Britain's Greatest Generation

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undefined Testimony Films

Steve Humphries

Andy Attenburrow

Gladys Parry

Bill Graves

Dorothy Hughes

Bobby Brown

Austin Byrne

Diana Athill

Dorothy Bohm

Connie Hoe

Jim Purcell

Brian Rix

Earl Cameron

George Montague

Britain's Greatest Generation: Episode 4: A Better World

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A Better World

Episode 4

Episode 4: A Better World

BBC Two - Britain's Greatest Generation, A Better World

A look at the people who helped create a more culturally diverse postwar Britain.

Documentary. A look at the people who helped create a more diverse postwar Britain, including pioneering actor Earl Cameron and gay rights activist George Montague.

This final episode of Britain's Greatest Generation follows the lives of some of the servicemen and women of the Second World War across seventy years of British history, from 1945 up to the present day. This episode features Arctic convoy survivor Austin Byrne, former Fleet Air Arm pilot and Scotland football manager Bobby Brown and ex-prisoner of war Jim Purcell - just a few of the extraordinary and inspiring members of Britain's Greatest Generation who recall their stories and memories.

Also appearing will be individuals who played their part in creating a more culturally diverse postwar Britain, such as pioneering actor Earl Cameron, gay rights activist George Montague and Brian Rix, who has campaigned passionately on the issue of disability.

Whilst for some, life was getting better after the Second World War, there were still many people in society who were victims of prejudice. Earl Cameron was determined to change this and recalls how he broke through the colour bar in the British film industry. Novelist Diana Athill also played an important role in the movement towards both sexual and racial openness in the 1960s and speaks about how she flouted the taboo on mixed-race relationships at that time.

One of the defining features of many of our greatest generation is a commitment to their local community. People such as Gladys Parry, who became a local magistrate in Manchester after the Second World War, and former railwayman Bill Graves, who became a local councillor in Bristol, are no exception. Others who display a strong sense of civic duty are Dorothy Hughes, who has made numerous public appearances as one of the first female Chelsea Pensioners and Jim Purcell, who is a local legend in his home town of Jarrow, having raised money for charity through running several marathons since his 60s and still takes part in long-distance races in memory of his partner Betty.

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Factual: History

Documentary series about the extraordinary last survivors who fought or lived through WWII

Documentary series that tells the stories of the extraordinary last survivors of the generation who fought or lived through World War II

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