Yesterday Commissions New Programs for Spirit of Sixties

LONDON: The factual channel Yesterday has commissioned four new programs for its Spirit of the Sixties lineup, including WAGs of ’66 and Valentine Warner Eats the Sixties.

The series premieres September 18, with WAGs of ’66 airing on September 22 and Valentine Warner Eats the Sixties airing in late October. 60s Unswung and From Bognor to Benidorm will debut in early 2012.

The one-hour documentary WAGs of ’66, made by Epiphany Productions, tells the story of England’s 1966 World Cup win through the eyes of the women closest to the players.

The 2×1-hour Valentine Warner Eats the Sixties explores eating in and out in the sixties. Produced by Optomen Television, it shows how food in the sixties changed from the end of rationing to the birth of fast food chains.

60s Unswung, produced by DoubleBand Films, is a one-hour documentary that sets out to reveal how the sixties music scene wasn’t as “cool” as people like to remember.

What Larks! Productions’ one-hour documentary From Bognor to Benidorm charts the rise of the British love for holidays abroad

Spirit of the Sixties will air daily for four weeks from 8 to 10 p.m. and return in 2012.

“Each commission will use personal testimony and archive footage to bring the sixties to life and offer new perspectives on the decade that changed everything,” said Catherine Catton, UKTV’s commissioning editor of factual and factual entertainment who is also executive producer.

Adrian Wills, the interim head of factual at Yesterday, added: “The sixties represented a real sea-change in social behavior and attitudes in Britain. It’s an iconic decade in our recent past, and not just for those who have first-hand memories of it. Even today, we’re still influenced by the music, fashion and counter-culture of this vibrant time. This is why Yesterday has commissioned a range of programs that showcase the sixties in all its ground-breaking glory, and that will challenge and expand our understanding of the decade.”