Episode 2
A series telling the story of the NHS through the voices of the people whose lives it has affected. This episode covers a period in which the NHS expands beyond all recognition.
This episode covers a period in which the NHS expands beyond all recognition as it is forced to evolve and adapt to the needs of an ever-growing, and ever more diverse population, all against a background of social strife and the increasing pressures to privatise. Amongst the highly cherished artefacts shown are the personal letters of Dr Elphis Christopher, a family-planning specialist who received death threats when she dared advocate sex education in schools, the NHS wigs given to Grand National-winning jockey Bob Champion when he underwent a then revolutionary form of chemotherapy for testicular cancer and the pram and teddy bear of Alastair Macdonald, the world's second, and the NHS's first, test-tube baby.
This era of 1973 to 1997 was a time of extreme social change and the NHS was forced to adapt accordingly. Neurosurgeon Alan Crockard reveals a small titanium plate he and his colleagues in Belfast invented at the height of the conflict in Northern Ireland to insert into head wounds, an innovation that in his words 'helped people survive the unsurvivable'. Wendy Watson, the first woman in Britain to have a pre-emptive double mastectomy, shares the handwritten letter she received from Princess Diana, thanking her for her work raising money for breast cancer screening. And mum of two Rosemary Cox shows the brooch her dying son gave her, shortly before his tragic death from a brain tumour became the catalyst for her campaign to create of the UK's Organ Donor Register.
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Clips
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"That's a huge thing that can't be underestimated"
Duration: 01:00
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Surviving cancer
Duration: 02:13
Music Played
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Eurythmics
Sweet Dreams
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Bronski Beat
Smalltown Boy
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Saint Etienne
Former Lover
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Led Zeppelin
When The Levee Breaks
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The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band
Albatross (feat. Rick Vito)
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Shocking Blue
Venus
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Lieutenant Pigeon
Mouldy Old Dough
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The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
The Faith Healer
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Black Sabbath
War Pigs
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Thin Lizzy
Whiskey In The Jar
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James Last Orchestra
A Whiter Shade of Pale
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Bryan Ferry
Let's Work Together
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Supertramp
The Logical Song
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Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Electricity
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Rose Royce
Wishing On A Star
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Boney M.
Brown Girl In The Ring
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The Selecter
On My Radio
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The Human League
Love Action (I Believe In Love)
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Manfred Mann鈥檚 Earth Band
Blinded By The Light
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The Flying Lizards
Money (That's What I Want)
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Duran Duran
Ordinary World
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Tori Amos
Cornflake Girl
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Enya
Caribbean Blue
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Annie Lennox
Why
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Edwyn Collins
A Girl Like You
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Gina G
Just A Little Bit
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Alex Brooker |
Series Producer | Zoe Jewell |
Executive Producer | Eve Kay |
Director | Kemi Majekodunmi |
Production Company | 7 Wonder Productions |
Broadcasts
- Mon 9 Jul 2018 21:00
- Tue 10 Jul 2018 02:25
- Tue 4 Jul 2023 19:00
- Wed 5 Jul 2023 03:00
How much do you know about the NHS? Test your knowledge and find out what it鈥檚 like to be a nurse
Visit The Open University to find out more about the NHS.
The University of Warwick: People's History of the NHS
For more on the history of the NHS, go to Warwick University鈥檚 site.