A House Through Time

A House Through Time
GenreDocumentary
Presented byDavid Olusoga
ComposerPaul Honey
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series5
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producerMaxine Watson
ProducerMary Crisp
Production locations
Production companyTwenty Twenty
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release4 January 2018 (2018-01-04)

A House Through Time is a documentary television series made by Twenty Twenty Television for BBC Two. The first series aired in 2018, a second in 2019, a third in 2020, and a fourth in 2021, with each examining the history of a single residential building in an English city. A fifth series, in 2024, features apartment blocks in London and Berlin.

The programme is presented by David Olusoga, who is Professor of Public History at Manchester University.[1][2] The series consultant is design historian Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan, of the University of Portsmouth, who also appears in each episode.[3]

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
144 January 2018 (2018-01-04)25 January 2018 (2018-01-25)
248 April 2019 (2019-04-08)29 April 2019 (2019-04-29)
3426 May 2020 (2020-05-26)16 June 2020 (2020-06-16)
447 September 2021 (2021-09-07)28 September 2021

Series 1 (2018)

62 Falkner Street, 2018

The first series features the house at 62 Falkner Street[a] in the Canning area of Liverpool.[4][1][5]

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected by [6]Written byOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions) [7]
11"Episode 1"Paul TilzeyDavid Olusoga4 January 2018 (2018-01-04)3.13
David Olusoga visits the house at 62 Falkner Street for the first time, and explores the stories of its first inhabitants, who lived there in 1840s and 1850s.
22"Episode 2"Stuart ElliottDavid Olusoga11 January 2018 (2018-01-11)2.44
David looks at the trials and tribulations of 62 Falkner Street's residents from the 1850s through to the 1890s.
33"Episode 3"Stuart ElliottDavid Olusoga18 January 2018 (2018-01-18)2.44
David uncovers the lives of the house's residents from 1891 to 1945, covering World War I, World War II, and the Great Depression.
44"Episode 4"Paul TilzeyDavid Olusoga25 January 2018 (2018-01-25)2.47
David finally covers the house's residents from 1945 to the present day, and reveals the programme's findings to the house's present occupant.

Series 2 (2019)

5 Ravensworth Terrace, Newcastle

Series two featured 5 Ravensworth Terrace,[b] a Georgian-era terraced house in the Summerhill area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and began broadcast on BBC Two on 8 April 2019.[8][9][10][11][12] As a result of research conducted for the programme, a plaque was unveiled there, commemorating a former resident (1841–1857), the naturalist Joshua Alder, on 26 September 2018 by Olusoga and the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, David Down.[13] The house has been Grade II listed since June 1976.[14]

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected by [6]Written byOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions) [15]
51"Episode 1"Nicola SeareDavid Olusoga8 April 2019 (2019-04-08)2.40
David Olusoga is in Newcastle upon Tyne, exploring the history of the house at 5 Ravensworth Terrace, looking at the stories of a vengeful lawyer, a scientist faced with financial ruin and a doctor entangled in a workhouse scandal- the house's earliest residents.
62"Episode 2"Hugo MacgregorDavid Olusoga15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)2.21
Now looking at the house in the 1880s to the 1900s, David encounters stories of family trauma, a refuge for girls, and séances.
73"Episode 3"Hugo MacgregorDavid Olusoga22 April 2019 (2019-04-22)2.30
5 Ravensworth Terrace's residents of the early 20th century deal with war, and Irish republican terrorism.
84"Episode 4"Hugo MacgregorDavid Olusoga29 April 2019 (2019-04-29)2.24
Bringing the story into the present day, David uncovers infidelity and divorce, traces a WWII prisoner to Ravensworth Terrace, and sees the house fall into disrepair before it is restored for the 21st century.

Series 3 (2020)

10 Guinea Street (nearest to camera)

The third series takes place in Bristol, investigating the history of 10 Guinea Street,[c][16] whose inhabitants included the satirist John Shebbeare and the future mayor of Bristol Sir John Kerle Haberfield. The house has been Grade II* listed since December 1994.[17]

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected by [6]Written byOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions) [15]
91"Episode 1"Eleanor ScoonesDavid Olusoga26 May 2020 (2020-05-26)4.16
David's journey with 10 Guinea Street, Bristol, begins in the 18th century. The first occupants bring stories of piracy, a foundling, the satirist John Shebbeare, and a runaway slave.
102"Episode 2"Edmund MoriartyDavid Olusoga2 June 2020 (2020-06-02)3.38
David looks at the house's residents from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, encountering stories of scandal, domestic violence and the asylum.
113"Episode 3"Eleanor ScoonesDavid Olusoga9 June 2020 (2020-06-09)3.07
The mid-19th to mid-20th century sees the residents of 10 Guinea Street explore entrepreneurship, tragedy in World War I, and some shady dealings.
124"Episode 4"Edmund MoriartyDavid Olusoga16 June 2020 (2020-06-16)2.61
Exploring the house's history from the mid-20th century to the present day, David finds out about the house's links to more war tragedy, identity fraud, and the house's renewal in the 21st century.

Series 4 (2021)

The fourth series takes place at 5 Grosvenor Mount,[d] in the Headingley area of Leeds.[18] With the other two houses in its terrace, it has been Grade II listed since August 1976.[19]

  • 1,3 & 5 Grosvenor Mount (number 5 on the right)
    1,3 & 5 Grosvenor Mount (number 5 on the right)
  • The house's first occupant, William Bruce painted by Michael Anthony Hilliard Willson ("Bob") in 1890 or 1891
    The house's first occupant, William Bruce painted by Michael Anthony Hilliard Willson ("Bob") in 1890 or 1891
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected by [6]Written byOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions) [15]
131"Episode 1"Nick TannerDavid Olusoga7 September 2021 (2021-09-07)2.16
The house is completed in 1852 and occupied by William Bruce, a solicitor, and his wife Helen.
142"Episode 2"Kemi MajekodunmiDavid Olusoga14 September 2021 (2021-09-14)N/A
153"Episode 3"Edmund MoriartyDavid Olusoga21 September 2021 (2021-09-21)N/A
164"Episode 4"Nicola SeareDavid Olusoga28 September 2021 (2021-09-28)N/A

Series 5 (2024)

Series 5, subtitled Two Cities at War, takes a different approach, comparing and contrasting the lives of the inhabitants of two apartment blocks—Block 2 of Montagu Mansions,[e] an Edwardian building in the Marylebone district of London and 72, Pfalzburger Strasse[f] in Wilmersdorf, Berlin—in the years leading up to and during World War II.[20] Residents in London included the cinema impresario Cecil Bernstein and the poet and conscientious objector Timothy Corsellis, and in Berlin the chef and language teacher, Bonifatius Folli, from Togo, the historian and nazi, Paul Dittel, and Freda Fromm, whose brother Friedrich Fromm was a regular visitor.[21]

  • Montagu Mansions, Marylebone
    Montagu Mansions, Marylebone
  • Pfalzburger Straße 72 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf
    Pfalzburger Straße 72 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf

See also

Coordinates

Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

  1. ^ 62 Falkner Street, Liverpool:53°23′58″N 2°58′01″W / 53.39940°N 2.96685°W / 53.39940; -2.96685 (62 Falkner Street, Liverpool)
  2. ^ 5 Ravensworth Terrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: 54°58′16″N 1°37′37″W / 54.971133°N 1.627024°W / 54.971133; -1.627024 (5 Ravensworth Terrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
  3. ^ 10 Guinea Street, Bristol: 51°26′50″N 2°35′32″W / 51.4472°N 2.59212°W / 51.4472; -2.59212 (10 Guinea Street, Bristol)
  4. ^ 5 Grosvenor Mount, Leeds: 53°49′04″N 1°33′47″W / 53.817659°N 1.562932°W / 53.817659; -1.562932 (5 Grosvenor Mount, Leeds)
  5. ^ Montagu Mansions, Marylebone, London: 51°31′11″N 0°09′27″W / 51.519703°N 0.157540°W / 51.519703; -0.157540 (Montagu Mansions, Marylebone, London)
  6. ^ 72, Pfalzburger Strasse: 52°29′46″N 13°19′21″E / 52.496068°N 13.322448°E / 52.496068; 13.322448 (72, Pfalzburger Strasse)

References

  1. ^ a b Shennan, Paddy (10 December 2017). "The Liverpool house which will be the star of a new TV series". Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  2. ^ "David Olusoga OBE becomes Professor at The University of Manchester". David Olusoga OBE becomes Professor at The University of Manchester. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Deborah Sugg Ryan – Portsmouth Research Portal". researchportal.port.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  4. ^ Olusoga, David (31 December 2017). "Slave trader's home, slum, des res: the stories of one house raise restless ghosts". The Observer. Retrieved 4 January 2018 – via www.theguardian.com.
  5. ^ "A House Through Time". www.twentytwenty.tv. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d "BBC Two - A House Through Time - Episode guide (see relevant episode(s))". BBC.
  7. ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes (see relevant week(s))". BARB.
  8. ^ "Episode 1 — Series 2". A House Through Time. Series 2. Episode 1. 8 April 2019. BBC Television.
  9. ^ Meechan, Simon (26 September 2018). "A city with 'big ideas' – why House Through Time chose Newcastle". nechronicle. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  10. ^ Geography, Kay's (20 March 2019). "A House Through Time – Newcastle". Newcastle residential areas. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  11. ^ Hodgson, Barbara (27 February 2019). "See inside the Newcastle home which stars in A House Through Time". nechronicle. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  12. ^ "When is the new series of A House Through Time?". Who Do You Think You Are Magazine. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Lord Mayor joined by BBC presenter for plaque unveiling". Newcastle City Council. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  14. ^ Historic England. "5, RAVENSWORTH TERRACE, Newcastle upon Tyne (1107928)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  15. ^ a b c "Four Screen Dashboard (see relevant channel and week(s))". BARB.
  16. ^ Murray, Robin (26 May 2020). "A House Through Time to air on BBC2 tonight — everything you need to know". Bristol Post. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  17. ^ Historic England. "Number 10 and Attached Front Area Railings (1279683)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  18. ^ Newton, Grace (6 September 2021). "A House Through Time in Leeds: Meet the owners of the intriguing Headingley property featured in the new series". Yorkshire Post.
  19. ^ Historic England. "1, 3 and 5 Grosvenor Mount (1256182)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  20. ^ Singh, Anita (17 October 2024). "A House Through Time: Two Cities at War, review: fresh, insightful, exemplary history programming". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  21. ^ "A House Through Time". BBC. Retrieved 21 October 2024.