The Time of Your Life
The Time of Your Life is an ITV schools TV series from the 1970s, covering Citizenship and PSHE for further education students.
A serialised drama about Tony Jackson, a 16 year-old apprentice at a motor vehicle garage, and his experiences starting out in the adult world.
The series deliberately tries to address Tony's situation from the point-of-view of a young technical apprentice or school leaver without imposing an adult "correct" approach to every situation[1], and topics are often left unresolved to be followed-up in classroom discussion. The dialogue (co-written by the celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies, of Dark Towers no less!) is "direct and, as near as possible, realistic" in an attempt to capture the attention of viewers who had already left traditional education[2]. This was ITV's "first series specifically for further education colleges" (rather than Sixth Forms)[3].
The series begins with Tony's first day working at the garage, meeting his boss Mr Griffin, workmates Dave and Mel and the garage receptionist Alma, and collecting his first £5 wage packet. As the series goes on Alma becomes Tony's girlfriend and we meet Tony's parents, his older sister Pauline and his brother Eddie who is married and has a baby daughter.
Workplace relations are also covered, not just involving Tony but also his father who is laid off during the autumn term as the result of a strike. In the spring term Mel gets into an argument with an influential customer, and when the customer has an accident caused by faulty workmanship Mel is fired from the garage.
Dave's girlfriend Marilyn becomes pregnant and he proposes to her, but ultimately decides not to marry her because he does not really love her. Tony also sees some of the problems in his brother Eddie's married life.
Tony goes out on an errand for Mr Griffin on his new motorbike, which has faulty brakes, and has an accident resulting in him being hospitalised. He has to deal with the police and witnesses who give different statements about what happened.
At the end of the series another new apprentice joins the garage, who seems to be much more confident and fashionable than Tony, and Tony is in the position that the other staff were in at the start of the series, deciding how to treat the newcomer.
Episodes
The episodes were grouped into units of three or four episodes with a common theme, but the serial story ran throughout all 20 episodes.
| # | Title | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Working, Learning and Earning | ||
| 1. | Big Man Now | 23 Sep 1971 |
| 2. | Big Spender | 30 Sep 1971 |
| 3. | Get Yourself a Trade, Lad | 7 Oct 1971 |
| 4. | A Real Education | 14 Oct 1971 |
| Attitudes Towards Other People | ||
| 5. | I Don't Like Them Hippies | 21 Oct 1971 |
| 6. | We Have Got Feelings, You Know | 4 Nov 1971 |
| 7. | Laid Off | 11 Nov 1971 |
| Providing for Other People | ||
| 8. | A Little Breakthrough | 18 Nov 1971 |
| 9. | A Social Hero | 25 Nov 1971 |
| 10. | What Can You Do Here? | 2 Dec 1971 |
| Responsibilities & Relationships at Work | ||
| 11. | Mates | 13 Jan 1972 |
| 12. | Fired | 20 Jan 1972 |
| 13. | Private Property | 27 Jan 1972 |
| Love and Marriage | ||
| 14. | And She's Not in the Club | 3 Feb 1972 |
| 15. | Cosy Loving Warmth | 10 Feb 1972 |
| 16. | You Got to Work At It | 17 Feb 1972 |
| Morality: Human Responsibilities | ||
| 17. | Keep Death Off the Roads | 2 Mar 1972 |
| 18. | I Put It To You | 9 Mar 1972 |
| 19. | But We Are Animals, Aren't We? | 16 Mar 1972 |
| 20. | Tata Then, I'll See You Tomorrow | 23 Mar 1972 |
Credits
| Starring | Charles Bolton as Tony Anthony Allen as Dave |
| With | Leslie Dunn as narrator (episode 1) / announcer (episode 4) Sandra Freeman as Linda (episodes 15 & 16) |
| Script by | Andrew Davies George Moore |
| Adviser | Graham Smith |
| Designer | Jill Oxley |
| Produced by | Philip Grosset |
| Director | Dorothy Denham |
Resources
The year's broadcasts were accompanied by a booklet of teachers' notes, including a description of the content of each episode, suggestions for further work and discussion, and an introduction by the series adviser Graham Smith.
In the first year the notes were combined with the summer term series And the Living of It to make one single booklet on The Time of Your Life and the Living of It.
Broadcasts
- 1971-72: Thursdays 11:00am, repeated Fridays 12:00noon
- 1972-73: Thursdays 9:42am (1:52pm in Border, Grampian & Ulster regions), repeated Fridays 11:45am
Due to an industrial dispute the first 5 episodes were not transmitted on Thursday mornings, although they did go out on Thursday afternoons in those regions broadcasting the series at 1:52pm, and throughout the country on Fridays. Those first five episodes were shown at the end of the summer term for the benefit of schools which missed them in the autumn. - 1973-74: Mondays 11:50am, repeated Wednesdays 10:22am
Sources & References
- ATV (1971) Independent Television for Schools and Colleges Annual Programme 1971/72. Birmingham: ATV Ltd. p.32
- Grampian (1973) Independent Television for Schools and Colleges Annual Programme 1973/74 age 11-18. Aberdeen: Grampian Television Ltd. p.21
- Lewis, Peter 'Educational Broadcasting: ITA' in Visual Education November 1971 p.12
- Smith, Graham The Time of Your Life teachers' notes, 1973-74. Birmingham: ATV Limited.
- TV Times television listings (1971-74)
- Yorkshire (1972) Independent Television for Schools and Colleges Annual Programme 1972/72 age 11-18. Leeds: Yorkshire Television Ltd. p.23
- ↑ Smith (1971) says "the programmes do not attempt to provide factual, 'correct' answers and information; they use dramatised situations to raise and focus situations and problems in the mind of the student audience. Often the programmes attempt to see the world as it appears to ordinary, average young men or women rather than give either an establishment view or a more eccentric one."
- ↑ Lewis (1971) says "it is not surprising that the dialogue is direct and, as near as possible, realistic. If it were not so, the audience would not be held." And later, "'The Time of Your Life' is a bold attempt to present educational material in a form which is acceptable to an audience who have largely rejected 'education' except where it is leading to trade qualifications."
- ↑ Lewis (1971) described The Time of Your Life as "Independent Television's first series specifically for further education colleges".
Related programmes
- And the Living of ItA companion series from The Time of Your Life's first year (which actually dates from 1969)
- Starting OutA similar serial drama about young people's responsbililties from ATV, for a slightly younger age group
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