Final episode of It Was Alright in the 70s Series 3 airs Saturday 17th December

The final episode of the BAFTA award winning It Was Alright in the 70s airs on Channel 4 at 9pm on Saturday 17th December with more brand new TV gems from the decade that seemed to be full of risk and recklessness.

Narrated by Matt Lucas and with reactions from stars of the time, including Robin Askwith, Janet Street-Porter, Tom Robinson and Liza Goddard; among those who watched, fascinated at home in the decade are Oona King, Clive Anderson, Philippa Perry, Matthew Sweet and Samira Ahmed; and comedians watching for the very first time include Ellie Taylor, Mark Watson, Pappy’s, Angela Barnes and David Morgan. We ask them, what does the telly of the 70s tell us about the people we were then, and would we get away with it now?

TV in the 70s wasn’t the health and safety conscious medium it is today and it seems we took risk in our stride. Whilst Blue Peter carried on filming as a fire broke out live on air, The Fun of the Fair showed teenage girls riding motorcycles through burning hoops, and it seemed water was so threatening the government produced a host of short films specifically to warn us about it. And with the perils of unattended play high on their agenda, public information films cranked the scary up to 10 to keep you and your children safe.

There were new and frightening developments around every corner, from the idea of women taking over the world, to, perhaps even worse, women getting in touch with their own bodies. But there are things we thought were innocent back then that can be seen in a very different light now. From the pupils at St Trinian’s to songs by The Drifters to Confessions of a Window Cleaner, the idea of the sexy schoolgirl was flaunted in the music, film, comedy and drama of the day.