REEL BRITANNIA

Reel Britannia is a bold, ambitious and visually striking documentary project which tells the colourful and far-reaching story of Modern British cinema in all of its vibrancy.

Decade by decade from 1960, it shows how cinema held a broken mirror up to society to reflect on the youth revolution of the 1960s, the grit of the 1970s, the social divide of the 1980s, the new hope of the 1990s and the social disillusionment of the 00s.

The series also focuses on the outsiders and influencers whose work reflected what was actually happening in the regional and subcultural recess of the British psyche. Another area Reel Britannia explores is the less-told stories from the producers, production companies and studio boardrooms which shaped our national filmic identity.

Reel Britannia is a patchwork of brand-new exclusive interviews, archival interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. The story is told using a free-flowing mixture of contemporary and historical material, which explains not just the work itself, but the influence it went on to have in subsequent decades of filmmaking.

With brand new interviews from, Terry Gilliam, Stephen Frears, Hanif Kureishi, Mike Newell, Ken Loach, Simon Beaufoy, David Leland, Mike Leigh, Terence Davies, David Puttnam, Steve Woolley, Sally Potter, Gurinder Chadha & Gurinder Chadha.

EPISODE 1

The Sixties: British cinema is forever changed by Social Realism, Swinging London and American money. But how long can the party last?

EPISODE 2

The Seventies: Every taboo must be broken and British cinema is awash with sex, violence, religion, class and race.

EPISODE 3

The Eighties: The rise of several British production companies means a huge increase in quality and output for British cinema but the rise of Margaret Thatcher also takes effect. 

EPISODE 4

1990 - 2010: One big production company becomes the last one standing and their highly successful formulas change British film forever.