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Over the last 40 years, technology
has developed with dizzying speed.

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But how has it changed us?

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How has it transformed our homes
and altered family life?

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To find out, the Sullivan-Barneses
are taking part
in a unique experiment.

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They have been stripped
of all their modern technology,

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including three games consoles,
three DVD players,

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five mobile phones, six televisions
and seven computers.

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It'll be fantastic at the end of it
if we're slightly less hooked
on all the techno stuff.

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Their own home has been turned
into a time machine.

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What on earth have they done
with our kitchen?

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They've fast-forwarded through the
years at the rate of one a day from
the digital wilderness of the 1970s.

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Black and white!

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To the prehistoric electronics
of the '80s.

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Press... Wait!
Why can't you be more patient?

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Nothing ever works!

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Now they're going to experience
the communication revolution
of the '90s.

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Look, it works!

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It just makes it look like we spend
our entire time watching television!

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But as the gadgets come
thick and fast...

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We've all got a new one then.
Oh, blimey, not another one!

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..what price family life?

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Hamish won't speak to us again.
He won't need to.

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Shoot... Oh!

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Has progress always been
for the better?

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And how has it changed
our electric dreams?

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# We'll always be together

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# However far it seems
Love never ends

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# We'll always be together

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# Together in electric dreams... #

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# Back to life

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# Back to reality... #

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The Sullivan-Barnes family
are having their last breakfast
of the 1980s.

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# Back to the here and now... #

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After a decade of technological
disappointments, gadget freak Adam
is enthusiastic about the '90s.

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There'll be more games,
there'll be more computer stuff,
there'll be better TV.

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And we'll be back to the old world
of hardly speaking
to each other probably.

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Mum Georgie is worried about
the impact of ever more technology
on her family.

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There's bound to be more distractions
that pull people further away.

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Toddler Jude is too young
to comment,

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but Adam's daughter Steff and
Georgie's children Ellie and Hamish
will return to the decade

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in which they were born.
Not that they remember it.

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I've had the experience of the '80s,
I've had the experience of the 2000s,
so, basically, it's just in between.

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I do kind of know what
it's gonna be like. Do you think?

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But the '90s may hold surprises
for them all.

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Throughout their experience,
the family have had their very own
technical support team.

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They've arrived to take
the technology in the house
from the '80s to the '90s.

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And they've got their work cut out.

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# So come on,
let me entertain you... #

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Sociologist Dr Ben Highmore
specialises in the history
of domestic technology.

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It's the decade of the gadget.

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An ever-increasing array of
consumer technologies demanded more
and more attention from families.

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Tom Wrigglesworth is in charge
of all their audio-visual devices.

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In a decade where there were
ever more possibilities for home
entertainment, he will be busy.

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This technology meant more reasons
for kids to stay in their rooms,

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playing with the world's
biggest remote control.

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Gia Milinovich is a lifelong
computer geek and technology writer.

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For me, this decade is going to be
quite difficult keeping up with
the pace of change with the computer

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because software and hardware
just changed constantly.

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With the crucial kit in place,
there is just time
to add a few period flourishes.

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The house is all set
to relive the 1990s.

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The family have been transformed
too with dress-down '90s clobber.

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But they have no idea
what's now waiting for them
behind their own front door.

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Oh, wow! Oh, look!

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I like this. There we go, look.

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This is much nicer than the '80s.

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The '80s chintz has been
well and truly chucked.

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Minimalist - that's the word I want.

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Photographs of pebbles on the beach
were very '90s.

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There's a lot of new gadgets, a lot
of technology. What a big telly!

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Big, black telly as well.

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But progress is still slower
than the kids were hoping for.

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Four channels.
We had four in the '80s.

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It's quite funny how only 19 years
ago, there was only four channels

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and now you can get like 600
or something.

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The kitchen is no longer
by Laura Ashley,

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but there is something even
more exciting than a style makeover.

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Wow, it's bigger!

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That's really weird.
It's got bigger!

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Over the years, the kitchen has
evolved from a functional workspace

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to a bigger
and more sociable family hub.

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Ha! Oh, wow!

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The girls, of course,
have no memory of the early '90s,

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but are pleased to see
that not everything changes.

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Take That! Yes!

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Let's see who I can recognise.

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# It only takes a minute, girl... #

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In a decade when technology
was spreading into every corner
of our homes... That's a remote!

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..one object had become so cheap,
it was multiplying.

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Hey! Oh, blimey! Wow!

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Far Eastern labour, cheaper parts
and expanding global economies

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meant TVs cost 95% less than the
model the family had in the 1970s.

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Can we have this one?
Georgie and I will have this one.

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Do we need a telly in our room...
You've got a video player.
..just because we've got one?

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We don't need one, do we?
We've been saying how nice it's been
to be together as a family.

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Have I missed not having a telly?

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Yes. Yeah, a little bit.

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Yes. OK, fine, let's have it then.

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OK. That's fine.
Hamish, do you want this one?

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By the end of the decade,
TVs had moved into the rooms
of two-thirds of British kids.

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Bedroom culture had taken over,

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but the shared experience
of family viewing is something
Georgie would love to hold on to.

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I'm hoping the TV reception will be
so poor with the aerials they've got

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that they won't choose
to sit up here and watch telly.

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They'll want to come down for the
bigger screen, so fingers crossed.

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The fax machine had also become
cheap enough to spread
from the office into the home.

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PHONE RINGS

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Wait, don't answer it.
It might be the fax machine.

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Now a home phone line could be used
to tele-work,

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a popular '90s concept that promised
we could all work from home.

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Here it goes. Stand back.

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Their first fax is
from the Tech Team.

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"We look forward to celebrating
the new millennium with you
at the end of the decade

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"and suggest you use all the '90s
technology at your disposal
to plan your own millennium party."

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What's a millennium party?

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It's like the biggest ever
New Year's Eve party.

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People spent a lot of money
making it a really exciting night.

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'90s consumer culture was driven
more than ever before
by exhaustive market research.

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In the spirit of the times,
the Tech Team turn the family
into a focus group.

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They're being asked what gadgets
they'd like delivered to their door.

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The thing to do is shout out things
that you think, technology-wise,
we should be having in the '90s.

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Remote-control cars,
boats and planes. Roller blades.

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Games consoles. Electric scooters.

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What about computers?
Mobiles. Satellite TV!

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Though the children
can barely remember the decade,
they know exactly what they want.

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MACHINE BEEPS

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Hamish attempts to fax their list
to the Tech Team.

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I've never sent a fax before.

128
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Thanks to the explosive growth of
e-mail, it's something he probably
won't ever have to do again.

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On the other side of Reading,
the Tech Team are in their workshop.

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Here it comes. It's from the house.

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On the list is mobile phones,
satellite TV,

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the internet and a request
for hand-held games
from gaming fan Hamish.

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The '90s was the point at which the
games industry massively took off.

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Now it's overtaken music sales
and it certainly gives Hollywood
a run for its money.

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The Tech Team get a first taste
of just how demanding the family
is going to be in the coming decade.

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00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:12,080
"Please... Remember,
we know where you live." Slightly
sinister end to a facsimile there.

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Early evening and time to settle
down to watch some television.

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00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:22,600
Or rather some televisions.

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00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,560
'Good evening and welcome.
Tonight...'

140
00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:29,920
'Margaret Thatcher left 10 Downing
Street for the last time.'

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Mad old witch!

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She was brilliant, this woman.

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'After 11 and a half wonderful years,
we leave the United Kingdom
in a very, very much better state

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'than when we came here...'

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As 1990 draws to a close,
the family has mixed feelings
about their higher tech home.

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We've all got like tellies
in our rooms and stuff,

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which...I think is quite nice,

148
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but then in some ways,
it's probably a bad thing.

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I don't know.

150
00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:14,080
I think I'm going to enjoy the '90s
a lot more than I did
the '70s or the '80s.

151
00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:20,600
Now that I have a TV
and a video player, I think I will
be spending more time in my bedroom.

152
00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,280
MUSIC: "Step On" - Happy Mondays

153
00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:37,720
A new day and for the
Sullivan-Barnes family, it's 1991.

154
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I think you have to write "win".

155
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OK.

156
00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,000
Oh. Nice one.

157
00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:55,160
JOHN MAJOR:
'..attacked military targets
in Iraq and Baghdad last night.'

158
00:11:55,160 --> 00:12:02,280
Britain is at war, but escape
from the grim news came from an
altogether more harmless conflict.

159
00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:06,320
'Species like these fluffy bunnies
face a new threat.

160
00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:10,600
'The predator disturbing their
dreams is an electronic hedgehog.'

161
00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,640
This was the year
Sonic the Hedgehog was born

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to combat the market dominance
of an Italian plumber called Mario.

163
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They were the number one video game
characters of Sega and Nintendo

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who were cashing in on Britain's
insatiable appetite for electronic
imports from the Far East.

165
00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:32,320
Kids, it's parcels!

166
00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:37,360
The Japanese giants
were battling for control
of the hand-held gaming market.

167
00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:41,320
Game Boy! That's yours, I believe.
They're both mine.

168
00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:45,680
Both now offered cartridge-based
portable consoles.

169
00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:49,080
Who remembers Sonic the Hedgehog?
Me! Me!

170
00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:54,120
Sega's Game Gear was in colour,
but it was a pricey £200
in today's money,

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twice the price of rivals Game Boy.
I don't want to do that.

172
00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:03,960
Nintendo's knock-out punch
was to include the notoriously
habit-forming Tetris.

173
00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,120
This will keep me entertained
for many a day.

174
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,800
The nation agreed
and by the end of 1991,

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800,000 Britons had one.

176
00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:19,480
We had never known technology so
portable, addictive and anti-social.

177
00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,320
I think it is pretty sad,
don't you?

178
00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:29,120
I don't know. I'm only just
noticing. Hamish won't speak to us
again cos he won't need to.

179
00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:32,320
Apart from when he needs to eat
or drink.

180
00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,360
Isn't that what you've been hoping
for? It is quite pleasant sometimes.

181
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,560
But it's been quite nice
talking to him.

182
00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:43,400
MUSIC: "Connected" - Stereo MCs

183
00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:50,680
It's 1992 and even more
home entertainment is on the way.

184
00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:52,960
# Gonna get myself connected... #

185
00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:56,440
This was the year BSkyB bought up
the Premiership.

186
00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:03,040
And for the first time, Britain
started signing up to satellite TV
in significant numbers.

187
00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,480
1992 and I've got you a satellite
dish. Wow, look at the size of that!

188
00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:10,760
Yeah. It's huge.
Where shall we put it?

189
00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:16,800
You want to make a statement,
don't you? No, I don't want it on
the side of the house. Really? No.

190
00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:22,480
It's a bit "council house".
That's the problem. Are you worried
about the neighbours? Yeah.

191
00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,720
Adam's concerns were very typical
of the time.

192
00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,240
We call them architectural acne
down here.

193
00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:34,560
And when they sprout out
as acne does,
they are very unattractive.

194
00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:41,040
In the 1980s, technology was
a status symbol and showing it off
told the world you were rich.

195
00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:45,080
But '90s hi-tech was increasingly
affordable for everyone

196
00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,120
and suddenly, your choices
could tell a different story.

197
00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:53,760
It's totally out of place. I really
don't believe it should be there

198
00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,560
in full frontal
of a period building.

199
00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,400
What's going on then?

200
00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,400
It just says "couch potato" to me.

201
00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,640
I'm slightly embarrassed
that it's in full view of the road.

202
00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:17,440
It's a lot bigger and uglier
than I actually remember.

203
00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:21,280
I think this is definitely
the slippery slope.

204
00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:26,760
Satellite telly is just
such a mind drain...waste of time.

205
00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,360
Georgie needn't worry.

206
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,600
The giant dish has changed
the house on the outside,

207
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,920
but it won't change their viewing
habits on the inside much just yet.

208
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:42,720
In 1992, it would deliver
a meagre five extra channels.

209
00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:46,040
DOORBELL RINGS
I'll get it.

210
00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:50,680
The family's fax to the Tech Team
also requested mobile phones,

211
00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:55,720
but in 1992, mobiles were still
far too expensive
for the non-business user,

212
00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,880
so they've been sent
a cheaper alternative - the pager.

213
00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:03,400
What are pagers? What are they?
HIGH-PITCHED BEEP

214
00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:09,520
Already a workplace success, this
messaging technology looked like it
might catch on for personal use too.

215
00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:14,600
It's quite neat, isn't it?
It makes me feel like a drug dealer.

216
00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:20,720
The family need to go shopping
for their millennium party.

217
00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:26,280
They pile into their
family-friendly '90s People Carrier,
taking their pagers with them.

218
00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:36,480
Most of Britain's pager network
was turned off in 2004,

219
00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:42,720
so Tom has set up his own inside
the Tech Team van which is parked
next to the local shopping centre.

220
00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:49,080
We've a list of things to do. Shall
we split up, divide and conquer?

221
00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,400
When we've found something,
we'll let you know... Quick!

222
00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:59,680
Each group has the same shopping
list and they'll page each other
whenever they find something.

223
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:03,600
Pens, pens, pens.
The dot ones are quite '90s.

224
00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,760
Right, we need to find a phone, guys.

225
00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,800
To page, the family have to phone
Tom and dictate their message to him

226
00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:15,680
but there's a limit
on how much they can say.

227
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:20,720
We've got 20 characters,
then we have to send another message
to tell him what else we've got.

228
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:25,760
Got - space - napkins -
space - balloons.

229
00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:27,800
It says "invalid".

230
00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:31,840
But modern 12-year-olds aren't
au fait with pay phones.

231
00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,440
Put the other 20 back in. Good. Go.

232
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,480
0799...

233
00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,920
Hello. Can I send a message
to pager number one?

234
00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,440
Of course. It sounds like Georgie.

235
00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,400
'Got - space - napkins -
space - balloons.'

236
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,440
Got napkins balloons.

237
00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,440
Tom acts as operator,
sending the message on.

238
00:17:54,440 --> 00:18:00,480
It's a one-way radio, so when you
type in the message and the pager
number here, you press "send"

239
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:06,320
and it just sends radio one way
to the pager. All the pagers
are little radio receivers.

240
00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:12,920
PAGER BEEPS

241
00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,240
# Things that make you go hmm... #

242
00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:20,920
Napkins, balloons,
and they got ribbons.

243
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:26,920
Find a phone and tell them we got
the Blu-Tack and stuff, otherwise
they'll go and buy it again.

244
00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:28,560
Ohh!

245
00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:31,760
It won't take the...
Wait, wait. No, no.

246
00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,040
I just used a credit card.

247
00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:41,480
Piece of junk!

248
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:43,840
Let's go and find another pay phone.

249
00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,880
In the '90s, there would've been
a whole bank of phones there.

250
00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:51,160
MOBILE PHONE JINGLE
Gone communication-mad in here!

251
00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:54,600
Got - space - Blu-Tack -
space - scissors.

252
00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,480
The girls are having no problem
with the system.

253
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,120
They got Blu-Tack and scissors
which is what we've got.

254
00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:06,040
They say, "Please buy crepe paper
and pipe cleaners."

255
00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,560
Where are we gonna get those from?

256
00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:16,960
I've got credit. Hooray!
Can I send a page, please?

257
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,480
Adam! Hello. What's your message?

258
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:26,120
Got Sellotape. Thanks for your
message. That's winging its way
over immediately. Thanks, Tom.

259
00:19:26,120 --> 00:19:29,040
# Things that make you go hmm... #

260
00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:34,000
It just reminds me
that when we didn't have mobiles,
we were a bit more organised.

261
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,400
Pagers did grow in popularity
throughout the '90s,

262
00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:41,440
but they were pretty much killed off
as far as Joe Public was concerned

263
00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,680
when the GSM network
got extremely reliable,

264
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,920
a lot cheaper, then ultimately,
text messaging kicked off.

265
00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,560
GEORGIE:
Hi! Where have you been?

266
00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:56,200
You said "pipe cleaners". We got...
Martini glass times two.

267
00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,440
You said "crepe paper". We got...

268
00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,400
Shot glass times two.

269
00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:08,480
But the piece de resistance
is still to come.
We got...a cocktail shaker!

270
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,320
None of that's on the list.
Why have you got all that junk?

271
00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:17,880
We don't need any of that. You can
take that back. All afternoon
and you've got beer glasses!

272
00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,560
You complete twits! If you haven't
got a phone accessible...

273
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:27,120
You're meant to go to the high
street. We couldn't find one.
There was eight on the high street.

274
00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:33,120
We've discovered it's not a very
good system. We've discovered that
you're not very good at paging.

275
00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:35,160
This way.

276
00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:46,360
'90s technology gave us
more and more choices
for entertainment at home.

277
00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:51,280
And '90s families spent
more and more time indoors.

278
00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:56,840
One advantage seemed to be that
parents could keep a watchful eye
on their children.

279
00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:02,680
It just makes me feel sad
that we don't let them out more,
we don't make them go out more.

280
00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:08,440
But they're in the home,
we know they're safe.
That's not how I was brought up.

281
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,920
With screen time for kids
at an all-time high,

282
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:17,440
tragic events in 1993
called into question
exactly what they were watching

283
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,880
and how it was affecting them.

284
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:25,400
Good evening.
An angry crowd gathered this morning
outside the courtroom on Merseyside

285
00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:31,440
where two ten-year-old boys were
formally charged with the murder
of the toddler James Bulger.

286
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:37,840
'The idea that Jon Venables may have
been influenced by violent videos
was fuelled by the judge's remarks.

287
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:43,560
'He said that exposure
to violent video films
may in part be an explanation.

288
00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:49,600
'Neil Venables, his father,
did rent out Child's Play 3 which
shows a demonic doll being killed,

289
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,240
'but denies the boy ever saw
any violent videos.

290
00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:59,360
'The horror of the murder has
triggered paroxysms of moral panic
and national self-doubt.'

291
00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:04,960
It wasn't just movies
that got drawn into the debate. Now
video nasties could be interactive.

292
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:10,600
Gory games were seen
as a new hi-tech culprit
for juvenile delinquency.

293
00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:15,600
Some children are having difficulty
in telling the difference
between fact and fiction.

294
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:21,080
Playing computer games can lead to
addiction, to heightened aggression
immediately after playing.

295
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:25,480
It may provide an adrenaline rush
for people who like punching buttons

296
00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:29,840
but it's no more sophisticated than
a game of ping-pong, it seems to me.

297
00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,280
DOORBELL RINGS

298
00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,040
# La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la... #

299
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,400
Just... Just, just...

300
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:41,960
Although this morning's delivery of
gaming consoles may seem harmless...

301
00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:45,280
Look, we've got a video.

302
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,840
We have a Sega. 16-bit.

303
00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,680
Can I have one of my own? Possibly.

304
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:56,280
The Tech Team have felt the need to
send in a parental advisory note.

305
00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:00,240
"We feel that
it's our responsibility in 1993

306
00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:04,000
"to ask you to take a look
at the games we've included

307
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:09,840
"and make sure you are happy
with their content before
you give them to the children."

308
00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,040
Check out Mortal Kombat.
That doesn't sound great.

309
00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:28,200
It's not got guns or knives
or anything like that in it,

310
00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:34,240
so you could argue
that it is just cartoon violence
which has been around for ever.

311
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,840
It pales in comparison
to a modern computer game

312
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,400
which is so real
that it's almost cinema quality.

313
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:45,080
I'm actually not worried about this,
to be honest.

314
00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,920
The graphics are almost comical
whereas in the games now,

315
00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:53,280
there's blood flying and bruises
and cuts and whatever.

316
00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:55,520
It does look very real.

317
00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,400
So we'll pass that, shall we?
Yeah, I'm happy with that. OK.

318
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,960
Though the games look tame now,

319
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:07,000
in 1993, violent videos and video
games were discussed in Parliament.

320
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,680
The following year,
age ratings were applied to games.

321
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:12,960
Kids! Kids!

322
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,880
You can have all the games
in your rooms,

323
00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,720
but you need to decide
which room you want to go in.

324
00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:25,760
There's a console for each bedroom,
but they're completely incompatible.

325
00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,880
Sonic and Mario were once again
battling for children's hearts

326
00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:35,000
and a share of a market
that would sell
over two million consoles in 1993.

327
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,920
You both want the Nintendo?
Yes. Yeah.

328
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,440
In this family,
the plumber is clearly winning.

329
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:46,280
I don't know how we're going
to decide which console goes
in whose room.

330
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,320
Why not have one in Hamish's room
and one down here?

331
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:54,360
We're not having one down here.
Why not? Because I say we're not.
Why not?

332
00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:59,400
If you don't want them, fine.
Just give them to Hamish.
Why don't you want them, Ellie?

333
00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:04,160
When other people come in our room,
they'll just want to play
on the games.

334
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:09,880
Have one each, then you can decide
if it's working or not
and change it around if it's not.

335
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:15,800
We'll have to do a fair draw,
flip a coin for who gets it. We're
not gonna flip a coin. We are.

336
00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:20,600
Heads, please. It's a 50/50 chance.
Are you gonna call?

337
00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:26,240
Flipping a coin is rubbish. If you're
gonna be difficult, I'll just
give it to the girls. You can't.

338
00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:31,800
I can. You're sounding like
a little brat. Now stop it.
Well, don't flip a coin then!

339
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,680
We are flipping a coin. Call. Heads.

340
00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:41,120
Heads. It's a head. It's not letting
you have it. That's the decision, so
you don't have a choice. You can't.

341
00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:44,360
You need a hand setting it up?
Yes, please. OK.

342
00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:47,200
Hamish, don't start fighting
over it.

343
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:52,760
I'm sure if you ask the girls,
they'll let you use it.
No, they won't. Yes, they will.

344
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:56,280
I don't like it...
MUTTERS ANGRILY TO HIMSELF

345
00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,720
Bye then. Goodbye.

346
00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:04,440
THEY GIGGLE
This is the sort of trouble
these things cause.

347
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,960
More choice doesn't necessarily
make for a happier family,

348
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,000
but it can create
a more possessive one.

349
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:17,720
He's very bad-tempered sometimes.
I think he needs
some anger management classes.

350
00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:20,560
Shall we use the video player
for this?

351
00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:26,680
'If the doorbell rings and there's a
parcel and it's something we haven't
had for ages, you can just tell,'

352
00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:30,880
Oh, no, there's
a whole new argument coming.

353
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:37,360
People get more argumentative,
people get more possessive,
people start splitting up more.

354
00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:41,120
He can't live
without a games console really.

355
00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:44,960
Although he got a bit tizzy
about which one he was gonna have,

356
00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:50,520
as soon as he gets one,
he'll be quite happy, especially
when he gets his friends round.

357
00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:57,440
You're not supposed to go in there.
I know.

358
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:03,960
You've got me trapped against
a wall. It's cheating. Yeah.

359
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,000
Whah! Tch-tcha! Oh!

360
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:13,840
It's nice to just be with my friends
and do...

361
00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,960
just something that we enjoy,
which is nice.

362
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,760
Yes! Instant random head-butt!

363
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,600
Oh... Yes!

364
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,120
Work for 1993 still isn't over
for the Tech Team.

365
00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:30,160
# He's on the phone... #

366
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:33,840
Tom is sorting out
yet another delivery.

367
00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:38,000
It's time to give the family their
first genuine, proper mobile phone.

368
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,640
And we've picked this beauty.

369
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:45,080
These would've been the toy of the
execs and yuppies and flashy people.

370
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,600
# It's time to go... #

371
00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:52,960
In the era of pre-digital
mobile phones, owning a brick

372
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:57,560
was as much about looking the
business as making business sense.

373
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:01,560
The phones were expensive,
heavy and offered limited coverage.

374
00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:05,280
Great for showing off,
rubbish for reception.

375
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:11,480
In 1993, Britain's mobile network
went digital,
but calls remained costly -

376
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:14,720
up to 50 pence per minute
in today's money.

377
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:16,760
DOORBELL RINGS

378
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:19,720
So high-end business users
still dominated.

379
00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:24,760
As Georgie is a senior manager,
she gets the first
digital mobile phone.

380
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,880
Look, we've got a gift. Wow!

381
00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:34,800
"Georgie, as you're the high flyer
of the family, you can have
the first mobile phone."

382
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:36,840
Look!

383
00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,880
Wow, look at that phone! I think
you'll find that's mine. Thank you.

384
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,400
That's your user manual. >
Wow, look at that!

385
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,160
Does it have an aerial...? Oh, yes.

386
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:51,680
"The Motorola 3200 cost £1,400."

387
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:53,960
£1,400?!

388
00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,320
PHONE RINGS

389
00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:02,360
It works!

390
00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:05,560
Oh, wow!

391
00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:10,320
How scary!
How much do you think that cost?

392
00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:15,560
What's it like having
a mobile again? It looks different,
it feels different.

393
00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:22,240
And it feels exciting
because we've had nothing equivalent
to a mobile at all.

394
00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,280
So it feels really exciting.

395
00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:30,160
But do you know what I most love?
What? Having something that
you're a little bit jealous of.

396
00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,720
LAUGHTER
No.

397
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:37,680
The early '90s mobile
is living up to its reputation
as a status symbol.

398
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:41,480
You most like being called
a high flyer, don't you?

399
00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:46,320
You really resent that, don't you?
You totally resent it. No, I don't.

400
00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,880
But Adam has got his own gadget
to gloat over -

401
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,400
one of the first ever
consumer digital cameras.

402
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,960
Nothing like a digital camera
of today.

403
00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:01,000
And he's about to get
the perfect opportunity to use it.

404
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,200
Tomorrow is 1994,

405
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:07,800
the year Britain was connected
to France.

406
00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,240
And the family are going to Paris.

407
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,000
Yes!

408
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:18,560
I'm really, really, really excited.
We're going to Paris tomorrow.

409
00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:20,920
Parlez-vous francais?

410
00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:27,040
The Channel Tunnel was one
of the most ambitious engineering
projects Europe has ever seen,

411
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:31,760
opening in a blaze of glory and huge
optimism about European integration.

412
00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:39,680
A really lovely atmosphere. Fantastic
festival feeling. I've just had
a really nice chocolate croissant.

413
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:45,960
# Get on, get on, get on, get on
Get on the groovy train... #

414
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:55,560
Adam and Georgie now possess
early versions of modern must-haves.

415
00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:59,080
"Select service."

416
00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:04,440
But they are a far cry
from today's slim, slick
and ubiquitous camera phones.

417
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,200
No-one's phoned me.

418
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:13,040
Maybe that big metal thing is
interfering with it. We might get
better reception somewhere else.

419
00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:17,240
Actually, she won't. The Tech Team
have made sure of that

420
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:22,920
because in 1994,
no-one could automatically make
calls from abroad.

421
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:29,280
Will Adam fare better
with the camera? No, you have to go
that way. You have to go that way.

422
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:35,120
It's hard to believe, but just
15 years ago, the digital camera
was almost unheard of.

423
00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:38,480
# Step one, one, one
We can have lots of fun... #

424
00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:40,440
There, done.

425
00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:42,480
Though it's easier to understand

426
00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:48,520
when you realise that mid-'90s
models like this Apple QuickTake
can store a total of eight pictures.

427
00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,000
I've only got seven left.

428
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,040
# Step two, two, two
There's so much we can do... #

429
00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,800
There's no preview screen.
We need the wine in the background.

430
00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:04,560
The resolution is half a megapixel,
a tenth of the picture quality
of an average modern camera.

431
00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:07,680
Lovely. Yes, beautiful.

432
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:12,360
All this for a whopping 740 quid
in today's money.

433
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,040
It's really hard to tell
if you've taken a picture.

434
00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:26,080
It's very hard to see
and you can't preview it.
The camera's rubbish.

435
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,680
He looks quite French. Excusez-moi!

436
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,520
Cheese! Cheese! Fromage!

437
00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:41,720
That's it now. All eight gone.
Really? That's eight taken.
Wow! All done.

438
00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:46,160
At home, there's a replacement
computer waiting for them,

439
00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:49,120
so they can take a look
at Adam's handiwork.

440
00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:52,840
Hmm... Oh, here we go!

441
00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:57,000
Look at that! It could be us even!

442
00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:00,840
As 1994 draws to a close,

443
00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:04,880
it's clear that the pace of change
is becoming pretty exhausting.

444
00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:07,320
Wake me up when it's finished.

445
00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:15,920
And there's no letting up in 1995.

446
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,880
I thought we'd run out of new stuff
to get.

447
00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:26,520
Before Georgie and Adam
can leave for the office,
the office has come to them.

448
00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:30,560
Look at the size of that! Feeding
the dream of flexible working.

449
00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:36,080
Business technology was becoming
portable. It was hoped
that you could work anywhere.

450
00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:38,400
It's got a proper aerial as well.

451
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:42,440
Look at that, a real aerial that
you have to pull up and sort of...

452
00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:49,360
With real intent.
I've got to make a call.
I've got to pull the aerial up!

453
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:55,400
But Adam's aerial is just for show
because it was thought consumers
wouldn't buy a phone without one.

454
00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:57,760
I'll look cool at work with this.

455
00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:04,360
But did laptops and mobiles mean
Britons worked more flexibly
or did they just work more?

456
00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:09,440
By 1995, we worked longer hours
than anyone else in Europe.

457
00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,400
DOORBELL RINGS
Someone at the door!

458
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:27,160
That night, there's another delivery
to add to the four computers
they've received since 1990.

459
00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:33,480
It's really heavy. Adam! There's
a parcel for me, Steff and Hamish,
but it's very heavy. Can you help us?

460
00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:36,480
This is the decade
of unending upgrades.

461
00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:39,520
Computing power
was growing exponentially,

462
00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:45,560
the only certainty being that your
new machine would fall in price a
few months after you had bought it,

463
00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:49,120
and need replacing
fairly soon after that.

464
00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:54,560
It's working!
The Sullivan-Barnes's latest pride
and joy has new software.

465
00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:56,680
But it's still not what they want.

466
00:34:56,680 --> 00:35:01,160
Has it got the internet?
"Internet tools." It's got internet!

467
00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:05,880
It won't have the internet because
it's not connected to a phone line.

468
00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:10,080
The girls make do with interactive
CD-ROMs for their homework.

469
00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:14,240
Search "How to survive in the
desert?" I'm doing a leaflet on it.

470
00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:17,200
Once hailed as the future
of reference materials,

471
00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:21,640
for kids who are used to the web,
they're not that impressive.

472
00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:24,080
It's got six pages of deserts.

473
00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:27,400
Boring!

474
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:30,640
How can you say that is boring?

475
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:34,760
Georgie is also finding the lack
of the internet frustrating.

476
00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:37,960
It has forced her
to stay late at work.

477
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:43,000
I needed to finish something
that I could otherwise have e-mailed
to myself.

478
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:47,640
At a quarter to six, I was still at
work and I was glaring at the clock,

479
00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:53,680
thinking, "This is when I should be
home now. It's almost six o'clock
and I should be with my family."

480
00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:58,080
In a way, it was almost better to
have nothing at home like in the '70s

481
00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:03,600
than feel like there's a bit
of technology, but it doesn't do
what I want it to yet.

482
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:05,800
It's annoying really.

483
00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:11,760
Technology is changing fast
and moving closer
to what they're used to.

484
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:17,200
But it's also making the family
more aware of what they're missing.

485
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:22,120
It would be great to get
the internet. It would be
so great to get the internet.

486
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,360
It would make life so much easier.

487
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:28,840
I'm looking forward to the end of the
whole thing when I get my phone back.

488
00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:33,800
Can I have the internet quite soon,
please? Thank you very much.
Good night.

489
00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:43,160
'We're not creative enough,
we're not positive enough.'

490
00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:45,200
# It's coming home... #

491
00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:50,200
It's 1996.
Britain's reaching fever pitch.
# Football's coming home... #

492
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:57,360
And laddish behaviour
wasn't confined to football.
It was all over popular culture.

493
00:36:57,360 --> 00:36:59,400
Hello. Hi, Adam.

494
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:05,520
Today's delivery was the favourite
gadget of the '90s new lad
and it comes with its own expert -

495
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,040
technology journalist Keith Stuart.

496
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:12,760
So I've brought with me
a Sony PlayStation. Wow!

497
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:17,080
And lots of games. It's about time
the adults got some fun as well.

498
00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,480
I don't know how to work
your ancient television.

499
00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:25,880
The little grey box wasn't cheap,
costing over £500 in today's money.

500
00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:32,440
But 20-somethings in the mid-'90s
were marrying and having kids later
than ever before,

501
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:37,080
leaving them with more money
and more time to play.

502
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:41,280
Tomb Raider was a really important
game. It's a female lead character.

503
00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,440
She's a well-proportioned girl.

504
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:48,520
What Lara Croft was doing
was tapping into this idea
of "kidulthood".

505
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:52,440
20-something lads
who were reading Loaded and FHM

506
00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:58,440
weren't really interested in plumbers
with moustaches or blue hedgehogs.

507
00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:02,800
Though Sony were complete newcomers
to the games industry,

508
00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:06,640
by marketing the console
as a lifestyle accessory to adults,

509
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,560
they soon outsold Sega and Nintendo.

510
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:13,360
The PlayStation now makes
more money for the electronics giant

511
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:16,400
than all their other
consumer products combined.

512
00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,560
Hamish, what do you think?

513
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:22,280
It's better than the Sega.
This is my console though.

514
00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:27,080
You're all right with it, aren't
you, if this is mine? No. What? No.

515
00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:30,520
It's not fair. Why isn't it fair?
You have to share.

516
00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:36,240
Adam won't share with Hamish,
but he does want to show off
his retro toy to some other boys.

517
00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:41,760
Some games for us to play? You start
and I'll get you some beer.
We don't have to be Man United.

518
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,280
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Hang on. That's me doing that.

519
00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:49,680
I'm not doing anything. Or am I?

520
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:53,280
Well, just try to actually kick
the ball...

521
00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:58,680
It slowly dawns on them
that they're not playing the game.
It's still in demo mode.

522
00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:02,000
Hamish...! Hamish!

523
00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:08,720
Hamish was just a year old in 1996,
but he knows how to sort out
the problem.

524
00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:12,720
Ah! So your answer
is switch it on and off?

525
00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:15,720
Now you. OK, now you go over there.

526
00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:20,160
Yes. OK? "Loading game." Bring it on!

527
00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:22,800
I vill be ze Germans!

528
00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,520
I'll lose. Wunderbar!

529
00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:28,120
Ohh! Ohh!

530
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:36,240
Hamish, it's lads' night now,
so you can clear off.
Haven't you got homework to do?

531
00:39:36,240 --> 00:39:42,880
Life in the '70s, '80s and '90s
has given the family something they
don't normally have in modern life -

532
00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:44,920
a shared living room.

533
00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:47,960
We're having pizzas,
so we'll see you later.

534
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:51,520
But Adam seems to be reintroducing
21st century protocol

535
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:56,560
where the living room is
an adults-only space in which
he keeps his own games console.

536
00:39:56,560 --> 00:40:01,600
This isn't an adults' room.
It is tonight cos it's for me
and my mates.

537
00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:07,040
Goodness me! What happened there?
Thank you. Goodbye.
I was trying not to save...

538
00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:11,240
I definitely don't want to have
a games console in the sitting room.

539
00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:16,560
And it does feel quite exclusive,
Adam being in there with his mates,
having a good time.

540
00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:20,720
I guess to a degree
this is what I've been dreading -

541
00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:26,960
lots of different entertainment
media choices around the house and
everybody off doing their own thing.

542
00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:32,400
Because we've got loads and loads
of new technology
and loads of different things,

543
00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:37,240
everyone's going to their own rooms
and they're not mixing
with everyone.

544
00:40:37,240 --> 00:40:39,680
LAUGHTER

545
00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:44,880
# Things can only get better... #

546
00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:49,720
It's 1997 and a wave of optimism
is sweeping the nation.

547
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:53,240
A new dawn has broken.
CHEERING

548
00:40:53,240 --> 00:40:55,680
# Things can only get better... #

549
00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:58,920
The UK has its youngest
Prime Minister.

550
00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:02,560
And while Tony is entertaining
Cool Britannia,

551
00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:06,320
the family
are entertaining themselves.

552
00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:13,600
The house is becoming saturated
with technology.

553
00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:17,040
But for them,
it's still not enough.

554
00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:19,520
PHONE RINGS

555
00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:25,240
Hello, Tech Team? 'Hi, it's Ellie.'
Hello, Ellie.

556
00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:28,600
'Hi, I'm calling to say...'

557
00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:34,680
..that I would like to get a mobile
phone before the end of the '90s.

558
00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:41,360
You need to know, Ellie, that even
by the year 2000, only 17%
of youngsters had mobile phones.

559
00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:46,400
If we gave you a mobile phone now,
people would just think
you'd mugged a yuppie.

560
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:50,400
The kids are impatient for the
technology just around the corner.

561
00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:52,440
PHONE RINGS

562
00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:56,360
Hello? Ellie and me
would really like the internet.

563
00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:59,160
Are you really missing it?

564
00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:04,200
Yes, I had some homework
and I really needed the internet
and I couldn't use it.

565
00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:09,120
What year do you reckon
we'll get it in?
I might spring it on you.

566
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:12,600
Steff has asked for the internet,

567
00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:17,640
but what she really wants
is the websites that make up
the world wide web.

568
00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:22,400
In 1997, the number of Britons
online was gathering pace

569
00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:25,560
and six million
were already surfing.

570
00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:30,240
Although that's a far cry from
the 45 million internet users today,

571
00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:35,080
Gia thinks it's time
for the Sullivan-Barnes family
to get connected.

572
00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:38,840
So she heads to CERN in Geneva.

573
00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:44,320
The world-famous research centre
for physics is also where
the world wide web was born.

574
00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:48,040
This is the corridor
in which it all happened.

575
00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:53,760
Robert Cailliau worked here with
British scientist Tim Berners-Lee.
Tim's office was here.

576
00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:58,560
They developed a system
that would allow everyone
to use the internet.

577
00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:01,600
I see the plaque there -
"where the web was born".

578
00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:07,840
Very few people who visit CERN ever
come here. Exactly. But it's here.
But it's here. We know it's here.

579
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:12,520
The internet was born in the 1960s
in America

580
00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:18,880
out of a military plan to link up
computers in order to withstand
a nuclear attack.

581
00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:21,880
E-mail began in the 1970s,
but until the '90s,

582
00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:26,000
it was used almost exclusively
by the academic community.

583
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,040
Berners-Lee had a vision
for a service

584
00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:34,680
that would hide the underlying
complexity of the internet,
so that anyone could use it.

585
00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:39,360
We called it "world wide web" before
the first line of code was written.

586
00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:43,400
As a service on the internet,
it was either going to take off

587
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:47,040
and become world wide de facto
or be a complete flop.

588
00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:53,360
Cailliau saw the potential
in Berners-Lee's original proposal,
but others at CERN weren't so sure.

589
00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:57,560
This was Tim Berners-Lee's
first proposal.

590
00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:04,280
Yes. Tim's boss Mike Sendall had
quite some difficulty understanding
what it was about, you know.

591
00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:10,200
There is even one part here
where he says, "I don't understand
what this interface is."

592
00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:17,320
Here's another note, "I'm not
convinced." He summed it up with
the comment, "Vague, but exciting."

593
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:22,440
There were alternatives
to the world wide web,
but you had to pay to use them.

594
00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:25,760
If we had patented this
and asked for royalties,

595
00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:29,600
it would have become
just yet another network system

596
00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:33,440
alongside all the other
unsuccessful network systems,

597
00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:37,280
but precisely because
it was not just completely free,

598
00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:41,120
but also published and open,
everybody could join.

599
00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:45,240
Everybody could look at the code,
try it out, modify it, add to it.

600
00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:50,800
We put the entire web technology
into the public domain
for the whole world to use.

601
00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:53,240
And I think that was crucial.

602
00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,440
DOORBELL RINGS

603
00:44:59,480 --> 00:45:03,880
Hello. Hello. What are you doing
here? How lovely to see you!

604
00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:06,920
Nice to see you.
I've got a present for everyone.

605
00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:10,080
It mightn't look like much...

606
00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:12,360
Cables! Internet!

607
00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:14,640
Oh, yeah!

608
00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:19,120
In there. OK...

609
00:45:19,120 --> 00:45:21,760
God!
MODEM BEEPS

610
00:45:21,760 --> 00:45:25,480
Perfect. What does that noise
sound like?

611
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:27,520
The fax.

612
00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:33,680
We are giving you the internet
circa 1997.

613
00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:39,560
And we've slowed it down,
so it's not gonna be fast
like your normal broadband.

614
00:45:39,560 --> 00:45:45,280
There are now over 230 million
websites on the internet.

615
00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:50,320
In 1997, there were barely
one and a half million.

616
00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:54,640
I've just searched on "Bebo" which
is like a social networking site.

617
00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:58,320
It's come up with some weird stuff,
very weird stuff.

618
00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:00,880
You're not as excited as you were.

619
00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:04,520
Was the internet rubbish,
do you think? Yes.

620
00:46:04,520 --> 00:46:10,400
While commerce seized on the web
and dot.com millionaires
were made overnight,

621
00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:16,440
it allowed everyday users
to express themselves in a way
the whole world could share.

622
00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:21,640
Whatever you type on to the screen,
it will turn it into a web page.

623
00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:26,880
This is really, really easy to use.
It is really easy to use.
Good luck and have fun.

624
00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:30,080
# Future's made of

625
00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:32,360
# Virtual insanity... #

626
00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:38,400
It's time for this fax machine
to be consigned to the garage
because we don't need it any more.

627
00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:40,640
E-mail has arrived.

628
00:46:40,640 --> 00:46:43,280
# Our new technology

629
00:46:43,280 --> 00:46:46,040
# Oh, now there is no sound... #

630
00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:50,880
The arrival of the internet
has brought them one step closer
to modern life,

631
00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:55,920
but Georgie doesn't want them
totally sucked back
to where they were in 2009.

632
00:46:55,920 --> 00:47:01,440
There's technology all over
the house. There's a game console
in the sitting room.

633
00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:04,960
I thought that was our final bastion
of no technology.

634
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:08,000
There wasn't gonna be
a games console in here.

635
00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:14,000
You know how I feel about it.
I feel really let down. Yeah, but
this isn't just a games console.

636
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,000
This is a PS1.

637
00:47:21,480 --> 00:47:23,920
# Libraries gave us power... #

638
00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:28,680
1998 is here and the Tech Team
have taken pity on the children.

639
00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:31,680
DOORBELL RINGS
I'll get it. I'll get it.

640
00:47:32,680 --> 00:47:35,880
# What price now... #

641
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,040
Oh, yeah, we've got loads of phones.

642
00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:45,320
Even in the late '90s, few pre-teens
got their hands on a mobile.

643
00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:48,520
I'm guessing
we've all got a new one then.

644
00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:54,320
But the arrival of Pay As You Go
meant that under-18s
could go upwardly mobile.

645
00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:58,840
This is a very exciting moment. I'm
sending the family their first text.

646
00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:01,800
"Look what you can do."

647
00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:06,200
The text was originally
just a free bonus feature.

648
00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:10,240
Now more texts are sent per day
than there are people on the planet.

649
00:48:10,240 --> 00:48:14,600
The popularity of SMS took the
mobile phone industry by surprise,

650
00:48:14,600 --> 00:48:18,360
but the nation's children
would take it to their hearts.

651
00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:24,400
Oh, I have a message from
the Tech Team. "Look what you can do
now." What does that mean?

652
00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:30,280
Oh, we can text now.
That's what they mean.
That clears it up.

653
00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:34,120
DOORBELL RINGS
Oh, someone at the door! Who's that?

654
00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:40,040
The Tech Team want to give the
family a taste of the consumerist
boom years of the late 1990s.

655
00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:42,040
Is it a smoothie maker?

656
00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:48,920
When imported technology grew more
abundant and everything that came
into our homes now had a microchip.

657
00:48:48,920 --> 00:48:51,120
Can we just get it inside?

658
00:48:51,120 --> 00:48:53,920
That means delivery after delivery.

659
00:48:53,920 --> 00:48:57,120
DOORBELL RINGS CONTINUOUSLY

660
00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:02,040
Oh, blimey, not another one!

661
00:49:02,040 --> 00:49:04,600
Have you got the instructions? Yeah.

662
00:49:04,600 --> 00:49:11,040
Three-quarters of a cup. Isn't it
important to get the ingredients
just right in bread? Twist it in.

663
00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:13,120
Then I think we just go "start".

664
00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:18,320
But the boom in cheap electronics
had its downside.

665
00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:23,960
I've got smoothie makers,
I've got steamers,
I've got little chopping things.

666
00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:29,320
It's horrendous.
What advantage is that then?

667
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:33,280
Apart from me having to do
more blasted washing-up!

668
00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:37,520
And now it can go. Thanks very much.
Off to the garage with it!

669
00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:43,040
The family's garage has become
a museum of obsolete technology.

670
00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:48,240
With the biggest contribution coming
from the most recent decades.

671
00:49:49,240 --> 00:49:53,000
During the '90s,
electronics plummeted in price.

672
00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:57,960
Even computers were getting cheaper
by 25% every year.

673
00:49:57,960 --> 00:50:02,240
Britain may have stopped making
much in the way of electronics,

674
00:50:02,240 --> 00:50:05,840
but it became great
at chucking them away.

675
00:50:05,840 --> 00:50:10,880
Now the average modern gadget has
a life span of just over a year.

676
00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:14,040
In the knife block behind you.
Where?

677
00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:16,280
That looks all right actually.

678
00:50:16,280 --> 00:50:21,080
With only two days left in the
1990s, the children are keen to know

679
00:50:21,080 --> 00:50:26,960
whether they'll be allowed to use
the adults-only living room
when they return to normal life.

680
00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:34,440
You've got your own room with your
own TV and your own Sky. Why do you
want to come into the adult room?

681
00:50:34,440 --> 00:50:39,400
You've been saying
it's nice to do things together.
No, Mum's been saying that.

682
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:41,280
So have you.

683
00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:47,320
All those in favour of family in
the previously known as adult room,
so when there are adults around?

684
00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:50,000
Four. Four. Four in favour.

685
00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:56,040
The only condition I'd attach
is that Georgie and I decide
what we're watching in there

686
00:50:56,040 --> 00:51:00,080
if there is something on TV we want
to see. I won't back down from that.

687
00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:03,600
I think it's a family decision.
I won't back down from that.

688
00:51:03,600 --> 00:51:09,040
Because I'm not gonna want
to watch Hannah Montana, am I?
Neither are we!

689
00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:14,480
If you're just watching things
the rest of us don't want to watch,
it'll just be an Adam Room.

690
00:51:14,480 --> 00:51:20,680
Would you like some more pasta,
Adam? I think we need to talk
about it after we get through this.

691
00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:27,120
Considering how much time
and resources we actually dedicate
to all the children,

692
00:51:27,120 --> 00:51:31,680
it's nice for us to have somewhere
that belongs to us really.

693
00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:36,400
It's not a job. No, I know it's not
a job, but it still happens.

694
00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:40,440
Without wanting to sound selfish -
maybe it does sound selfish -

695
00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:44,680
I think it's important to have
your own little space and time.

696
00:51:48,160 --> 00:51:52,200
It's 1999. The family's experience
is nearly at an end.

697
00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:56,520
So was the world if some computer
experts were to be believed.

698
00:51:56,520 --> 00:52:00,600
'The millennium could be a disaster
for all industrial societies.

699
00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:07,520
'Every electronic device could act
irrationally. It's been the computer
industry's dirty little secret.

700
00:52:07,520 --> 00:52:10,560
'The problem has arisen
because, to save space,

701
00:52:10,560 --> 00:52:14,600
'computers have always stored dates
as two digits instead of four.

702
00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:20,600
'It worked fine until now, but come
the year 2000, computers may think
it's 1900 and simply fail.'

703
00:52:20,600 --> 00:52:22,640
If we don't act,

704
00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:27,040
then the result will be loss
of money, of power and influence,

705
00:52:27,040 --> 00:52:29,880
perhaps on a disastrous scale.

706
00:52:29,880 --> 00:52:32,400
We'd become so reliant on technology 

707
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:37,800
that the thought of losing it all
really did feel like
the end of the world.

708
00:52:37,800 --> 00:52:45,120
If the family got
the millennium bug, it would be
a bit like them going back to 1970.

709
00:52:45,120 --> 00:52:51,280
Our family would actually be able
to cope rather well as they've been
able to cope without computers.

710
00:52:51,280 --> 00:52:56,320
But, you know, it was a big deal
at the time. A very, very big deal.

711
00:52:56,320 --> 00:53:00,560
Of course, 2000 came along
without all our computers crashing,

712
00:53:00,560 --> 00:53:04,840
leading many to question
what all the fuss was about.

713
00:53:07,320 --> 00:53:12,880
The Sullivan-Barnes family know
that their millennium party
won't be spoiled

714
00:53:12,880 --> 00:53:16,320
by global technological meltdown.

715
00:53:16,320 --> 00:53:23,320
To entertain tonight's guests, they
are cherry-picking from the 30 years
of retro gizmos they've accumulated.

716
00:53:23,320 --> 00:53:26,600
The widest choice clearly comes
from the 1990s.

717
00:53:26,600 --> 00:53:30,720
Getting into the '90s
was just gadget after gadget,

718
00:53:30,720 --> 00:53:34,560
but the technology of the '90s
has not been a disappointment to me.

719
00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:40,400
It's done what it was supposed
to do. You know, accurate stuff,
works reasonably well.

720
00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:46,960
Some of the design was a little bit
shonky by modern standards,
but generally I thought it was OK.

721
00:53:48,360 --> 00:53:50,760
Cheers, Adam. Happy New Year.

722
00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:52,320
Hello?

723
00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:57,840
It's amazing how it's all changed
from the first mobile phone
being about that big

724
00:53:57,840 --> 00:54:02,200
to them now being about that big
or smaller.

725
00:54:03,640 --> 00:54:08,680
Technology moved through the house.
It started off in one room

726
00:54:08,680 --> 00:54:14,160
and then ferreted its way out
to various other parts of the house

727
00:54:14,160 --> 00:54:16,800
and people kind of moved with it.

728
00:54:16,800 --> 00:54:23,040
All of a sudden, we like split up
quite quickly, but still not as much
as we did before.

729
00:54:24,040 --> 00:54:29,880
It has become progressively more a
question of territory and ownership

730
00:54:29,880 --> 00:54:32,280
and, "This is my domain."

731
00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:34,520
Hello. Hi.

732
00:54:34,520 --> 00:54:38,360
The Tech Team don't just bring
a bottle to the party.

733
00:54:38,360 --> 00:54:42,600
They're making one final delivery -
another toy for the grown-ups.

734
00:54:42,600 --> 00:54:47,640
It's the ultimate
'90s party accessory.
Oh, no, it's a karaoke machine!

735
00:54:47,640 --> 00:54:53,600
'The '90s was a time when there was
this blurring between childhood
and adulthood, work and home.'

736
00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:57,600
It's not necessarily that there
became more of a work/life balance.

737
00:54:57,600 --> 00:55:01,560
It's just that work and life
and family all came together.

738
00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:05,040
# Let's all meet up in the year 2000

739
00:55:05,040 --> 00:55:08,640
# Won't it be strange
when we're all fully grown...? #

740
00:55:08,640 --> 00:55:13,160
For the Sullivan-Barnes family,
it's not just the end of the '90s.

741
00:55:13,160 --> 00:55:19,520
It's the end of a truly unique
journey through three decades
of technological progress.

742
00:55:19,520 --> 00:55:22,320
CHEERING

743
00:55:25,280 --> 00:55:27,600
The Tech Team's work is done.

744
00:55:27,600 --> 00:55:32,520
We've had a blast, haven't we?
Thank you, Tom. It's been amazing.
Thank you, Ben.

745
00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:35,520
Have fun in the future.
Thanks ever so much.

746
00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:39,640
'Now that it's over,
it's just like...'

747
00:55:39,640 --> 00:55:44,840
Well, it's all gonna go and we're
just gonna be a normal family again.

748
00:55:47,160 --> 00:55:53,200
But when they wake up in 2009, will
their technological journey have
changed the Sullivan-Barnes family?

749
00:56:06,560 --> 00:56:12,880
It's now been a month
since the family and their home
have returned to 2009.

750
00:56:12,880 --> 00:56:16,080
It's great to have
all my technology back.

751
00:56:16,080 --> 00:56:19,960
I've always liked my gadgets.
I still like my gadgets.

752
00:56:19,960 --> 00:56:22,880
It's nice to be back
in the 21st century.

753
00:56:22,880 --> 00:56:27,280
The family's trip
to lower tech times has shown them

754
00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:30,880
that they actually like spending
time together.

755
00:56:33,640 --> 00:56:36,400
To preserve this spirit
of togetherness,

756
00:56:36,400 --> 00:56:41,840
they've hung on to something
from the home's layout
in those earlier decades.

757
00:56:41,840 --> 00:56:47,880
I was saying that we should make the
adult room into the family room and
we've done that to see how it works.

758
00:56:47,880 --> 00:56:50,920
I think we're gonna keep it
like that.

759
00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:56,480
I think that I'll go
and spend more time downstairs
doing things with everyone else.

760
00:56:56,480 --> 00:57:01,520
Mainly that's because my mum wants me
to do it and I think that I should.

761
00:57:01,520 --> 00:57:03,960
What have you got? My hippo...

762
00:57:03,960 --> 00:57:10,920
Georgie, despite herself, has come
to see how integral technology is
to modern childhood.

763
00:57:10,920 --> 00:57:16,160
This whole experience has made me
realise how important technology is
to the kids

764
00:57:16,160 --> 00:57:18,600
and, in particular, to Hamish.

765
00:57:18,600 --> 00:57:24,280
I've seen how I've let the children
evolve into children
that need that technology.

766
00:57:25,600 --> 00:57:29,960
Kids, are you coming? We're watching
a film. Want to watch a film?

767
00:57:31,600 --> 00:57:37,600
Seeing the impact of 40 years
of technological change
has brought the family together.

768
00:57:37,600 --> 00:57:43,640
Even techno sceptic Georgie
and gadget lover Adam have reached
a new understanding.

769
00:57:43,640 --> 00:57:50,680
I think Georgie and I have kind of
got closer together in terms
of our viewpoints of technology.

770
00:57:50,680 --> 00:57:56,200
She's come a little bit closer
to me in terms of realising
that technology is quite...

771
00:57:56,200 --> 00:58:00,320
I wouldn't say important, but
it has a useful place in the world.

772
00:58:00,320 --> 00:58:03,560
And I've come a bit closer
to her viewpoint

773
00:58:03,560 --> 00:58:10,000
which is that it's nice for us
to spend time together doing stuff,
even if it is technology-related.

774
00:58:14,320 --> 00:58:21,280
And you can continue your journey
through the decades online with
the BBC and the Open University.

775
00:58:21,280 --> 00:58:23,840
Visit:

776
00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:33,040
# We'll always be together

777
00:58:33,040 --> 00:58:37,160
# However far it seems
Love never ends

778
00:58:37,160 --> 00:58:40,400
# We'll always be together

779
00:58:40,400 --> 00:58:47,080
# Together in electric dreams... #

780
00:58:47,080 --> 00:58:50,960
Subtitles by Subtext
for Red Bee Media Ltd 2009

781
00:58:50,960 --> 00:58:53,480
Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk