01: Britain’s Moral Makeover | Ian Hislop’s Age of the Do-Gooders

Duration: 59'24''

Synopsis

Ian Hislop salutes the unsung heroes of Victorian Britain who improved cities, housing and working conditions and invented the concept of public service.

Further Information

More clips from Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'18''

Ian Hislop celebrates the dynamic and eccentric Victorian reformers who brought about the most remarkable...

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'13''

The perils of booze and sex are the focus for the final episode of Ian Hislop's series about Victorian re...

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'18''

Ian Hislop celebrates the dynamic and eccentric Victorian reformers who brought about the most remarkable...

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'13''

The perils of booze and sex are the focus for the final episode of Ian Hislop's series about Victorian re...

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'18''

Ian Hislop celebrates the dynamic and eccentric Victorian reformers who brought about the most remarkable...

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'13''

The perils of booze and sex are the focus for the final episode of Ian Hislop's series about Victorian re...

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'18''

Ian Hislop celebrates the dynamic and eccentric Victorian reformers who brought about the most remarkable...

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'13''

The perils of booze and sex are the focus for the final episode of Ian Hislop's series about Victorian re...

More resources about Public health and living conditions in the Victorian era

05: Sewer King | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

05: Sewer King | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

BBC Two | 2003 | 48'36''

As 19th century London's sewage problem reached crisis point and cholera was rife, Joseph Bazalgette proposed a scheme...

Episode 1 | Back in Time for School

Episode 1 | Back in Time for School

BBC Two | 2019 | 58'42''

Fifteen pupils and three teachers embark on a time-travelling adventure to discover how much life at school has changed. The class start ...

S01E06: Victorians | The Worst Jobs In History

S01E06: Victorians | The Worst Jobs In History

Channel 4 | 2004 | 48'54''

Tony tries his hand at some of the most difficult and disgusting jobs from Victorian England's history.

West Yorkshire Lunatic Pauper Asylum | How We Built Britain

West Yorkshire Lunatic Pauper Asylum | How We Built Britain

BBC One | 2007 | 4'36''

David Dimbleby explores what life was like for the mentally ill in the Victorian era.

Cholera | A House Through Time

Cholera | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2018 | 3'02''

David Olusoga investigates the 1850's Cholera epidemic in Liverpool.

Britain 1750-1900: 02: Crime and Punishment | History File

Britain 1750-1900: 02: Crime and Punishment | History File

BBC Two | 2000 | 18'51''

Compilation of secondary schools programme on British History 1750-1900. Looks at how industrialisation changed th...

Episode 4 | 24 Hours in the Past

Episode 4 | 24 Hours in the Past

BBC One | 2015 | 57'59''

Six celebrities work in four Victorian workplaces. The six celebrities spend their final 24 hours in the workhouse.

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

02: Suffer the Little Children | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'18''

Ian Hislop celebrates the dynamic and eccentric Victorian reformers who brought about the most remarkable...

Portland Road | The Secret History of Our Streets

Portland Road | The Secret History of Our Streets

BBC Two | 2012 | 58'43''

Series on how London has changed since Charles Booth's 1886 survey. Portland Road, Notting Hill, was once London's worst sl...

S02E01 | A House Through Time

S02E01 | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2019 | 58'29''

David Olusoga pays his first visit to Ravensworth Terrace and investigates a vengeful lawyer, a scientist faced with financial ruin and a docto...

01: The Time Machine | 1900s House

01: The Time Machine | 1900s House

Channel 4 | 1999

We go behind-the scenes to find out how an ordinary terraced house in the shadow of the Millennium Dome was transformed into a time machin...

03: A Rude Awakening | 1900s House

03: A Rude Awakening | 1900s House

Channel 4 | 1999

The Bowlers wake up to their first morning in the 1900 house. There is no water, potties need emptying and the milk has gone off. The drea...

03: Seaside (Llandudno) | How Britain Worked

03: Seaside (Llandudno) | How Britain Worked

Channel 4 | 2012 | 46'25''

Guy Martin helps to get Llandudno - the queen of Victorian sea-side resorts - up to scratch in time for the summer season, worki...

S01E01 | A House Through Time

S01E01 | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2018 | 59'00''

The story of those who lived in one house, from the time it was built until now. David Olusoga follows the stories of the first inhabitants of ...

S01E06: Child labour during the Victorian era | Horrible Histories

S01E06: Child labour during the Victorian era | Horrible Histories

CBBC | 2009 | 3'35''

In this humorous advertisement for injuries caused in the workplace we discover just what jobs some Victor...

S02E01: The Worst Urban Jobs in History | The Worst Jobs In History

S02E01: The Worst Urban Jobs in History | The Worst Jobs In History

Channel 4 | 2006 | 49'05''

Among the worst jobs in the city are hunch backed water caddy, daring fire fighter, dangerous docker, dea...

S02E02 | A House Through Time

S02E02 | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2019 | 59'04''

Tracing the residents from the 1880s to 1900s, David discovers a family torn apart by catastrophe. The house becomes a refuge for destitute str...

02: A Nice Hot Shower | The Boat That Guy Built

02: A Nice Hot Shower | The Boat That Guy Built

BBC One | 2011 | 29'09''

Guy decides to make a steam engine power the shower on board his aptly-named narrowboat, Reckless. He also visits the factory...

03: Happy Families: Hanoverians to Windsors | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

03: Happy Families: Hanoverians to Windsors | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

BBC Two | 2013 | 59'02''

Lucy Worsley explores how the health of monarchs has shaped the nation. She expl...

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'13''

The perils of booze and sex are the focus for the final episode of Ian Hislop's series about Victorian re...

More from Ian Hislop

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

03: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'13''

The perils of booze and sex are the focus for the final episode of Ian Hislop's series about Victorian re...

Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True History

Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True History

BBC Four | 2019 | 59'31''

Ian Hislop's sharp, provocative take on 200 years of fake news and its consequences - from Victorians on the moon to 21st-century deep...

Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits

Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits

BBC Two | 2016 | 59'07''

Ian Hislop presents an entertaining and provocative look at Victorian attitudes to the poor, exploring the views of five...

03: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

03: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'24''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He looks at the rural olden days - Britain's idealised vi...

01: Emergence | Ian Hislop's Stiff Upper Lip - An Emotional History of Britain

01: Emergence | Ian Hislop's Stiff Upper Lip - An Emotional History of Britain

BBC HD | 2012 | 59'24''

Ian Hislop investigates Britain's emotional history. He charts how and why the stiff upper lip...

Elizabeth Fry | Ian Hislop: When Bankers Were Good

Elizabeth Fry | Ian Hislop: When Bankers Were Good

BBC Two | 2011 | 3'12''

Like so many other Victorian bankers, Samuel Gurney was a Quaker. Banking and its rewards seemed at odds with a faith that...

06: The Men Who Wouldn't Fight | Not Forgotten

06: The Men Who Wouldn't Fight | Not Forgotten

Channel 4 | 2007 | 48'21''

In this special edition of Not Forgotten, Ian Hislop explores the powerful and often overlooked stories of conscientious objec...

Power: the Repeal of the Corn Laws, 1846 | A Revolution in Five Acts

Power: the Repeal of the Corn Laws, 1846 | A Revolution in Five Acts

BBC Radio 4 | 2001 | 27'08''

An ear of corn is at the heart of the second programme in the daily series. Ian Hislop charts an Act tha...