48hrs

From free festivals to mounted police via a Sedgefield potter, see how the North East of England spent Summer Bank Holiday back in 1988.
Forty-eight hours is just a moment in time in the social history of a nation. However, over 26 and 27 August 1988, the people of the North East England have produced a significant record of their lives, their time and their country." These are the words of the then HRH Prince Charles in his introduction to the book '48hrs: Two Days in the Life of the North East', published by BBC Books and containing hundreds of original and unique photographs taken by people across the region. According to David Cox, producer of 48hrs, the photographs "create a true reflection of how people feel about their area and their lives’ at a specific moment in time." While the book went onto become a success, less well-known are the 20 films, shot on video, which were produced as part of the same project. The videos sat on the shelves of FilmNova until being donated to the Yorkshire & North East Film Archives in the early 2010s. Now these tapes have been digitised and made available here for you to view and look back on the people of the North East of England over a Summer Bank Holiday more than 30 years ago.
18 items in this collection

Darlington People at Work and Play

The Railway People

48hrs In and Around Felling 1988

26th August 1988

Housewife and Artist

Through Us All / Though I'm Not Dressed As…

The Plight of Boldon Late South Shields

A Film by Tom Jones and Agnes Fenwick

Memorial of a Free Festival

Shields Ferry

Police Mounted Section

Sunderland Illuminations Switch On

Party Time with Chester Place Play Scheme

South Tyneside Summer Festival

The Sedgfield Potter

Milking

E-Force

An Evening by the Wear