Storyline

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.

First Aired

1978-02-23
Last Aired

1978-05-11
Creator
Genre

Documentary
Seasons

1
Episodes

12
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

BBC Two

Keywords:

prehistory historical immersion

Stream and watch Living in the Past

Season 1

1. March

The Archaeological background. Building the settlement.

The Archaeological background. Building the settlement.Less

1978-02-23

2. April

Difficulties and delays.

Difficulties and delays.Less

1978-03-02

3. May

Spring at last.

Spring at last.Less

1978-03-09

4. June

Learning to be self-sufficient.

Learning to be self-sufficient.Less

1978-03-16

5. July

The first signs of strain appear in the group's relationship with one another. They have problems with...More

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.Less

1978-03-23

6. August

Fun and games for the Celtic Festival of Lugnatha-a prehistoric August Bank Holiday. Harvest time begi...More

Fun and games for the Celtic Festival of Lugnatha-a prehistoric August Bank Holiday. Harvest time begins and one of the group goes missing.Less

1978-03-30

7. September

The group take in the harvest and run into more problems. They kill a pig and begin preparing for the ...More

The group take in the harvest and run into more problems. They kill a pig and begin preparing for the winter.Less

1978-04-06

8. October

The village has a disastrous crop failure. They train cattle, make clothes and shoes and deal with min...More

The village has a disastrous crop failure. They train cattle, make clothes and shoes and deal with minor cuts and injuries.Less

1978-04-13

9. November

The villagers celebrate the Celtic festival of Samhain, better known today as Bonfire Night. They burn...More

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.Less

1978-04-20

10. December

The Iron Age village prepares for the winter. Lindsay and Peter return home with the children and the ...More

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.Less

1978-04-27

11. January

The Iron Age village in winter. The group begin to master the skills of working iron and weaving. They...More

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.Less

1978-05-04

12. February

The Iron Age village during the closing weeks of the project. The group talk about the skills they hav...More

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.Less