“Sandbrook’s social history excelled at the tiny details.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.

The 70s, BBC2

“That, in essence, was his thesis – that the Seventies saw the replacement of old collectivist Britain with a new acquisitive society, changed by gentrification, foreign holidays and the unions’ determination that their members shouldn’t be excluded from the party.”
Tom Sutcliffe, The Independent

“Dominic does it all very well, taking the strands – economic, political, cultural – and plaiting them beautifully together like … and maybe you can think of someone who had nice hippy braids in 1972, I can’t (c’mon I was only young).”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“All of this went to prove not just an interesting point but that TV history is very interesting when someone has a point to make.”
Matt Baylis, The Express

“Given that he had to paint such a big picture, Sandbrook’s social history excelled at the tiny details, ones which either butterflied into something much more significant or turned preconceptions on their head.”
Alex Hardy, The Times

Ceramics: How They Work, BBC4

“Whether you enjoyed it rather depended on how you react to an introduction such as “Dr Phil Purnell has been studying concrete for over 15 years.” I thought it was a treat.”
Tom Sutcliffe, The Independent

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