1978: Ruislip ROUNDABOUT Is BAFFLING | Nationwide | Weird and Wonderful | BBC Archive

[@Larry]

They kept the roundabout there for years, well into the late '90s. Used to be called the "double yolker" roundabout.

[@garryleeks4848]

Lovely jubly

[@ltipst2962]

You're a double yolker! Classic

[@ok2760]

And that area was where I learned to drive. I'm sure I even went through that roundabout on my test although I remember I only turned left from Eastcote Road and then went up the hill where the test ended (after only 20 mins!). And no theory test! This was 1991 though.

[@grassytramtracks]

There are still some about the place

[@JC20XX]

Hello you

[@heiltd1286]

Wow Diane Harron was something else. Red haired women certainly have an allure.

[@jdm65]

Just a single roundabout now, fact fans. Disappointingly, nobody mispronounced 'Ruislip' but a nice appearance by EL Wisty as the driving instructor.

[@garryleeks4848]

Well he sounds exciting, boring voice

[@upthebuffer1921]

@@garryleeks4848 That was their reference kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJK2dJR-nrxlbNk

[@brandonlee7382]

I can't believe they didn't explain how a roundabout works to her, feel bad for her lol

[@simmadpaul2880]

Love the nosey neighbour with the fake window shutters which were popular back then. Also this roundabout is child's play compared to the magic roundabout in Hemel Hempstead :)

[@diond1333]

I've just had a look on Google maps, and that house still has those shutters, but now painted white. Ironically, they also have net curtains up but didn't in 1978.

[@s125ish]

Swindon beats that

[@rogersmith8339]

Who knows of the famous magic roundabout in Hemel Hempstead? A totally fantastic idea that is so cheap to make and maintain, does not depend upon power and cannot be broken. The two previous layouts of that junction were a total nightmare!

[@argonaut6386]

I do, as I don't live too far away. Took my kids around it with L plates on lol.

[@argonaut6386]

@carruthers100 They've done the same thing in Wycombe too over the years. The A40 is now a nightmare.

[@rogersmith8339]

@carruthers100 I know, or rather knew Aylesbury a few years back and it was getting bad then. There used to be a huge roundabout along the road from me here on a 5 way junction. It was always fairly dodgy because it was too wide and people went too fast round it. It is now a traffic light controlled junction and extremely confusing. Quite a few people end up going the wrong way up one of the lanes due to the odd stagger. When the power goes or someone takes out a set of lights it is carnage! It would have been the perfect place for a magic roundabout and smoothed the traffic flow wonderfully.

[@garryleeks4848]

Haha like magic roundabout, the nosey neighbour looking out of the window

[@spidyman8853]

Blimey, It's a bit posh in Ruislip in the 70s. Nice area back then. I wonder what it turned out to be now 2022?

[@billyoneill7381]

It was definitely a nice area when I grew there but nowhere near posh. Been 6 years so can't say what it's like now.

[@nigeljames6017]

Used to live just up the road from here, don’t remember it being “posh”, or the out of date cars / hair styles / clothes but I suppose it was indicative of the time we lived in then ! I’m just old !

[@lewisclark1122]

Wouldn't say it's super posh nowadays, but it's nice.

[@nigeljames6017]

@@lewisclark1122 Thanks for the update !

[@minimaxi802]

Morris Marina RWJ464R died in 1986.

[@kevfit4333]

Go to the Kinsale road roundabout in Cork Ireland. It's a double multilane roundabout with traffic lights for good measure😆

[@leroyw62]

"so much traffic" Lol if only she knew what was coming

[@woodcraft_cz]

I lived off this road on kings college, wrote my first car off on that round about to a speeding cab 😩

[@ForgetReligion3179]

I didn't see the complication with that roundabout. Just give way to those coming from your right and then turn off on the direction you need, she made it more complicated than it was.

[@simrag]

Well we know that now. But it was a brand new thing in the driving world back then. Maybe nobody explained the rules to her

[@hepphepps8356]

You don’t give way to people from the right in a roundabout(or left for normal countries), you give way to the ones already in it. Often this is the same thing, but it is an important distinction in this case!

[@argonaut6386]

@@hepphepps8356 Yeah.... you try not giving way to tragic waiting on the right on a mini roundabout in rush hour.

[@dacorum8053]

I remember that double roundabout set up. I understand the Council ended up removing it and replacing it with a conventional single roundabout because there were more accidents, particularly at off peak times in the evenings and at night.

[@lyle.mp4]

Diane Harron walked so that Catherine Tate could run

[@garryleeks4848]

✌️

[@drankfrebin]

Controversial agenda

[@ltipst2962]

As usual BBC, superb. I hope your execs look at this content knowing full well what they have lost and what they need.

[@tonyhancock3912]

Don't hold your breath ☹

[@ltipst2962]

@@tonyhancock3912 I've faith. Want to kick start my takeover of the BBC methods? Someone will do it eventually

[@westminsterwatcher5152]

Ah the nostalgia!

[@ashleyburns6752]

Never heard the Irish are bad drivers thing but I was born in 92

[@johnq4951]

The reporter is from 1892.

[@joefinan9483]

Roind and roind the roindaboit.

[@sporkfindus4777]

She's really cool, even with the Morris Marina

[@roggieLondon]

I live 1 house off the corner, Mum is still there. Trying to work out where the high up shots came from, I guess our next door neighbour. Must ask her. To be fair it was put in to try to stop lots of collisions, we always had a blanket available for casualties (to keep them warm not to cover them up). I think the adverse comments caused the council to remove it rather than it not working. There is still a similar roundabout (s) in SE4.

[@snupmadra3787]

4:17 it actually makes sense and would be a good idea if people were taught.

[@bondbug73]

You couldn't drive around in circles on the same roundabout for minutes on end in a Marina nowadays without triggering car horns on other cars.

[@garryleeks4848]

If the driving instructor is confused 🤷‍♀️god help us

[@Volker_GR]

It is rumored that this was a suggestion from the Body Shop Association 🙂

[@MegaCunnie]

‘Roundabout Experiment Ahead’ probably means roundabout experiment ahead. 😂

[@northernsnow6982]

Congrats you understand what a roundabout is 40+ years after the first one. I suppose you can tell me, what reservoir computing is, without looking it up. Explain what it is, how it works and the purpose for the experiment. It's brand new, but you should know what it's about, because it exists. It doesn't matter if it's a new experiment or not, you should know what it is.

[@MegaCunnie]

@@northernsnow6982 just waiting on my shoes coming home. Then I’ll let you know babe.

[@smadaf]

Thank goodness it's an ordinary roundabout again. 51°34'41"N 0°24'59"W

[@Pymmeh]

"Look kids, Big Ben!"

[@humphreywilson1125]

There's one of these in Chipping Norton!

[@crowlord]

There was a double donut like this in Dunstable. It was detested.

[@Freffs]

"How can she not know how to do it" this is a TV presenter bit guys, I think she probably knows😂

[@slalomsteve]

Out of all of the drivers using the roundabout, she's the only one 'confused' about it.

[@reecedillon5140]

You should try the magic roundabout in Swindon

[@deldirk7123]

Ah Diane 'Daredevil' Harron. Its a coincidence but in Ireland in the 1990s and 2000s there were traffic light controlled roundabouts at many intersections of the normal roads with the expanding motorway network. By the mid 2010's they seem to be adoping the 'spaghetti junction' model for such intersections. to replace the traffic light controlled roundabouts. I wonder where they got the idea from?

[@garryleeks4848]

Some idiot from the council

[@ElectrickSoundz]

Miss u too

[@rebirthaudio2023]

God knows what she'd make of the Armley Gyratory in rush hour!

[@mockbattles]

Is this peculiar double roundabout still there?

[@lesleykeddy5612]

No - long gone

[@campbellgraham1979]

@@lesleykeddy5612 I wonder why?

[@garryleeks4848]

She’s still driving around it

[@mockbattles]

@@garryleeks4848 🤪

[@givenchyhomme8694]

I like her. She looks like Natasha Lyonne in Russian Doll.

[@ChooChooTheCat8899]

Never heard of this lady, i must confess we used to watch Crossroads on the other side , not the best thing to confess i know.

[@garryleeks4848]

What’s crossroads

[@jasonayres]

Oh well, since other folks are reflecting on the great roundabouts in their local area, I thought I'd share my own memories of a local roundabout, the largest in the region. Up until the mid-1950's, we had trams go through our area, but were replaced with diesel engine buses, which had to struggle through town with the rest of the traffic. In the middle of a large intersection, Council decided to place a large, concrete roundabout. Come the 90's, and with people becoming more environmentally conscious (-speaking of conscious, I hope you haven't passed out yet-), Council planted large, native trees in the middle of the roundabout, that drivers had trouble driving around. Having many exits into small streets, with the concrete/tree laden roundabout as a focal point, "The 9 Ways" as it was affectionately known (by Government) became very dangerous. Local people dubbed it, "The 9 Ways to Die". The thing became so dangerous, Council removed the native tree garden, returning it to it's former round concrete slab appearance. Several years ago, Government decided to return trams to the area, and dug up "The 9 Ways". Now it has traffic lights installed, and never has any car accidents. Councils..

[@zebedep]

Morris Marina... ;-)

[@OlafProt]

wow 0:03 wouldn't🤣🤣🤣 get past the police these days

[@torgman]

Traffic lights, anyone?

[@elfidge1]

A miniature version of the Scilly Isles roundabout. We did it properly in Surbiton. Or Esher. Or Hampton Court. Or Claygate. Or Hinchley Wood

[@sarahlouise7163]

yes, of course, have two roundabouts where one would suffice

[@baby_joe]

I love the first line: 'they say the Irish are bad drivers...'

[@SB-qc4qg]

Cracked me up

[@freddiebozwell7049]

And me!

[@MuckyPup115]

I thought that was Jennifer Saunders.

[@soulman77able]

That's easy. Magic roundabout in Swindon had five

[@garryleeks4848]

Same in Colchester, people we’re going all over the place

[@rjy8960]

Had? Has it gone now?

[@garryleeks4848]

@@rjy8960 now 10

[@spidyman8853]

Oh yea, the amount of trips I made between London and Swindon in the 90s. I remember seeing them roundabouts and panicking

[@rjy8960]

@@spidyman8853 I always avoided it - I used to go down to Swindon from the Midlands regularly and the thought of the Magic Roundabout and ending up going round and round it in perpetuity filled me with dread :)

[@adambutterworth7608]

Someone tell her that ‘right of way’ doesn’t exist for a start.

[@dobythedog]

"The Irish are bad drivers" lol. Can't say that these days!

[@campbellgraham1979]

You just did 😂😂

[@தமிழோன்]

I was looking for this comment.

[@matthewknight4318]

I think the presenter is Irish, so that does make a difference

[@grassytramtracks]

​@@matthewknight4318 is she?? Doesn't sound Irish

[@112chapters3]

@@grassytramtracks public school Irish ra ra

[@jameshaywood878]

We have something similar close to where I live, it's on the junction of the Broadway and the Birmingham road in Walsall. Years ago it was a normal roundabout without any problems, then some moron must have had the stupid idea to change it to a double roundabout , confusing to anyone who hasn't seen it before, and totally pointless, even the sat nav can't get it right.

[@fonziebulldog5786]

When something simple for some reason becomes very difficult ... ROUNDABOUTS.

[@aclark903]

My ambitions to pass my driving test died at #Broadwater roundabout several times. At least I didn't.

[@ukkiwilady]

There's no driver worse than a New Zealand driver

[@ballisticmissl7919]

Not very fun fact: This was the junction where a small girl was killed by a drunk driver

[@Paul_Templer]

0:25 'Ryndabyte' experiment, wonder what that means? 😬

[@janeemilybosques8687]

When people spoke properly

[@Paul_Templer]

@@janeemilybosques8687 I beg to differ.... I think you mean " BBC English" like BARTH instead of Bath? 😉

[@janeemilybosques8687]

Umm no.. I’m not talking about accents! I just think that there’s an inverted snobbery these days.

[@wardproductions2792]

@@janeemilybosques8687 literally barely anyone speaks posh now. On the bbc its all unprofessional cockney sounding people saying 'alright mate'

[@OidHunter]

Haha.. This is every person that comes across the Magic Roundabout in Swindon nowadays 😂

[@mel14sky]

They say the Irish are bad drivers

[@ElectrickSoundz]

Ebet never coat of arms yootoo

[@kevfit4333]

Is she Irish so?

[@deannculver7969]

I'm in the US and they're making these here now. I don't understand and these are horrible.

[@peterbrown7092]

It was introduced because there were high volumes of north to east and south to west traffic. This arrangement allowed them to pass without conflict - unless you want to insult the Irish and stereotype and ridicule a 1970's 'woman driver' by deliberately and repeatedly making unnecessary turns around both roundabouts or put her at risk by standing in the middle of an overunnable island in the name of 'humour'. I am sure it was amusing to someone back then. Bear with while I stitch my sides back together.

[@flagpoleeip]

she's making it worse.

[@Traveller69]

Kind of reassuring to know that idiotic, intelligence insulting news items such as this were also around when I was a child.

[@ryanohara476]

The Irish are bad drivers! 😯🤣🤣🤣

[@jameshaywood878]

It doesn't seem difficult to me, but i also don't see the point of it , totally stupid really.

[@mancavehobbies6213]

Know it even in the 70's women couldn't drive 🤣

[@dkveg]

Russian Doll.

[@garryleeks4848]

Helga

[@dkveg]

@@garryleeks4848 Ruth?

[@garryleeks4848]

@@dkveg arina

[@donegal79]

well starting off with a racist comment about Irish drivers, is not a good start. And then she proceeded to act like an idiot going round and round......

[@CasparAremi]

She is Irish herself, she was making a joke. She’s talking in a BBC style accent, which she probably had to do just to get on the air in the early 70s. You can pick up a bit of her own accent when she says roundabout and it sound a bit like roy-ind.

[@Akniy]

It was clearly a joke

[@barrygreen9341]

Hardly racist.

[@donegal79]

@@barrygreen9341 it is the very definition of racism but then again you're English so there's that.

[@donegal79]

@@Akniy clearly racism

[@brocktoon8]

Woman driver, that's the problem 😂 (joking)

[@detectingadventuresscotlan6177]

Had to be women driver 😋 no harm meant

[@garryleeks4848]

Uuuu expect a backlash there , wouldn’t want to be in your shoes 😂😂😂

[@detectingadventuresscotlan6177]

@@garryleeks4848 😋😋 wouldn't like be in her passenger seat no discredit to female drivers 👍

[@garryleeks4848]

@@detectingadventuresscotlan6177 you mean sitting next to Kate bush , she would probably do that weird dance while driving 😬

[@iseegoodandbad6758]

They are a real danger yes.

[@detectingadventuresscotlan6177]

@@garryleeks4848 I heard she's still on that roundabout redeveloped area around her 😋

[@swaneknoctic9555]

Well it wouldn't baffle me, then again I am a man.

[@campbellgraham1979]

Thin ice. Wafer thin 😂😂😂

[@deanstanley5799]

Two tidy boilers there 😂