1962: The DEBUTANTES of High Society | Tonight | Classic BBC clips | BBC Archive

[@hilaryepstein6013]

I love the sarcasm in Alan Whicker's narration. Five years later and Swinging London would be in full flow and the phrase "coming out" would take on a whole new meaning.

[@davedogge2280]

Stephen Fry maybe is as close to what we can hop for these days for Alan Whicker type presenters. I first knew of Alan Whicker in the 80s from Whicker's World TV show and he was great.

[@epresley8324]

Coming out and “escorts”

[@InTecknicolour]

those horse racing metaphors. whoever wrote that copy deserved a raise.

[@rosemaryclarke2348]

He's got a great voice for mimicking hasn't he? No wonder Python grabbed hold of the idea!

[@ynotann]

So would a gay old time.

[@robb1865]

Amazing how culture changes from decade to decade let alone generation to generation. Never ceases to amaze me when I go back and watch old footage like this.

[@miamitten1123]

I agree. From 2000 onwards, sure things have changed, but it’s not as clean cut as 60’s-90’s had their own look. Then again maybe it’s because we’re in the early part of the century.

[@cassia-in-vancouver]

The first two women are so eloquent. It’s amazing the potential they had.

[@arilebon]

"Lush cattle market". That is fabolous and to the point.

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

That is what the season 100% was. That slip about the big grand house parties in Scotland where everyone just got drunk, behaved badly and you could not leave the party because you were trapped in the countryside. Very telling.

[@goldHydrangeas]

@@AnnaBellaChannelsoo parents lets their virgin daughters lose there virginity there? 🤔 🤨 😂

[@goldHydrangeas]

Nothing wrong with cattles.. 🥩 steaks, BBQ ribs are delicious 😋 😂

[@WVgrl59]

Yes, and some of the people walking through look like they were walking like cattle.

[@ynotann]

Having money absolutely breeds confidence. None of these young women are shy.

[@goldHydrangeas]

And much older too! I thought debutantes were for late teens girls like 16.. They looked like they're in their 30-40s.. at best that young one late 20s? Not teens. I think today's equivalent would be like school senior prom?

[@DonnaDavisArt]

@@goldHydrangeas A deb is a teen, it's her 17th year that she 'comes out'. These ladies might look older as they said they were debs of previous years giving advice. Also, a 17 year old in 1962 would look 'older' as general dress and hairstyles were more 'mature' then.

[@Illustraful]

Those debs from '62 will now be 77. I wonder how their lives turned out.

[@oxhorn2906]

Probably supported Thatcher...

[@Illustraful]

@@oxhorn2906 Bit of a random comment.

[@oxhorn2906]

@@Illustraful true

[@rosemaryclarke2348]

I shouldn't think we'll ever know.

[@Illustraful]

@@rosemaryclarke2348 You weren't one of them were you? 😁

[@MrsWilliamTheBloody]

The hair just gets wilder and wilder!!

[@rosemaryclarke2348]

It's better than having dead birds perched in it as the Victorian elite would do!😂

[@tootiemoonie]

Whicker's spectacles are extraordinary! Odd little fashionable triangles; perfect for looking down one's nose at debutantes.

[@annayurkovich4962]

Got to love the hair.

[@Angel-ts8rc]

Deb of the years makeup is everything! She seems cool!

[@StarryRoses]

These women are stunning but what stunned me the most is the unspoken stories that lurk just beneath the surface. They've experienced some things.

[@danieln6356]

Let's just imagine all sorts of things

[@ilovegot7754]

We all have

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

The Scottish House party that went wild and you could not leave. Hence why the season died as none of the young men had money enough to marry any of these young women. Just greedy men wanting to take their pictures.

[@heinkle1]

Why don’t the BBC make all of these shows available online?

[@YouLoveItBiatch]

Least they can do seeing as we have paid for it all these years

[@emgee81]

Yes, I heep thinking the same thing!

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

Privacy

[@emilydavison2053]

How big do you think their archive is?

[@bobclark6703]

It would be interesting to see a follow up.

[@susanstreet1]

A lovely idea parties and balls❤️

[@ttintagel]

A flock of geese, a murder of crows, a fluttering of debutantes...

[@JuanPyro]

Interesting to hear them speak naturally. In the end, behind all that eloquence, we're all still the same as them. Those hairstyles though were BIG.

[@Jesse__H]

Fascinating stuff!

[@kayzee5540]

This was fun!

[@dawn5227]

The girl talking about avoiding Scotland is identical to the actress who played Katniss in hunger games.

[@nomandad2000]

She must be a time lord…that’s insane

[@timojarun7830]

Yes absolutely. 6:00

[@thespiritphoenix3798]

Jennifer Lawrence. She's a time lord in her spare time.

[@devlieg72]

And all the debs speak much better than the media stars of today.

[@EdDunkle]

It's a low bar

[@dandygirl6]

because you had to or you'd never get a husband darling

[@EricJacobson1990]

Buddy called it a "lush cattle market" at 0:40, and now I can't take the rest of this seriously

[@UltraDoug]

You could make a movie based on this outmoded cultural norm and these interviews.

[@Coffee_n_America]

The shade at the end 😂😂😂😂

[@agirlisnoone5953]

I like the deb of the year 🤣 honest. You need money, a pushy mom and publicity.

[@EdDunkle]

I was surprised at her honesty

[@barryjenkinson9152]

She was very good looking so that probably helped too.

[@Angel-ts8rc]

She seems cool

[@RuthvenMurgatroyd]

​@@barryjenkinson9152 Honest but modest it seems 😉

[@mooncake4371]

The young woman on the left at 6:10 is just stunning!

[@creamflower]

She reminds me of the actress Jennifer Lawrence.

[@-Reagan]

Yes, though somehow tragic when she spoke about wishing she had never gone to Scotland. It seems like she’s trying decorously to warn other girls of something, maybe the audacity of drunken men - particularly the manners she attributed to Scottish men and, being in a situation with them you cannot escape. I hope it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Alex made light of her remarks, but she was somber and in earnest.

[@miamitten1123]

@@creamflower I can see the resemblance.

[@BethDiane]

Why do I feel like this is a Monty Python sketch in the making?

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

The Season in 1962 was on its deathlegs; this documentary proves it. The point that was interesting was that a lot of the young men did not have any independant money to marry any of these young girls. The Press intrusion kill it and the debutantes risked their reputions.

[@kirstyjoyner8171]

"I wouldn't go near Scotland" 😂😂

[@johnreynolds6369]

Och ay.

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

I've heard it be said it's terribly rowdy and everybody gets drunk all the time 6:23

[@anonUK]

​​@@bradford_shaun_murray It's completely dark for 3-4 months a year. You've got to do something...

[@niamhryan9677]

In Ireland, well in Father Ted's words. "The Lovely Girls Competition."

[@rosemaryclarke2348]

Just so long as the spider baby doesn't show it's head!😂

[@MareeMarshall]

Have to agree,it's all got so much better,don't you know

[@ZiggyWhiskerz]

I LOVE how snarky this is. 😂😂😂

[@dereks1264]

Dear Lord! The hair!

[@antonyhobbs1144]

Coming out has a different meaning now

[@desertdaisymarie6951]

I enjoyed making my debut 😊

[@treeleigh634]

6:28 both girls look like they can be Jennifer Lawrence's family.

[@niceclaup1]

Look, Alan Whicker, girls just wanna have fun. No hateration in this dancery.

[@charleskristiansson1296]

Lush cattle market sums it up. Mr Whicker was very astute :)

[@debbylou5729]

I don’t know, seems better than bars

[@BethDiane]

Also, Hairspray!

[@karenokeane6461]

Enjoyed the cheeky commentary from Alan Whicker most of all. LOL Seems ridiculous now, although I remain fascinated with period tv shows like Bridgerton.

[@jakecavendish3470]

The chairwoman of an organisation I worked for years ago had been a deb. She said "you were supposed to be a virigin but I don't think I ever met one after the age of 15. When the season finished the Harley St VD clinics had queues round the block" 😂

[@PassiveAgressive319]

I’m convinced the first Deb is Nigella Lawson’s mother😮Looks and sounds like her

[@davedogge2280]

Is Alan basically saying that this like an upper class Tinder of yesteryear ?

[@samaraisnt]

Do you...not know what dating is? Talk to your mother lol.

[@martm216]

Different days - the first lady interviewed had impressively wide eyes, I thought.

[@bethp3320]

How did they get their hair to stand up on end like that?

[@juliawatkins7974]

The same reason there was a whole in the ozone layer. Hairspray

[@samsmom400]

@@juliawatkins7974 That's nonsense.

[@rosemaryclarke2348]

Probably lots of backcombing and lacquer which isn't good for any hair.😂

[@Angel-ts8rc]

A lot of women wore hair pieces

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

Lots of hair spray and not washing it out.!

[@judeclarke2661]

Make a film about this weird period of time...please transfer

[@davedogge2280]

btw anyone know who that stunning lady is at 2:07 ?

[@betsyrocks]

I think she might be Nigella Lawson's grandmother

[@davedogge2280]

@@betsyrocks cannot be (she is still alive and is 111 years) her name is Rosemary Estelle Salmon and in the late 60s she would have been in her 50s so not her, however, it could have been Vanessa Salmon ie. Nigella Lawson's mother but I doubt it. Or u mean grandma on the father's side ? i.e. Joan Elisa Davis ?

[@RussiaIsARiddle778]

She has a speech impediment, if that helps to Identify her.

[@nolies9071]

@@RussiaIsARiddle778 no she doesn't have a speech impediment.

[@RussiaIsARiddle778]

@@nolies9071 I’ve watched it again and must disagree, she does indeed have a speech impediment. I mentioned it initially as merely was way to possibly identify her.

[@TheUntamedrose]

"its curious air of a lush cattle market." 0o

[@absolute-6664urazz]

Love how their 'gripes' about the young men who attended, are the same gripes young ladies have about men in the dating world now. Lol...

[@victorcarrillo734]

Is hard work to go to all those dinners & dances

[@lollyegan9072]

Brought up and trained to be a mere appendage to a man...what joy!! 👸

[@1Kaileegirl]

Hahahaha

[@Take_Me_Back_To_The_1980s]

Married women with children are happiest. Facts don't lie And women only achieve half as much success as they do today because of DEI. When competing with men on a level playing field in the workplace & academia they find they're not built for it generally

[@cybersurf5]

"in my day" seems akin to a decade or more ago, but two years?! I mean its clear people of that evolutionary era matured at a 3x multipliar to modern homo sapiens and 22 was practically retirment age in 1962, but my gosh...

[@EGFChandler]

I think, perhaps, it was more than two yeas, but Mr. Whicker was being polite to her age. heh

[@aprilstarchild79]

oh lord the HAIR

[@samaraisnt]

The HAIR, lmao!

[@bradley5819]

What is the First Lady’s name?

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Mrs Biden......

[@missmong12]

6:08 this girl kinda reminds me of Jennifer Lawrence

[@Mousearello]

Difficult to distinguish the daughters from the mothers with the fashion of the day.

[@patrickrancourt4782]

Is is true than The Beatles attend's secretly the Deb ""1964 "" edition ?

[@lazydgsf7429]

My parents and I often wanted to “launch” my big sister but it was a completely different concept. Don’t worry, she’s still around annoying me today.

[@Neil-Aspinall]

So this is where the sons of well-to-do fathers would shop for the mother of their children whilst they were off with their mistress's?

[@noemimartinez8262]

All of these ladies and young women are so refined. It challenges me to be more polished so that my daughters would do the same. As a side note, that second lady looks as if she may have been related to Amy Whinehouse. (Maybe not so refined, but missed)

[@danieln6356]

I thought so too.

[@miamitten1123]

Looks nothing like Amy Whinehouse. Amy was Jewish. The 2nd woman looks Latin American.

[@imrank340]

How ludicrous the whole concept of Debutantes with little help from our man Alan W.

[@debbylou5729]

I’m SO glad that we’ve evolved and have tinder, only fans and TikTok

[@IconTitan]

Very beautiful women,, with alot of class,,,, wish I was about then

[@lewissmith3896]

Same.

[@goldHydrangeas]

4:30 😂

[@thesatisfiedcustomer4869]

not just these posh folk, everyone on these archives seemed so much more polished and measured in their speech and with a greater vocabulary etc. They answer questions thoughtfully ( it seems to me ) and it seems a much more calm and serene time, god only knows what sort of humans will inhabit this world in another 60 years. Idiocracy is imminent, with a more Orwellian vibe.

[@ttintagel]

Poor old Scotland!

[@ewanmacfarlane9195]

Dont want their shite mate

[@Garbeaux.]

Debury

[@victorcarrillo734]

🤣🤣🤣 nothing changes in time

[@hippodinoreserve6090]

The presenter was a right a--hole. The girls take the time to set down for an interview, then he insults them!

[@MsQD]

LOL! Young girls for trade & sale. A celebration of our daughter's marketability. So glad that's over with. Right?

[@rosemaryclarke2348]

😂🤣

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

Yes and I am sure the men are quite glad it is over with too because they would have to take out all these girls to parties,sports events and trips to see if they liked any of them for marriage but by this point none of the young men had enough money to marry them.

[@RuthvenMurgatroyd]

As perverse as these events are, the basic premise is reasonable. There will always be a marriage market so why do you think it's unreasonable for parents to have a direct involvement in their child's marriage?

[@Kanalcadangan]

Excuse me, can you upload Dame Shirley Bassey in the 1960s (especially 1961-1964). Thank you for your attention 🙏

[@davedogge2280]

that would be interesting, an incredible performer. Pity she's not doing the Platinum Jubilee in 2022 though.

[@Kanalcadangan]

@@davedogge2280 If I'm not mistaken, she will attend an another event on June 4th or 5th isn't it?

[@dandygirl6]

any girl who did a Deb in AUS in my senior year (2011) was an absolute joke to me, such an embarrassing tradition

[@arunashamal]

Don't go near Scotland... a wise advice that still holds true....lol

[@DoahnKea_Tuber]

Add a comment...

[@fidelcatsro6948]

my cat loves you too! 🐱♥️♥️♥️

[@Alice_Moodz-Wayzenni]

aggressive ending

[@typower9]

He talks about some debs having bad manners whilst extremely rudely talking sneeringly about the event and the debs and their families and generally rubbishing it and them. Charming and well-mannered he is not.

[@andreaandrea6716]

Really nasty presenter with his own point of view and not at all sympathetic to the fact that, no matter which rung one has come from, these ARE, after all, just young girls. Not a proper journalist!

[@ohheyfullmetal]

Why was bro such a hater 😭😭

[@nicolem889]

The Paris Hiltons of 1960s.

[@LadyRia91]

They were like the Influencers of the time

[@JessicaSunlight]

"I had a very gay time" Today is a dead way of speaking...

[@AnnaBellaChannel]

She meas a happy fun time.

[@JessicaSunlight]

@@AnnaBellaChannel Yes, I am aware 🙂Just miss the good old meaning of this word.

[@Dandelionsinthesky]

​@@JessicaSunlightis the word your aunt or something?😂

[@JessicaSunlight]

🤭@@Dandelionsinthesky

[@Dandelionsinthesky]

​@@JessicaSunlight❤ your profile pic and I know this might sound weird but have you seen the 1956(I think) Anastasia movie?

[@finthefilmkid.youtube]

the reporter looks like mr.potatohead

[@spider-ham7140]

I wonder if there farts smell like posh perfume 🤔

[@craigdgriffiths6206]

You might want to check your spelling of “their?” At least you can spell “farts.”

[@bradley5819]

The First Lady wouldn’t fart but if she did it would smell of roses.

[@danieln6356]

Better days, seems like on the whole although it was the beginning of the degeneration of ... practically everything

[@BonnyP-69r]

Cheeky sod of a man

[@jeanlefranc3817]

The very last years of civilization in Western Europe. Actually, civilization ended in the fifties.

[@Jesse__H]

If that's true I say good riddance to it.

[@ttintagel]

The war changed everything.

[@miamitten1123]

Yes, time was much better when children worked in factories, mines and chimneys.

[@danieln6356]

@@Jesse__H You won't be saying that once the inertia of the machine finally stops.

[@SelectedNarcissist]

People did have gentler facial features back then didn't they? They broad faces, wide eyes, small upturned noses, nice straight teeth etc all WITHOUT requiring surgery. Nowadays most people have narrow faces, big bony noses and crooked teeth. I think it has something to do with babies drinking formula out of the bottle. Back then most were breastfed so there faces developed nicely!!!

[@TerryInUSA]

That's not true. Bottle feeding was all the rage between the 1920's and 1950's and early 60's, promoted by the new (in the 20's) medical specialty - pediatrics. It took the hippie movement of the late 60's to bring breastfeeding back. The reason the women in the film have rounder faces is because they didn't have the push we have today to be athletic, toned, with as little body fat as possible. They had more body fat, thus rounder faces.

[@TheHarrip]

This synical commentary is actually very woke 2022 how dare they show off and enjoy their youth!?

[@joannflanagan4205]

Some Americans boycott the polls because they simply cannot stomach either major party candidate. That's no excuse! They are not the only options. There are several third parties. Should none of these produce a satisfactory candidate there is still the option of the write-in. Simply write in the name of a US Citizen thirty-five or older who you suspect might be a more satisfactory president or vice-president.

[@paperchain1239]

At least they look like women. Not like cannabis smoking, tattoo covered , foul mouthed offerings I have encountered recently. Bring it back I say.

[@raejohnson2255]

lol

[@ericjenkins2737]

Is this parody?

[@davedogge2280]

nope it was one facet of reality back in the 60s

[@RussiaIsARiddle778]

It still occurs, at least here in the states.

[@miamitten1123]

@@RussiaIsARiddle778 yeah, but you lot are weird to begin with

[@nolies9071]

@@miamitten1123 you're the most weird of all.

[@stommx]

Top quality women right there. Now society celebrates weirdo men in dresses ffs.

[@anonUK]

Did you watch the Ricky Gervais thing?

[@harminder_philora]

I'm struggling to see how a man is a "weirdo" for wearing a dress, I'm gonna be honest...

[@stommx]

@@harminder_philora That's because you're probably a flaming weirdo dude who wears dresses too...

[@Sunshine4]

The Romans and Greeks would like a word...

[@miamitten1123]

@@harminder_philora he means the trans etc. However, a dress is designed to flatter the female form. It looks silly on a man.

[@Rog5446]

In the opening scenes that were filmed a good few years before Whicker made this report, most if not all the "17" year olds rolling up already looked well past their sell by date.

[@grahamkearnon6682]

Bunch of no hopes thank God for Tinder.

[@KatePerry-y5s]

Vile hair dos!! 😂

[@patrickdoyle9369]

Never seen so many dogs in one place at the same time.. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. The only thing they had then over todays girls or women is manners, today the girls and women have none.

[@susanstreet1]

A party I my have ended up being a server at.no.party no server work