White Heat is the latest original drama from the BBC, following a group of friends who meet in the 1960s.
I am young enough to remember that we studied the 60s in our history class at school. It was, we were told, a period of sex, drugs and rock and roll. The 60s are often blamed for the death of cultural Christianity in Britain, and it’s easy to see why. The rules were changing as young people attempted to take control of the world. Radically disrespectful of their parents, they set about defying the expectations of the older generations, determined to smoke, drink and dance their way into the future. Sexism, racism and homophobia were still rife, but there was a new sense that political and social freedom was to be sought, at any cost. It was the era of the Beatles, the miniskirt and the pill.
All-important question
In the midst of this white heat, surprising friendships were forged. The BBC show takes this fact and poses the all-important question: what would happen if a group of young people tried to ignore every social tradition and taboo that had gone before and searched for a new way of living?
