When Coal Was King

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Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history.

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

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Timeshift: When Coal Was King

Christopher Eccleston

Kate Thomas

William Naylor

Timeshift: Series 13: Episode 2: When Coal Was King

Episode 2

Episode 2: When Coal Was King

Series 13

BBC Four - Timeshift, Series 13, When Coal Was King

Exploring the lost world of coal mining and the lives of those who worked in the industry.

Documentary which explores the lost world of coal mining and the rich social and cultural lives of those who worked in what was once Britain's most important industry.

Timeshift explores the lost world of coal mining and the extraordinarily rich social and cultural lives of those who worked in what was once Britain's most important industry. It's a story told through a largely forgotten film archive that movingly documents the final years of coal's heyday from the 1940s to the 1980s. One priceless piece of footage features a ballet performance by tutu-wearing colliers. 

Featuring contributions from those who worked underground, those who lived in the pit villages, those who filmed them at work and at play and those - like Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall - who have been inspired by what made coalfield culture so unique.

Narrated by Christopher Eccleston.

Timeshift: Series 13

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Episode 2: When Coal Was King

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