Girls and Boys - Sex and British Pop
Four-part documentary series that tells the story of British pop music and our changing attitudes to sex, gender and sexuality.
Episodes
New series investigating the music revolution of the past 40 years, and its links to the British fascination with sex and gender. The first programme looks at the 1960s, when the popularity of groups like the Beatles and pop icons such as Cilla Black, Marianne Faithfull and Sandi Shaw went hand in hand with a new generation of assertive fans. The decade also saw the rise of camp in the form of Brian Jones and Mick Jagger.
Exploring the glam rock sound of the 1970s, when pioneers Marc Bolan and David Bowie made make-up on men fashionable. Led Zeppelin's heavy rock with its macho image upset the burgeoning feminist movement, while punk and disco's origins also fell within the decade. With contributions by Siouxsie Sioux, Germaine Greer, Malcolm McLaren and Robin Gibb.
The musical and sexual preferences of the flamboyant 1980s, when New Romantic bands, including the Human League, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club and Duran Duran, conquered the charts. Awareness of Aids began to grow, and by the end of the decade the nation's concept of masculinity had been eroded, with girls gaining the upper hand.
The changing attitudes of the 1990s, when Manchester became the centre of the pop music universe and young people began shedding their inhibitions. With contributions by Norman Cook, Melanie Chisholm, Shirley Manson, Richard Fairbrass, Germaine Greer and Melanie Brown.
