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Bristol Fashion

The Labour Party takes a heartfelt look at Bristol council’s social(ist) housing and education agenda, spinning a 'new story from an old city'.

Party political broadcast 1959 25 mins

Overview

In this heartfelt Labour Party political broadcast, Tony Benn tours Bristol - with visits to Barton Hill and Clifton - extolling the social(ist) achievements of its council in housing, education and transparent, economical governance. Opening with an impassioned live interview, Benn and Barbara Castle MP accuse an earlier Conservative TV broadcast of "quite deliberately distorting the facts".

Although much 1950s television does survive, it's rare to see a programme from the time in its original broadcast form, with plummy continuity announcement and all. This mix of live TV and film was captured by a 'telerecording' machine when it was transmitted on both of the nation's TV channels during the Wednesday 6 May evening prime time.