Jay Blades: The Midlands Through Time — Season 1
3 Episodes · Premiered October 11, 2023 · Ended October 25, 2023
Episodes
In the first episode, Jay takes us to his adoptive home, the West Midlands, to uncover its fascinating history. He starts by getting up close and personal with the Staffordshire Hoard; £3.3 million worth of Anglo-Saxon treasure that was unearthed in a farmer's field near Lichfield thanks to a local metal detectorist. Jay finds out that it was buried at a time when the Midlands was known as Mercia - one of the most important kingdoms in England.In a stable near Coventry, Jay discovers the truth behind the legend of Lady Godiva who supposedly rode a horse naked through 11th Century Coventry. Heading to the Black Country, Jay finds out how the local dialect, although often mocked, is more important than we think. Peppered with words found in Chaucer poetry, it uses Anglo Saxon words that have otherwise been lost in modern English.Jay hears about the 18th-century physician Erasmus Darwin whose grandson was none other than Charles Darwin. While Charles gets all the credit for being the father of the theory of evolution, his grandad turns out to have come up with the idea! Erasmus Darwin was part of a society of great thinkers who met monthly to discuss ideas and inventions. Jay finds out about some of these so-called ‘Lunar Men' and their complex relationship with the abolition of slavery.Jay pays a visit to the Wedgwood factory to learn about Josiah Wedgwood, the potter who made Stoke-on-Trent renowned around the world. He has a go at the tricky task of adorning an ornate vase. And finally, he heads to Ironbridge to hear the story of Abraham Darby I, a genius innovator who was the first to work out how to mass produce iron products – a technique that kick-started the Industrial Revolution!
In the second episode of this three-part series, Jay Blades takes us to his adoptive home of the West Midlands, to uncover the unsung story of its workers during the industrial revolution up until WWI.Kicking off in the Black Country, he navigates his way by narrowboat through the Dudley tunnel, to hear how thousands of miners, as young as eight years old, put their lives at risk to fuel the country's industrial revolution.Back in Birmingham, aka the "city of a thousand trades", Jay finds out about its famous Jewellery Quarter and its army of workers, he also has a go at making an MBE medal using traditional methods.Elsewhere in the city he finds out about the real Peaky Blinders – debunking a couple of myths, he hears about one gang member who ended up dressing as a nurse to make a living.Jay goes for a ride round Wolverhampton's Molineux stadium, where people flocked to see bicycle races in the 1800s. Hundreds of companies manufactured them in local factories – making Wolverhampton and Coventry the centre of its burgeoning industry.In the sleepy medieval Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, Jay hears how local Doctor, William Penny Brookes, protected local workers' health by kickstarting in 1850 a sports day inspired by the ancient Greek Olympic games. Only to inspire the world's biggest sporting event himself!Jay visits an original chainmaker's home/workshop, where women worked tirelessly in terrible conditions, to hear how trade unionist, Mary Macarthur, helped 800 women go on strike over their unfair pay. Leading to the country introducing a national minimum wage.Jay ends his journey just south of Birmingham, to find out how the Cadbury brothers created the beautiful model village of Bournville around their chocolate factory, which made a remarkable impact on the lives of their workers.
In the final episode of this three-part series, Jay Blades takes us to his adoptive home, the West Midlands, to uncover the area's 20th Century history.Jay is shocked to hear how badly Coventry suffered in WW2, targeted by Hitler due to its manufacturing might. In the half-destroyed cathedral, Jay hears about the woman who mobilised locals in the aftermath of the blitz, before discovering how the city rose out of the ashes, acting as an inspiration far and wide.At the British Motor Museum Jay sees example after example of cars that were manufactured in the West Midlands, once the centre of the British motor industry. He learns about the design of the iconic Mini Cooper before he takes it out for a spin.Jay hears the tragic story of the IRA bombing in Birmingham in 1974, which killed 21 people. Irishman Gerry Charity worked in the area at the time and tells Jay how the response to the attack affected the whole Irish community.Jay meets the son of campaigner Avtar Singh Jouhl, to hear how he welcomed the controversial Black nationalism advocate Malcolm X to the unlikely town of Smethwick in 1965. Malcolm X came to witness the terrible racism and segregation that was prevalent in the area.Back in Birmingham, Jay visits a restaurant in the famous "Balti triangle", discovering how the Balti dish was invented in Birmingham in the 1970s, and has a go in the kitchen himself.Finishing his journey in Coventry, Jay has the honour of meeting original member of The Specials, Neville Staple and his wife Christine "Sugary", and being treated to his own personal performance of one of their old classics. The 2 Tone music genre originated in Coventry in the late 1970s, bringing a message of racial equality to Thatcher-era Britain.
