In this marvelous production, you follow a project of producing a true "living museum." Taking a London townhouse that existed in 1900, a host of experts are called in to return it to its original appearance, complete with gas lighting, coal burning stove, turn-of-the-century paintings, clothing, toys, soaps, etc. Then, a 1999 family (the Bowlers) is challenged to live in this house, wearing 1900 clothing using only 1900 technology, for three months. This show is presented on two VHS tapes, each containing two one-hour episodes.
I really enjoyed this show. Learning about the house and what went into it in the first episode was interesting, but much more so was watching the family's reaction to the jobs they needed to perform around the house and the limited tools they had to perform the tasks. Emotions range from the joy of parties to the frustration of the mother, when the inability to perform some everyday tasks reduces her to tears. They hire a maid (who, in 1900, would have earned four pence a day for fifteen hours of work!), and then have to deal with the situation of having a domestic.
This is a great show, being very educational and yet entertaining. There are many vignettes, where a great deal of information about life in 1900 is presented. This is a great show, and I recommend it 100%.