Eyewitness, 1990-1999

Authentic voices from the past illustrate this unique history of the twentieth century, written by Joanna Bourke and presented by Tim Pigott-Smith. "Eyewitness" provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen.

A wealth of BBC archive recordings, some never previously broadcast, is interwoven with an illuminating commentary by the historian Joanna Bourke.

Published in ten volumes, "Eyewitness" examines the role and the life of the British people in each decade of the century. 'A wonderful idea and excellently executed...best possible use of the medium and a great narrator' - "The Independent".

From the Boer War to the Gulf War, from the funeral of Queen Victoria to the funeral of the Princess of Wales, the end of the century echoed its beginning.

Yet the death of Diana signalled a startling shift in the British psyche.

The extent and acceleration of social and political change also becomes apparent in the 1990s.

Class was redefined, and the political parties transformed.

Violence and war remained constants; at home during the Poll Tax riots and abroad when British troops fought in the Middle East and in Bosnia. Terrorism in Northern Ireland continued, until the breakthrough Good Friday agreement in 1998.

Voices of soldiers, politicians, as well as men and women in the street complete the picture of this last decade of the last century of the millennium.

Thought-provoking and moving, these are the voices of the past, speaking to the present.