Northern Soul: Keeping The Faith. By The Culture Show BBC2

One of the best documentaries about the Northern Soul scene to date, it's been done with love and affection. Produced and Directed by Maurice O'Brien and Edited by David Arthur. Well worth seeing!

Merchants of Cool - How Teens run the Economy

They are the merchants of cool: creators and sellers of popular culture who have made teenagers the hottest consumer demographic in America. But are they simply reflecting teen desires or have they begun to manufacture those desires in a bid to secure this lucrative market? And have they gone too far in their attempts to reach the hearts--and wallets--of America's youth?

Take a closer look at the complex world of selling "cool" in a Frontline documentary. Click here to watch ->

For source go here.

Why piano-mania grips China’s children

In Mao’s China, pianos were destroyed as despised symbols of the bourgeoisie – but now an estimated 40m children are learning the instrument. What has changed? Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore investigates. 

Keng Zhou holds a prestigious position as dean of the International Piano Academy at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. But he first learnt to play in 1973 not on a gleaming grand piano but on an instrument’s battered remains. The legs had been sawn off for fuel and its cover removed to create a makeshift table. For years in Mao’s China, Western classical music was viewed suspiciously as a tool of imperialism and the piano a despised instrument of the bourgeoisie.

Home gadgets becoming quieter by design to save us from noise pollution

As the number of gadgets and appliances in our homes has increased - so too has the noise level.
Lara Lewington looks at how manufacturers are focusing their attention on technology to make their products quieter.


For source go here.

Music is Great (Britain is Great Series)

What is it about Britain that creates such musical talent?

Some of the greatest music in the world comes from Britain, and British music is still topping the charts today. 

And it's not just recorded music in  places like The Premises, where many world-famous artists have made music. From Glyndebourne to Glastonbury, the UK hosts also the world’s greatest music festivals.

A set of two videos available to watch  here.


More GREAT resources - full "Britain is Great" series available to watch here.

What is your favourite British music?