Mods, Rockers and Bank Holiday Mayhem - BBC Documentary Part 1

A trip back to the days when 'style wars' were just that - violent confrontations about the clothes you wore. Spring 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the bank holiday 'battles of the beaches', when hundreds of mods and rockers flocked to seaside resorts on scooters and motorbikes in search of thrills and spills.
Timeshift tells the story of how this led to violence, arrests and widespread concern about the state of British youth. But mods and rockers had more in common than was first obvious - they were the first generation of baby boomers to reach their teenage years at a time when greater prosperity and wider freedoms were transforming what it meant to be young.

[@brobdj]

"Ton Up Boys" - Hahaha haven't heard that expression for years :D

[@paulbroderick8438]

Quite a beauty at 6.20! Greetings from a Brit residing in the USA.

[@SimirJohnson]

paul broderick Until you see her teeth.

[@emmanuelskywalkers9272]

I was born early 70s. When I was little child I start listen to Mod bands in 60s, Northern Soul, Motown 60s Soul, Rhythm & Blues, SKA, when I came a teenager I saw how Mods band dress, after I came a Mod in 80s, this is in Toronto Canada. Mod fashion here start in 1979. I think Mod always been smart sharp dressers. I know Mods was underground in 1958 in Great Britain. Part of my background is from England. I have been in London, UK before, it was two years ago. I am still a Mod.

[@motomark9736]

Are you a Rocker or a mod Ringo ? Im a Mocker

[@RiteanDan]

Can anyone suggest any other educational videos on the Mods and Rockers? I know very little about either faction and would like to find more about their beginnings and why the hatred for one another? Thx very much.

[@Roadghost88]

I think what's missing here is some insight into the mass-media marketing that began in the 1950s and became scientific in the 1960s. "The latest styles" and the way media portrayed kids as enigmas, even threats that were out of control; the media's magnification of every negative thing to create a story and sell papers, and the way the trusting public swallowed it all up needs further examination. Let's face it, at the end of the day this was no more complex than the smart-phone phenomenon today. Kids today have more to occupy their time, with the internet, video gaming, etc. so they are less the devil's workshop. The search for identity is less important now I guess, but they still congregate in groups based on their interests. Beating someone up based on their personal choices? Well, that's another thing we need to study.

[@mscommerce]

5:18. Dead ringer for Jackie Kennedy.

[@paullewis2413]

Lewis Leathers - bought my first jacket from them, Great Portland St. I think they’re still in business at another address😁

[@scouseprovo]

I was born to late in life..1979 revival was great but I wish I had been 18 in 1964.

[@rolandsausage]

I missed that time too mate. 1st single I bought was Beat Surrender only for The Jam to split up! I was 16 in 1989 and got into the so called baggy era. Got younger mates who are jealous as I seen the Roses in 1990 so I guess we just need to take the best of what's happening at a specific time. Would still loved to have been 16 in the early 60s though!

[@scouseprovo]

rolandsausage I agree 100% with you mate,the first mod record I bought was Time for Action by Secret Affair,but yeah the 80s was a great time to be a mod..happy days :)

[@piusais721]

Fifa Bhoy you would be in your 70s now, but it s fun to look back !

[@richardsingh5827]

I’m in with the in crowd….I wish

[@gregorydavidson9320]

What is that song at the beginning of the programme? if you wanna have a whole lot of fun...that tune is stuck in my head

[@isabelleinzunza7857]

get it- the swingin' tomatoes

[@richardcarpenter7924]

Great social History .

[@summertea545]

Where was Mrs. Mrs. Slocombe?

[@jimpomac]

The conservative BBC of course blew the whole Mods versus Rockers totally out of proportion, as did newspapers like the Daily Express. The seaside riots never amounted to much more than a few scuffles, a couple of broken windows and a lot of arrests. In fact, more violence was perpetrated by the police than anyone. As for the hatred, it was more of a tribal rivalry, nothing like the deadly gang violence of today. Nobody got killed, roughed up ,for sure but nothing like the Razor slashing brutality of the 50s. The condescending, alarmist commentaries by the media and their usual attitude toward the "Working class" youth of the 60s would have people believing that Britain was a war zone ,when it was in fact, probably at its least troubled since 1939. Everyone was working, had money to spend, the music scene was at its best ever, National Conscription no longer existed and the class system that had existed for centuries was beginning to crumble. As a former Mod I can proudly say that M,m,m,my G,g,generation has nothing to apologize for !

[@ThaRealChuckD]

Sounds like they were listening to the same blues-based american music to me...

[@RobRoyBoaz]

This was not Britain's introduction to two factions bitterly opposed to one another. Maybe in England. But in Scotland there was the Catholic vs Protestants scenario, especially n Glasgow, which was ten times more worse than the Mods and the Rockers.

[@sarahsmitg7923]

Because nobody else in Britain cared about the catholic protestant thing.

[@markovsergeyovich6792]

Where can I find the vid of the young man riding? Towards the end of the video...

[@boxingjerapah]

The 60's essentially started in 1964.

[@mercierjanice]

Mods must be the ugliest clothes I've ever seen. Rockers, way cool.

[@timmybucheton8882]

c

[@waltersickinger1499]

They should have spent some of their clothes money on their teeth.

[@vvv2975]

First generation of hipsters I guess

[@jansolo4824]

VK if you mean the mods then I would disagree. You can like or dislike them. But at least they had an own identity. Hipsters as we have them today just rip of several subcultures and that’s it. Do you know what their philosphy is? Well I don’t know.

[@kayjones1252]

mods=sheep that drove on a hairdryer.