RETURN TO THE FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN - PART 2 - SKYLON REBORN

Presenter Michael Head and former BBC producer Barry Littlechild take you on a journey back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Although the Festival took great pride in Britain's past and celebrated its recovery after the second world war, most of the exhibits looked to the future. Science and technology featured strongly and a great sense of optimism was apparent. Creativity in the arts was encouraged and allowed to flourish in a way Britain had never before experienced. On the South Bank in London stood the 290ft high 'Skylon', and next to it the flying saucer-like 'Dome of Discovery', two very unusual futuristic looking structures which inspired science fiction writers Brian Aldiss and Arthur C Clarke in their work.