? He's probably over a century old, give the poor man a break

[@tomvernemusic]

That 'Overcrowded Railway Carriage' with everyone able to sit down made me laugh. Now that would mean you're stood nose to nose with a stranger for the entire journey!

[@hanvyj2]

The shots of the busy station... It's almost empty by today's standard.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@hanvyj2 I was wondering if it was due to population growth, but the UK’s only gone from 55 to 65 million in those 50 years. I suppose it must just be the migration from rural areas to the cities!

[@olivercuenca4109]

@@kaitlyn__L Either that, or the growing popularity of commuting in due to property prices. By the sounds of it, back then it was unusual to travel in for work. Nowadays in many cities it's just not expected that you live near work.

[@ElZilchoYo]

@@kaitlyn__L The rail service has been massively reduced, the network used to be huge but so many lines were closed because they didn't make profit, as if that's the only purpose of a railway or something. Less trains on each track too, for the same reason, you make more money cramming more people onto less trains.

[@bubba842]

​@@kaitlyn__Lit's definitely not because it's cheaper

[@RJH1971]

The interview with the station announcer over the tannoy is genius

[@ricjuk]

It wasn't really over the tannoy, they just added the echo and reverb in post production. You can see when she's actually announcing she's holding the tannoy button. Sorry, a career in film and TV makes you notice these things and spoils everything!

[@Scottish_TV_Gold]

@@ricjuk I don't have a career in film and TV but admittedly doubted she was actually speaking to him that way.

[@dameaustel]

@@ricjuk Never the less, it was still genius!

[@davidmeyer188]

Also featured in the Dick Emery movie from the 1970s.

[@postscript67]

@@davidmeyer188 "You want to take a photo of my bum?!" Great film.

[@markgatland977]

Please say there's a blue plaque to Spud at that station...what an absolute star

[@Megan-kn6gf]

Our lovely grandad he is missed by us all everyday a true gentleman x

[@2ndRodeo_Keziah]

Oh my, that's wonderful! Which one in the vid was your dear grandad? Spud, or the writer, or... ? 🥰❤

[@acciid]

Spud is now a ticket machine.

[@Khayyam-vg9fw]

And occasional swat teams of thugs in hi-vis jackets.

[@sb1056sb]

The mobile phone is what Spud is becoming.

[@krognak]

Amazing what updates in cosmetic surgery can accomplish

[@taiterobinson793]

😞

[@BABYWOLF--1966]

Those were the days when people knew your name and were courteous too

[@krognak]

Always love the long-distance shots with the presenter apparently talking to himself, and those around him looking perplexed as if he's just escaped from an institution

[@gogosegaga]

I love this channel reminds me why the UK was such a fabulous country.

[@fruitking6916]

Yes….WAS.

[@orlando124431]

Was

[@kelvinpell4571]

And now it's Somalia with added jihad.....thanks Blair.

[@Tarek_ElMaddah]

You guys are complaining from few thousands of immigrants that came after your armies destroyed their countries… quite hypocritical

[@asifitmatters1]

Was…

[@TheMusicianTom]

The announcer Margaret Knight was getting ideas above her station. I’ll get me coat.

[@RenegadeSound]

How dare you make a joke that funny 😄

[@Bigaitch]

It wasn't that funny - mind you I did laugh...😂​@@RenegadeSound

[@SoofwanMinhas]

Priceless 😂

[@premikyam2726]

a very attractive 1970s woman was Margaret

[@BobbyJohnson-n4u]

That hurt me kidneys. 😂😂

[@jamesfrench7299]

I keep expecting 1976 to look more dated but it constantly surprises me how it doesn't. It still looks like modern society. The station signs even look way ahead.

[@NoName-jq7tj]

Yes. The bored look of commuters in London is the same. The clothes don’t look dated at all. I think this would have filmed over the hot summer of 1976.

[@noahhughes2501]

Haha! That's because our rail service has largely stagnated since the 80s

[@NoName-jq7tj]

@@noahhughes2501 😂😂😂😂😂 Yes but fares are not at the 1980s price bracket.

[@JudgeHill]

I love how everyone is insisting "things looked the same" when they certainly did not from a couple crucial perspectives.

[@Bertie_Ahern]

People forget most had social media accounts, mobiles and laptops and there was a basic internet shopping offering from most retailers albeit with a smaller range of products than in recent times. But in general the experience of daily life was remarkably similar.

[@mtns7036]

Just eccentric Britain at its best. The long hot summer of 76' spud=legend

[@JohnHonda101]

Keep adding content like this, I was a happy 10 year old in 1976 with the world at my feet. Things like this make me reflect back to a happier time where I had my whole family around me.

[@TheMusicalElitist]

I love comments like yours: an old man who yearns for ‘simpler times’, using modern technology to do so. What a sad little man you are.

[@paulfitzpatrick3090]

I was in my last year at school. Never took the time to think what life would be like in 2024. Beyond my comprehension 😊

[@stephenwride5695]

​@@TheMusicalElitistC U Next Tuesdxy

[@steamgent4592]

The seating in the carriages was so much nicer back then compared to today's rail travel.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Absolutely! Around the Dorking area they had very springy bouncy seats.

[@MurphyOCP-001]

They were less concerned about fire safety back then.

[@JW93.]

Like sardines now

[@WeaselKing1000]

@@MurphyOCP-001 Remember proper bin men? Today's snowflakes are so worried about being burned to death, we just got on with it, health and safety gone mad.

[@ricjuk]

They still used those trains until around 2005. I remember the decline beginning around 2003 and it'd be increasingly special if you got to ride on one. They were infinitely cosier and comfier than the brightly lit, uncomfortable and plastic rubbish that replaced them.

[@snotwurfit]

I loved the old slam-door trains with their individual compartments where you could stick your head out of the window. Happy days

[@TheUltimateBlooper]

2:05 love it how people were just jumping off the train as it's still moving into the platform. Different time. Also... Please keep posting these little time capsules! I was born in '92, and I find all this stuff before my time to be absolutely fascinating! The BBC has a treasure trove of history in its archives O_O

[@markhouse256]

Slam those doors open!

[@fidelcatsro6948]

in India you can see people climbing to the top of the train as it moves as well.. even today!

[@AtheistOrphan]

Yeah I remember doing that, had to get your timing just right!

[@TheUltimateBlooper]

@@markhouse256 I think you can slam things *shut*, not open...

[@TheUltimateBlooper]

@@AtheistOrphan Sounds like fun to me! But I can see where someone could get their leg caught or trip and this would be a hazard. Obviously it's MUCH safer to do it the way we do now, but I can't help but think it would be fun to at least try this :)

[@timpage3142]

Bless you Spud. A unique level of respect and service to the paying passenger. None of this level of care given today in our un-staffed platforms. How regressive and so sad.

[@jamesdean1143]

RIP Bernard Falk BBC presenter 1943 - 1990

[@kaitlyn__L]

He was only 47? Damn.

[@garryleeks4848]

He was young

[@jamesdean1143]

@@garryleeks4848 He had a dodgy ticker.

[@garryleeks4848]

@@jamesdean1143 He looks older than 33 in that video

[@soloar2007]

He was just a kid

[@WhatIfJojoSiwaWasGay]

Everyone is talking about Spud, but the absolute poise and eliquence of Michael is incredible! The model English gentleman if ever I saw one

[@Quarker]

This was a strangely poetic way to look at commuting and almost feels ahead of its time in 1976. Also, the Helvetica font is literally being used for everything in this video!

[@djslybacon]

Helvética is the 70s….

[@Dunkcanio]

It's BR's own typeface, Rail Alphabet

[@bussesandtrains1218]

@@Dunkcanio anything and everything from 1965-1992 used the typeface

[@amandajane8227]

I see where Jago Hazzard gets his style. At the start I thought it was one of his videos.

[@c1v1lwar24]

The comb over really is a lost art.

[@minecraftlord568]

😂😂😂

[@garryleeks4848]

Needs to make a comeback 👍

[@JackSmith-kp2vs]

@garryleeks4848 Do you mean a comb back?

[@paulfitzpatrick3090]

Bobby Charlton and others

[@jonathanwalker7092]

May god if only all South-eastern Rail Staff were like Spud, they should use this as a training film.

[@joedimaggio3146]

They're all immigrants now

[@Reddsoldier]

@@joedimaggio3146 And that has a bearing on their customer service ability? No. What does though is that taking time to be a daily pleasantry is not nearly compensated for in pay and that I'm sure rail companies and their shareholders would throw a fit if they saw someone showing compassion and not charging people for the privilege.

[@analogueman123456787]

Truly, a lost world. 😞

[@karimkekhia4369]

ahhhh this is such a wonderful video and brings back many memories. the newspapers, the smoking, no mobile phones and the old slam door emu units on the southern…. and those orange curtains and first class compartments…amazing good days!!

[@soundseeker63]

This is absolutely brilliant "Corporate image BR" era footage. Peak BR you could say. Everything in standard blue or blue/grey, standard rail typface and double arrow symbols everywhere. Captures the hum drum (you could say drab) look of 70s commuting experience perfectly. Hum drum that is except for characters like Spud Murphy who take that level of pride in what they do. He was absolutely in his element, and it showed! Today the station would be unstaffed most likely and you'd get your tickets either via a card-only payment machine or via an app. Progress....?

[@hermanmunster3358]

Good old Spud, he was one in a million, the EPITOMY of good customer service. With a sense of duty that really did make his patrons feel highly valued.

[@charlescalthorp5375]

Those seats had a distinct smell, as did the carriages, and also the doors had a specific “clunk”. Lot’s of things one just take’s for granted then one day they are all gone

[@the8ctagon]

Those apostrophes that you added to "lots" and "takes" don't belong there. Please remove them forthwith.

[@Bigaitch]

Trains have a distinct smell now... probably different to the one you meant though...

[@thomasm1964]

Ah, slam door carriages! I was a kid in 1976 but still grew up to commute (for a few years) on the damn things. So glad to get out of London in the mid-eighties.

[@fidelcatsro6948]

congratulations

[@Nicefoolkilla]

I was born in the 80s

[@JayJay-nc7pr]

London must have changed a lot from the mid 70s to the mid 80s

[@spidyman8853]

@@JayJay-nc7pr Oh yea very much

[@snowdog9954]

You'd hop off as the train pulled in, had to time it just right though or you could fall flat on your face!

[@leeshapon]

what a charming little video! as a gen Z it’s always fascinating to glimpse into the past like this. spud seemed like an absolute sweetheart, RIP

[@JasmineSurrealVideos]

I thought this would be quite dull but it was a lovely piece of footage, Spud is a delight, and every station should have a Spud U Like lol (90s joke) and the writerly creativity of the commuters, plus the old solicitor chap was very much like my much missed grandfather in his demeanour and speech. Wonderful stuff. The attractive lady announcer in the booth had such a nice voice as well.

[@anthonyleighton4754]

The country had standards......things weren't dumbed down as much.....

[@tommysteele9487]

love these BBC films thanks for sharing them

[@WarrenCromartie2]

Love seeing these old trains. I was 7 in 1976. My dad would often take me to London Waterloo for days out. I was obsessed with trains. These days I find this same journey torturous.

[@clearskies]

Margaret is now an automated message

[@mistofoles]

"Morning ! Just making sure you're up, don't want you to miss your train !" "Bugger off, Spud, it's my day off."

[@TheUltimateBlooper]

Brilliant xD

[@louiem2]

😂

[@Chris_34]

Hahaha! 😂😂😂

[@BenDover-ln6ns]

Or he’s got his Mrs Bent over.

[@markpunt9638]

What’s a bizarre line to take. Commuted on the Brighton line from 1980 to 1990 and it was thoroughly enjoyable - buffet cars, card games, chess.More fun than working.

[@adamhughes4442]

I was 6 years old in 76. I remeber those old trains and slamming the doors. Memories of a better time.

[@essexginge9167]

Spud was a man who took pride in his job

[@jasonruston3315]

Spud is true customer service amazing

[@dameaustel]

Spusd Murphy, should be remembered as a national hero. Spuds Commuters club! Imagine a morning call from the station master! WOW!

[@sc3599]

Great video. Seeing the crowds at Waterloo and comparing with today makes the demographic change that has taken place since then quite stark.

[@fiverZ]

But apparently it's a "conspiracy theory" if you notice it

[@benfisher1376]

It's quite shocking

[@donlogan83]

Ironically Waterloo is one of the places where it’s least visible, given where the trains head to from there

[@retrodude123]

@@fiverZliterally no one calls it a conspiracy theory - anything you can check in the census is not a conspiracy theory my friend 😂

[@fiverZ]

@@retrodude123 It does get called a conspiracy theory...

[@davewalker7126]

I can remember that being broadcast! It was the lady in the booth talking back to the reporter using the PA (although I can see now it was not real) that jogged the memory.

[@thetartanspartan01]

I'm glad even the Beeching cuts could not defeat Spud.

[@lbukem4259]

It's programmes like this that make you realise we're closer to the 70s than we realise - daily routines have hardly changed.

[@scottyunitedboy2925]

With one difference…the human touch is almost completely gone

[@Hashterix]

If you pay closer attention you'll realise that other than the buildings and rails being in the same place, and that people still commute, literally everything else has changed. From the technology through to the people themselves and how we interact today. People are complete strangers today and the cohesion in the society you see in the video is now completely vacant.

[@JewelKnightJess]

The world needs more Spuds!!

[@scottg3456]

What a gent Spud was, if only stations had workers like him now. Also crazy to see passengers could smoke on the trains back then!

[@azuma892]

Even railway enthusiasts hate commuting, unless their train is a class due to be withdrawn from service soon, people tend to only treasure things when they are gone. 😉

[@WeaselKing1000]

Witness the baffling affection for the atrocious and wholly without-redeeming-features Pacers here in the UK. Goodbye to them - and good riddance.

[@jasonl4411.]

What a lovely piece of history

[@pprc5363]

These days Spud would be charged with stalking for phoning people.

[@garryleeks4848]

Spud commuters club , wonder if it’s still going, good old spud

[@Flaccidtetris]

Love the bit at 0:34 where the train leaves as they're interviewing him haha

[@garryleeks4848]

Probably a banker

[@rench1984]

People moaned like hell about British Railways in the 1970's. With the state of the railways in 2024, I bet people would go back to 1970's British Railways in a heartbeat!

[@Housey1985]

Not sure, the problem with BR was it was entirely reliant on government for its funding and that led to horrific lack of capital investment from 60s to late 80s. Would a new BR be any different?

[@mirzaahmed6589]

No, they wouldn't.

[@rench1984]

@@mirzaahmed6589well we will see. Because it’s about the happen under an incoming Labour government.

[@karenpff2010]

Rench1984 clearly never learned of the Beeching Cuts and the "Plan to Modernise the Railway" back then :/ It wasn't all sweetness and roses back then.

[@rench1984]

@@karenpff2010still isn’t now

[@Thomas-yr9ln]

I was 21 back in them days. It seemed like I had forever but now I fear tomorrow.

[@robertmarsh3588]

Lots of us feel like this I suspect though I was 12 at the time (and an avid trainspotter), so a little behind you.

[@ChrisGWGreen]

Spud brought me to tears!! Utter legend!

[@harrynewiss4630]

what a nice country England used to be

[@4nna5]

love the little snippets of Morgenspaziergang in this

[@MrJohnQCitizen]

the sound of all those wooden doors slamming. Simply sensational

[@JarrodBaniqued]

I love the use of the midsection of Rossini’s Thieving Magpie overture here

[@plinkplanky]

I thought it was from The last track on Kraftwerk's autobahn album

[@Pyhantaakka]

That's a country I would like to visit.

[@bluecardholder]

That was me in '76 - although my journey was less arduous from the suburbs of London it still eat into the day especially in winter when you never saw the sun during the week.

[@davidbrazier9246]

Spud gave me advice on constructing a rockery.

[@alexgreen3662]

“Some will pay up to £1000 a year for a season ticket”.. wow and that was in 1976 when houses in Manchester and Liverpool were still like £5000. That’s an expensive season ticket

[@leeosborne3793]

£1000 in 1976 is the equivalent of just over £6400 in 2024.

[@cz2301]

I’d love to see John Cleese dressed as a policeman and arresting the reporter who is screaming in the middle of the platform. He could even come into the scene as the Minister of Funny Walks.

[@haillyc7227]

I like you

[@lukemitchell1975]

Or blakey off the buses

[@iancragg6192]

Michael Gilbert’s novels are being republished in the British Library Crime Classics series.

[@stephenholt4670]

3:19 - I imagine people around the station were a little confused to hear Margaret's one-sided conversation broadcast on the tannoy!

[@greentambourine2323]

The wonderful Michael Gilbert scribbling away there, I have just read his Game Without Rules book of short stories.

[@spitfires1979]

It is amazing to see the Home Counties and London full of English people, I had almost forgotten what it was like before the age of mass-immigration.

[@timecapsule.]

I wish we still had "Spuds" at stations today.

[@insanitymp4447]

You can often get a friendly face at the station cafe

[@Virsho]

this feels like I am time traveling

[@sheppo]

It's remarkable how little the look of commuting has changed in 46 years.

[@richardwills-woodward5340]

Try more than 150 years! It was similar in the latter half of the 1800's. The modern world and commuting was created in the UK for better or worse.

[@aaronhughes3648]

I recognised East Farleigh immediately as it was one of my train stations when I worked for Southeastern before I moved abroad 4 years ago. Basically I did what Spud did but I had 10 train stations and had to try get to them all during a 7hour 12 minute shift. I only had time to quickly clean, put up posters about engineering work (on Mondays) and check/ do general maintenance on the ticket machine so I could never have offered the service Spud did. I did work with some people who would have worked with Spud and they all would talk about how it was much better and happier working on the railway in the past. The station building when I was there was used by the signalman I didn't have access to it but it's not in the best of condition.

[@kaitlyn__L]

That’s such a shame, and doubtless a symptom of “rationalisation” and cost cutting. “Why do we need all these full-time station managers when we could pay only one to drive around the area?” 🤦‍♀️

[@jackr1779]

Bless Spud! Fly high lovely fellow!

[@Alan_GA]

"Sits in isolated splendor, 13 feet above the station" British reporters of yesteryear had a knack for words.

[@robertw9651]

I used to go to college for 3 years on the slammers in Kent in the mid to late 90s. I still miss the smell and sound of them not to mention they were far more comfortable than anything modern.

[@seanculligan8592]

Spud Murphy, what a hero!

[@eduardoblancas8452]

I'm a Cambridge method student of English and I tried to emulate the voice of Bernard Falk. He has a true british accent! The problem is that even with my xenoglossia (ability to emulate voices and accents easily from others), it was difficult. It was for an school video in the high school and achieving Falk's accent in 3 days was too difficult Also, talking about commuters, in Mexico we will have a commuter between Mexico City and the new airport in Tecámac, but no one uses it. As in the Mexico City Subway, the commuter between Mexico City and Huehuetoca is falling down in pieces, causing delays even if it was opened in 2001.

[@Quebecoisegal]

For a while I traveled from Tunbridge Wells to London, and was amused by the way people queued up expecting the door to be opposite where they stood and they really didn't like it if you got on before they did. I learnt after a few months to walk to Tunbridge Wells West, get on before them, and avoid their petty unpleasantness. Spud was clearly a man who enjoyed his job and had a way with people, a great example of how to do it.

[@veggie42]

OMG a shame that the railway was gone

[@Luna.3.3.3]

2024 - Good luck finding a gem 💖 like *Spud* now days. Absolute Gentleman.🌹❤

[@NubianPrince85]

Love it .....and love Spud...the good old days!

[@claudiodimarino5068]

Only British People. Lovely and lost world.

[@skoilandrz9863]

bit racist mate

[@BDub2024]

Who or what replaced Spud. Hard shoes to fill.

[@zebedep]

Great film! Interesting variety of rolling stock.

[@alanyearsley9731]

Indeed, including some of the high density VEP units complete with curtains throughout and Kent Coast route CEPs before their 1980s refurbishment.

[@thomasawl]

spud my beloved

[@johnhagan-zr4pm]

Good ol' Spud

[@nullnull7495]

Wow. Spud is soo sweet

[@MarknoblesAcidhouseparty]

we grew up in Benfleet ... was great seeing this

[@darleytransportandtravel6353]

A first class compartment! If only we could see luxuries like that today.

[@bernardwallace4165]

According to the railway website, East Farleigh is now unstaffed so no more Spuds.

[@acciid]

Shareholder value.

[@leeosborne3793]

@@acciid Ticket office was closed in 1989, so the nationalised British Rail did it.

[@stevenj2380]

Stunning they had doors to compartments the rider could open! OMG. Quaint, civil dangerous (?)

[@pmacc3557]

Brilliant Mr. Spud❤

[@JohnHonda101]

Oh, I doff my cap to Spud.

[@dkveg]

“Overcrowded carriage” with nobody standing and people sitting on comfy armchairs.😂

[@veggie42]

and no mobiles. People actually talked. Hardly any people of colour you might get the odd staff or cleaner

[@veggie42]

women were secretaries and trolley dollys

[@leeosborne3793]

They weren't comfy armchairs unless you forked out for first class. The 2+3 seating in a 1950s vintage BR suburban carriage was horribly cramped, and you got trodden on and blasted by the weather every time the train stopped at a station.

[@bt3743]

why are you nostalgic for no ethnic minorities?@@veggie42

[@orlando124431]

They don’t make them like spud anymore.

[@johnk6312]

Bit of kraftwek playing in the back ground

[@AtheistOrphan]

I wondered where I’d heard that flute bit before! Thank you.

[@acciid]

They used it on autobahn but is it not just them playing a traditional tune?

[@johnk6312]

@@acciid I used to wonder that as it does sound traditional I think the english to german translation of this tune is morning walk.

[@Holeyguagaamoley]

I loved those old trains.See how quickly everyone got off the carriage, also very quiet if you had one of those compartments to yourself.

[@andyhall7032]

you mean the deathtrap doors and the compartments where you could be alone with one other unhinged drunken person ?

[@TheUltimateBlooper]

There's a reason behind not letting people jump out of moving trains and opening their own flimsy doors anymore.

[@Holeyguagaamoley]

Say what you like but those doors are not flimsy

[@TheUltimateBlooper]

@@Holeyguagaamoley Ok, flimsy or not - does not change the fact that letting an increasingly dense group of people jump off a moving train is plain unsafe.

[@incognito_.]

@@Holeyguagaamoley trains are way better and safer now

[@dronespace]

Spud is a legend

[@PompeyBoy66]

This is wonderful. Spud I like.

[@mistofoles]

Spud's cap defied gravity.

[@patriciaoreilly8907]

Spud life's characters you will never forget but happy 😊 you met