Living in the Past (1978)
Synopsis
A group of young people live and work on a replica of a prehistoric Iron Age settlement at a secret location in the West of England. Cut off from the modern world, the group try to re-create the way of life of Celtic tribesmen in the third century BC.
Network
BBC Two
Episodes
Episodes
March
The Archaeological background. Building the settlement.
April
Difficulties and delays.
May
Spring at last.
June
Learning to be self-sufficient.
July
The first signs of strain appear in the group's relationship with one another. They have problems with their livestock, but some successes as well.
August
Fun and games for the Celtic Festival of Lugnatha-a prehistoric August Bank Holiday. Harvest time begins and one of the group goes missing.
September
The group take in the harvest and run into more problems. They kill a pig and begin preparing for the winter.
October
The village has a disastrous crop failure. They train cattle, make clothes and shoes and deal with minor cuts and injuries.
November
The villagers celebrate the Celtic festival of Samhain, better known today as Bonfire Night. They burn a wicker man and enact a play with the spirits of darkness.
December
The Iron Age village prepares for the winter. Lindsay and Peter return home with the children and the others regret their departure. The villagers experiment with metal working.
January
The Iron Age village in winter. The group begin to master the skills of working iron and weaving. They talk about the lack of leadership and the lack of privacy in the Round House.
February
The Iron Age village during the closing weeks of the project. The group talk about the skills they have attained and their feelings about returning to the outside world. The archaeologists take over and give an assessment of the project as a whole, its failures and its successes.
Details
Original Title
Living in the Past
Status
Ended
Seasons
1
Episodes
12
