1970s Bradford: Blackouts, Pressure Cooker Scouse & The Ellis' First Colour TV

Power cuts, price shocks and bold new tastes collide as the Ellis family step into 1970s Bradford. What changes when the lights go out and a colour TV lights up the living room? From decimalisation confusion to DIY candles during the 1972 blackouts, this episode dives into a decade of strikes, inflation and surprising comforts. Lesley becomes a dinner lady, encounters the era’s liver-and-onions menu, and learns why school meals mattered. Claire Sweeney drops by with a pressure-cooker scouse hack before the power cut hits. There’s Pyrex “cottage beef burgers” after Sunderland’s FA Cup shock, Alpine pop bottle returns, and a three-day week that pushes the family to bake their own bread. A rented Rumbelows colour TV transforms evenings, while Vesta paella and DIY sangria promise a taste of Spain at home. John and Lesley explore Bradford’s Karachi curry house with Shobna Gulati, and the girls discover Northern Soul before tackling a Wigan kebab. Discover how convenience foods, car ownership and new leisure shaped everyday life in the North. Watch to see what sticks, what shocks, and what the Ellis family will never forget. #BackInTimeForTea #1970s #Bradford #PowerCuts #NorthernSoul #BritishFood #CurryHouse