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

Eye to Eye follows the British holidaymakers who take the 'Big Gamble' every summer - those who are willing to risk their savings on a stay at a British seaside resort - despite the very real possibility that it may be spoiled by bad weather.
Jack Warner narrates this documentary by Pamela Bower and Richard Cawston, which was filmed by James Balfour at Broadstairs beach.
Clip taken from Eye to Eye: The Big Gamble, originally broadcast on BBC Television, 30 August, 1957.
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[@augustseptember3503]

Born in 1951, I'd loved to have experienced it, but my parents spent their time arguing with one another 24/7 for all of my young years. We never went for even a day out anywhere. Aged seven I discovered books & spent many hours within an enchanted world under the bedclothes at night with a good book & my trusty torch, which kept me sane as my parents argued with their constant shouting & screaming matches downstairs! I often think, that's what made me such a good parent to my own kids! I chose a wonderful girl to be my wife & she became the most wonderful mother to our children, all four of whom experienced an amazing, magical childhood!

[@ZL54JK8]

I'm sorry you lost out on childhood happiness. Your parents seem to have lost out in their young lives too.

[@Beachsider]

1952 - quite similar, but it gradually got better 😂

[@JillLawton-zt8me]

How lovely be very proud.

[@cathydyer3774]

Well done for showing love to your wife and children.

[@citizen1163]

Glad it turned out well for you ❤

[@NormanNormal-k3t]

71 years old here and that brings memories of holidays with my mother and father. I am still that boy and how I wish I could go back to those days.

[@carolinehops]

Same here xxx

[@NormanNormal-k3t]

@@carolinehops Nice to see another child at heart 🙂

[@tonyjauncey2373]

Same here, I am 71 as well and this is really stirring up some very happy memories for me

[@janethough2600]

I am 71 as well and wish we could wave a magic wand and wish ourselves back a few decades! We were so lucky to be brought up in the 50's and 60's. So very different from this present day.

[@lindajenkinson5206]

I’m 76 I never had a weeks holiday when I was a little girl, always two day trips first week of the main weeks holidays and two the following week,in my adult life I’ve been lucky to have a static van in wales for our family spending the whole 6 wks school hols and Easter etc,holidays in last few years have also also been to USA to visit my son.all hols enjoyed in different ways .

[@admiralcraddock464]

Love seeing those little kids tottering about enjoying themselves. I`m 70yrs old so I could easily have been one of these children then. Simple family holidays, fantastic

[@haroldofcardboard]

fully entertained and happy off something as pleasant and simple as a punch and judy show. kids now would think it wierd. bless you sir.

[@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

[@sharonhyde7735]

​@@gavinathlingme too sent it to my mum, well treated

[@nigelheath7048]

Not this film but there are some films a chap found in a box he bought in a charity shop of family holidays and events mainly the 60s. He uploaded them and the girl who was the new baby and growing up actually saw them and got in touch which I thought was brilliant

[@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

[@bardo0007]

@@arilebon First we need his full name, the rest is easy if he owned a business

[@katescarratt4267]

Yes, I wondered the same.

[@AnneAlready]

Oh I wondered exactly the same! He said his fish and chip shop was "up North". I'm fervently hoping he was able to make a good life for himself as his own boss....Mr Gowland I think was his name?

[@katescarratt4267]

Oh, poor Valerie! She looks thoroughly fed up, bless her, and her father sounds bossy and prissy. I hope she did well at school, went to University, and got a good job. And lived happily ever after!

[@orcharddweller1109]

The dear girl had to wear her school blazer on holiday. You wouldn't catch a child doing that these days.

[@angelahobbs1280]

I went to Broadstairs in 1973. I loved the charm and sunshine and remember getting knocked over by a big wave. Lovely video makes my heart ache for times and people gone by. ❤❤❤

[@hara3435]

Yes Angela , I know what You mean, makes me Wonder are most people's Hearts aching for past times. For me my parents & aunts & Uncles made those times, & My heart really aches for them.

[@sarahc2533]

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

[@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.

[@EuniceStone-s9j]

So how did your life turn out.??

[@garethpepin6167]

@@EuniceStone-s9j GREAT THANKS

[@debfryer2437]

These are the scenes of my childhood where people were civilized at the seaside. It was the highlight of my childhood. I live in the Arizona desert now and I do miss the sea.

[@brianevans4200]

Civilised till along came the Mods and Rockers!

[@jamesbyrne9312]

Why do all the people who say they love the UK end up leaving haahahah

[@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.

[@seanoconnor5737]

Exactly the same in the building game, The rich "posh" people offer you nothing never say thankyou never chat with us and kind of look down at you. Normal working class give us lots of tea and biscuits their door is always open and appreciate what we do for them. Don't really like working for snobs.

[@maire428]

I was born that summer. My parents took us to Weston super Mare, Paignton and Gorran Haven for family holidays in the early 60s.These people all look like my family: my aunt sitting in a deckchair with a blanket over her knees, knitting;my mum in her lovely summer dresses, the dads with their pipes, the children watching Punch and Judy shows and riding donkeys. I live near the south coast now and it’s so different with slot machines, drinking, everything has changed. It’s funny how some of the councillors objected to the railway! And the film was narrated beautifully by Jack Warner. Evening All! (That’s another story).

[@JohnShuba]

I remember this very well. My mum was from Weston-super-Mare and married an American GI. We went back to Weston often in the fifties and sixties to visit her family. It was magical. The morning on the seafront was filled with the smells of fish and chips being prepared and the sea air rolling in. For some reason, I didn't care if it rained. There was a bus depot where from which day trips would leave for Bath, Cheddar, and other towns. And there was the Grand Pier with all of the shops, stands, and games. It was completely safe. I was ten years old and allowed to run all over town as long as I came back for meals. Great memories.

[@MrKopchai]

I'm 81 now, and grew up in Broadstairs - 1943 to 1953 - before leaving for New Zealand when I was 10. Those years are among my best memories. I returned for a visit when I was 50 in 1992, the whole town had hardly changed! We lived in Stanley road which wasn't far from a lot of beaches, but Viking Bay was my favorite beach.

[@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

[@suedearing-ex7ve]

Yes! Also the raincoat hanging on an arm just in case.

[@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.

[@elliotsnook7092]

Broadstairs still looks very similar.

[@joesoy9185]

The donkeys have disappeared. Morelli´s ice cream parlour is still doing good business. They have branches in exotic places like Monte Carlo, Dubai. Kuwait, but also in Harrods, Covent Garden and Portobello Road in London. In general, seaside towns in Britain no longer attract the same numbers of tourists as in the 50s, as many of them spend their holidays abroad. Nevertheless, Broadstairs has managed to retain much of the charm it had in the 50s.

[@katescarratt4267]

Glad to hear it.

[@annawarner7516]

Wow! That was pure nostalgia for me! During the 60's, every summer, my grandparents and me went for a week's hols on the Kent coast. The guest house, donkeys, sunburn (or windburn!) it all comes flooding back! 😅

[@welshlad6427]

I was born at the end of the 60s and loved my Childhood holidays in the 70s and early 80s. However I look at the 50s era and for families it looked like such a happy time. Always fascinated by how everyone wore their best outfits to head to the beach. Great vlog ❤

[@edwright480]

I felt a bit sorry for the girl in her school blazer, she looked like a teenager -not cool.

[@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.

[@JonasWEBnorge]

This is like watching a movie, well done 1956!

[@sharonhyde7735]

Love all these British classics films

[@senianns9522]

Born 1952 South London. Family had little money. Odd day trips to Newhaven Sussex. Flask of soup and ham or cheese crusty rolls. Loved it--days of innocence! No contempt or envy. Everyone we met was similarly placed!

[@annasutton8078]

That was lovely, a trip down memory lane.

[@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.)

[@clavichord]

Very good picture and sound quality, indeed. Almost like being there. The language used is more formal than today, and yet I find it surprisingly informal amongst those interviewed, depending on their class background. I am surprised that "to get a kick" out of something, was already used in every day speech in the 1950s

[@eileenflannigan709]

@@clavichord Well, Cole Porter's song 'I Get a Kick Out of You' featured in the musical 'Anything Goes' in the 1930's.

[@clavichord]

@@eileenflannigan709 Good point!

[@joesoy9185]

@@eileenflannigan709 1934 to be precise.

[@katescarratt4267]

Thank you for the information about the cinematographer and producer.

[@cecilefox9136]

Everbody seems so decent and courteous,a lovely time to live,I think.

[@Martinique_36]

Everyone is so nicely dressed even for the beach.

[@ry491]

It really was a good time to be alive . Trust me , I was there. I'm 85 .

[@cecilefox9136]

@@ry491 How wonderful for answering. You were a 28 year old than!🥰

[@zeddeka]

"seemed". TV was totally elitist back then and everything was brushed under the carpet. I can assure you that there was a very, very nasty side to life back then that they wouldn't have dreamed of showing on TV. Domestic violence and child abuse were absolutely rife. But nobody ever talked about it because life was so repressive.

[@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.

[@lancebeswick5353]

Brings back some great memories: staying in a B and B, building sandcastles, playing in the water and not caring about the crowds. Going on the pier with lots of pennies for the machines... Memories of 70 years ago!

[@timtaylor1365]

I was born and brought up in Broadstairs. How lucky we were to have that childhood on the sunny beaches, all ice cream, clowns and donkey rides, the waves sparkling in the sun....how fortunate....

[@ladylaois8184]

I really enjoyed this. Made me very nostalgic. This was a time people were more appreciative and less shallow, simpler times. Not one overweight child or adult and people looked so much healthier to.

[@carolinehops]

Yes it’s very nostalgic…the good old days. People were more respectful,n refined,even lower classes ,better dressed and proud people.

[@edwright480]

They were probably still on rations!

[@margaretcostigan5512]

Hi lady Laois. Are u from Laois????

[@katescarratt4267]

​@@edwright480Not in 1957, it ended in 1954. But they weren't eating endless fast food.

[@Catherine-259-s5u]

I really enjoyed this! Thank you.

[@lynryall1317]

Remember this even at my age, carefree times. Xxx

[@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?

[@sphinxtheeminx]

I grew up in a seaside town. We never had the money to pay for holidays beyond the odd day trip, and we certainly couldn't afford this kind of kids' entertainment. Except - there was a miniature railway where, if you collected tickets for the driver, you were rewarded with one free ride - up to 6 hours collecting for one ride. And there were pony rides where, if you walked the ponies round a short ring, you were rewarded - after a day's work - with one free pony ride. Both of these jobs were incredibly sought after and some kids arrived at 8am to do them - first come, first served. I was 10 when I had my turns at both of them.

[@victorsilvester78]

Broadstairs has not changed much. Beautiful and charming.

[@Viewer-12310]

No umbrellas in those days.

[@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.

[@EuniceStone-s9j]

Bless her. Probably married a bloke of her own class and lives in a council estate in same town living on the dole. Just like in America!

[@adeladd7638]

She would be in her 80s now, if she is still around.

[@istvanvilmos8400]

​@@EuniceStone-s9jhighly unlikely that she was on the dole later on in life when you remember that as a young adult during the 60's jobs opportunities were plentiful.

[@John-c4r1o]

​@@EuniceStone-s9jawe, maybe not. But she sure had a gait and looked far older than 15. 50:50 she's brown bread.

[@smithy3520]

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

[@terrybrown4400]

Guests probably had to supply their own bulbs

[@deborahgressley1641]

I'm an American, an Anglophile. I have parallel (landlocked) experiences as a child in the Rocky Mountain West. Simple pleasures enjoyed wholeheartedly. This is an appealing film. I am glad that landladies, etc were interviewed--people doing a lot of work.

[@LittleEarsStorytime-m7k]

The good old days, Out of the B&B by 10 and not allowed back 'til 6! 😄😄Oh and you had to wear your Sunday best!

[@berenicehickey9755]

The past is very over-rated....

[@John-c4r1o]

My father who was a kid at that time, says that up at Blackpool the men would head to the pubs, then come back to the beach when they closed during the middle of the day, then head back when they reopened...

[@berenicehickey9755]

That's more realistic!

[@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

[@bardo0007]

@@karenhunt9029 Maybe you should meet

[@joesoy9185]

Morelli´s have truly branched out: Harrods, Covent Garden, Portobello Road in London, Monte Carlo, Dubai, Kuwait etc. etc. They´re clearly doing great business.

[@Hodder2008]

Wow, this is an emotional watch for me. I remember only too well our summer holidays by the sea in Eastbourne, or Hythe, in the 1950s and 1960s. Everything in this documentary is so familiar to me! But behind all the seaside fun lurks a sinister danger: polio, which one of my sisters contracted after a day at the beach in Ramsgate, just 2 miles south of Broadstairs, in the summer of 1957 -- the very same summer this documentary was made. So I can't help but wonder, since Broadstairs is so close to Ramsgate: how many children we see playing and laughing here caught polio that summer?

[@katescarratt4267]

That's a very sobering thought. I hope your sister recovered. We do tend to forget that polio was a real threat and could be again.

[@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!!!

[@emgee81]

​@clioflano421 I reckon Valerie had a wonderful time once the 60's got going - at least I hope she did! 😊 She would have turned 21 in '63 🎉

[@mandyweaver3348]

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

[@bonnetdedouche437]

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

[@MaryKane-qv5vz]

Its wonderful for someone to be work free and prepared meals provided.

[@chris-tf8ud]

So true , I,m 76 as a little boy I visited my Aunt in Crawley, woke up looking forward to the sea side at Brighton , it rained most days so we ended up at the pictures, although it rained I miss those happy days.

[@Rosie-tv3ki]

I’m a couple of years younger and spent all my holidays in Roffey Horsham at my uncle and aunt’s cottage, I used to go by train with my Nan from Victoria station in London for Christmas, sometimes Easter and always the summer holidays from school, I absolutely loved it, going to the local seasides + walking across the fields collecting wild flowers so I could exhibit them in the local flower show, it all brings back happy memories ❤

[@B50Stevie]

Born in 1950 in Lancashire, and for me this lovely film brings back so many memories, although our seaside places at that time was of course the North West coast, Blackpool, St Annes, Morecambe, Fleetwood. Happy times, happy places.

[@helendale7668]

Holidays in the UK in the 60s were the best ever. Our holiday photos have us in anoraks and plastic macs, we went into the sea until we were blue then our parents fished us out then we had an ice cream to warm up !

[@arnolddavies6734]

Being born in 1954, I remember my parents taking us kids on holiday in July to the more reliable summer weather in Cornwall and Devon. We stayed at caravan parks. We also used to ride our bikes from the small town of Chorley to Southport or Blackpool. Now living in Brisbane, Australia.

[@brianevans4200]

@@arnolddavies6734 I live in Southport and have been to Brisbane. I wouldn't mind swapping!

[@LocutorBritanico]

Brings back memories. Born in Spain but brought up in Bournemouth (1960s...70s). Quaint to see folk going to the beach with jackets, long sleeves shirts, ties and long trousers.

[@Funeeman]

Nice narration from the great Jack Warner.

[@satsumamoon]

Marvelous! My dad spent hours digging tunnels in the sand. the squealing crowds of children didnt bother me in those days. We discovered how sand witches came to be named.

[@MrSimonmcc]

8:06 priceless!

[@peteg8920]

As a 70 year old brings back memories of my earliest summer holidays . Just a little further up the coast at Clacton and Frinton.

[@Bookmarkerer]

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

[@miarosagreen8672]

My grandad spent every summer holiday in broadstairs in the 50s, and then took my dad in the 60s/70s and then me in the 90s / 2000s! Brilliant footage

[@peterhunt2723]

My mum and dad took me to Llandudno in 1957, I was 16 and it was my last holiday with them until after I was married in 1967. Fell in love with North Wales though and my wife and I went there on many occasions until 2022. Sadly too old to do that drive now but great memories remain!

[@tonialtheide2031]

Wonderful memories of simpler times. My childhood, my times.

[@DarrenWest-mu3fc]

Excellent mini documentary, well organised and took its time..bravo

[@MrTonyHeath]

What a joy when the holiday came along.

[@marianlawrie8614]

I thought it was Jack Warner commentating. I enjoyed that .😊

[@joesoy9185]

Yes, he´s in the post-film credits.

[@craftybarb6220]

I thought I recognised Jack Warner's voice. My holiday memories start when I was 10 (1956) years old, my sister was six. Dad went and acquired 2 ridge tents, one largish and a small one for us girls to sleep in. Sleeping bags an oil lamp and 2 primus stoves.a few pots and pans. First trip was up to Bewdely For a week, and we visited our family in Wolverhampton while there. We then had a week or so at home, before going down to Devon and camped near Goodrington. Between Paignton and Brixham for 2 weeks before going back to school. Those holidays lasted till 1962 when the weather was so wet Dad decided on a change for 1963. Our first camping holiday in Italy, what an adventure, it was the first but not the last.

[@heatherkeegan689]

where in Wolverhampton

[@joesoy9185]

He´s in the post-film credits.

[@chris1960]

Watching this l am thinking of my father when he was young and the family holidays by the seaside in Britain. He was a young man at the end of WW2.

[@ToshStem-o3d]

I miss soooo much uk holidays good old days 😊

[@mikalilypops3259]

Aww this is lovely ❤❤

[@fredburgessea4925]

Throughly enjoyed this, thanks very much. 😊 ❤

[@franceskronenwett3539]

I have many pleasant memories of holidays just like this.

[@professormcclaine5738]

Hope his Fish & Chips shop was successful.

[@pit_stop77]

Ahh the old British tradition of going to the beach in flannels and sports jacket 😂

[@tinatina1104]

The bed and breakfast places did wonderful dinners

[@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...😂

[@ConnorCambridge]

1957 average weekly wage £7.50 (7 pounds ten shillings)

[@irenejohnston6802]

​In 1958, age 18. I went to Spain. Coach to London from Liverpool, 1 night stay in Ebury St. Twin engined turbo prop Viking, Eagle Airways to Perpignan. France, coach to Spanish border, show passport/visa, change to old Spanish coach to El Estartit. Over Pyrenean foothills. no motorways, no airport at Gerona. All in for 42.1/2 Guineas ie £42,42 shillings. Original fishing villages. No sprawling corridor of holiday resorts. I earned £5+ pwk in office. 2 botts free wine per 4. at dinner. £12 Spending money!!. Cldnt take out more than £50. Sterling. Age nrly 85 ❤@@ConnorCambridge

[@MrSimonmcc]

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

[@ZL54JK8]

"It's been fairly quiet on the manor this past week."

[@Phil-oj5nr]

Our family grew up in Bournemouth, so the beach was just three miles from the house. We also took the paddle steamer to Swanage or the train to Weymouth as well. Have returned several times since then, and not much has changed, still sea, sand and sun! Great memories from the 50’s and 60’s. Semi-retired in PICTON, South Island, New Zealand.

[@anthonystorey2953]

After years of the English seaside to many of them spent looking out of a caravan window watching the wind whipped waves while listening to the rain lashing against the van walls and windows my father put down his plasticine and said these memorable words " that's it never again " after that it was Spain or nowhere, why oh why even today would you want to trapes all the way down to Cornwall in all that traffic, struggle to find somewhere to park when you get there , then your dip in the sea leaves you hypothermic! Happy days 😂

[@ermetetrismegisto5341]

Yes but can you not see that happiness is not just from a materialistic point of view? It's not just what you' ve got but what you make out of it. And let's not forget the sense of community and identity.

[@mentonish]

Thanks for a walk down memory lane, the beach dress code in those days was fashion

[@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.

[@heinkle1]

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

[@marianlawrie8614]

Thank you ,I enjoyed this very much .

[@whiteonggoy7009]

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

[@gillianknight9796]

I was 4yrs old , loved our holiday in Hunstanton, funny little caravan no running water gas lights , such fun ❤. Gillie uk

[@hara3435]

We were so Blessed to be Children in those times ❤

[@alicejackson771]

Poor Valerie in her school blazer!

[@ianclarke1852]

Today she would be waiting for a mental health appointment, her dad would be in a controlling coercive relationship with Valerie’s mother having built up huge on line gambling debts.

[@tomlee812]

This was brilliant. That was my childhood holiday!

[@releasingendorphins232]

Wonderful. Thanks.

[@WeeScottishLass39]

Our family with four kids went to Portobello in Edinburgh and Kinghorn up the coast in the forties. Val 86 Australia.

[@davidkennedy8929]

Daughter Valerie 15!!! She looks in her 30s😊

[@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.

[@josehall97]

Lovely memories, hope they used sun screen. I was born in 1958 and find this so interesting.

[@racheldoesacrylic4089]

i was born in 1961 so my parents used to do caravan holidays i loved it , seeing how the world has changed makes me sad for the kids today in 2025 kids would read like myself and simple things were enough ,its a strange world now ,even the weather is all wrong i got my window open in flippin january ??? our earth is hotting up or is this just menapause ,take me back to being a kid any day in the past x

[@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

[@lindaybariloche]

Broadstairs beach (Viking Bay) is packed in the summer, though a lot of people just go for the day, or the weekend.

[@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!

[@Jifdman]

So much change in just under 70 years

[@simonf8902]

Long lovely lost days.

[@suewhite4821]

I lived in Bournemouth so we lived at the beach in the summer, specially in the school holidays

[@valm3809]

Happier times, the world just isn’t the same anymore 😢

[@longhunter1951]

Poor Valerie in her school blazer and a pair of stuffed shirts as parents. One has to wonder if the girl ever tried to dig an escape tunnel down on the beach. Hope she grew up and had a much more exciting life.

[@mickyboy1955]

Everything has changed and yet,little has changed.

[@mikebutler3263]

Excellent.

[@jamesroyce1845]

Fascinating to see the year I was born laid out in a way I would not have seen at the time. I'd never been to Broadstairs, nor the surrounding bays until I moved to Cliftonville in 2016 so suddenly these images of Broadstairs are familiar. This was a time when people could enjoy themselves without imposing their enjoyment onto others. No so today when everyone feels compelled to be as rawcuss and shrill as possible, drawing attention to themselves like a demanding seagull.

[@berenicehickey9755]

You are my age but you sound very elderly!!!!!

[@jamesroyce1845]

@@berenicehickey9755 I don't know what that means.

[@philomenamagill700]

Love this ❤

[@HobartBloke]

Produced by Richard Cawston, who in 1969 would make the revolutionary and now maudit documentary 'Royal Family'. Narrator Jack Waters, alias Warner. Note he is not using the cockney accent familiar in 'Dixon of Dock Green' but a more RP voice. Warner, a comedian turned character actor, was posher than the public realised. The technique of letting people speak for themselves instead of being quizzed by a BBC interviewer signals the democratisation and demystifying of television in the first days of competition from a commercial channel.The subjects sound pretty natural. In prewar radio days they would have had to stick rigidly to a script.

[@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.