Why Did We Do That‪?‬

Journalist Chris Bowlby reveals why some of postwar Britain’s most controversial policies, fashions and fads became the orthodoxies of their time ‘History presented the way it should be – as entertainment’ The Times Everybody makes mistakes – and some of humanity’s biggest ones have been made with the best of intentions. Hoping for a brighter future (and believing they knew best), 20th century scientists, doctors and politicians turned to quick-fix solutions, miracle cures and panaceas: only to find they came with hidden costs. Over seven series, between 1998 and 2005, journalist Chris Bowlby took a deep dive into post-war history to examine the roots of many of these misguided decisions and contentious policy blunders – from factory farming and football fencing to the mass demolition of housing, scrapping the trams and selling arms abroad. Rediscovered in the BBC archive, this fascinating series has much to say to us today. Find out how asbestos, heavily marketed as a brilliant building material, turned out to be a killer; how electro-convulsive therapy – initially regarded as lifesaving – became one of the most stigmatised medical treatments in mental health care; and how the great British Railways modernisation plan of the 1950s ran into the buffers, with dire consequences for present-day rail travellers. Plus, Chris’s investigations take in trade unions, mortgages, eugenics and penicillin – as well as some more surprising bad ideas such as white sliced bread, early retirement and sitting down... Using a distinctive mix of interviews and research to uncover the roots of problems of the day, Why Did We Do That? is full of unexpected twists and turns, and revels in the black humour with which our greatest blunders are laced. Production credits Presented by Chris Bowlby Produced by Chris Bowlby, Smita Patel and Jo Glanville Editor: Nicola Meyrick First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: The Motorised City 19 Feb 1998 Bring on the Bulldozers 8 Jul 1999 We Believe in Bunkers 15 Jul 1999 Tartan Steel 22 Jul 1999 To Cap It All 29 Jul 1999 Factory Farming 11 May 2000 Football Fencing 18 May 2000 Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) 25 May 2000 Asbestos 8 Jun 2000 Scrapping the Trams 26 Apr 2001 Trashing the Future 3 May 2001 The Closed Shop 10 May 2001 Mortgage Mania 17 May 2001 Railway Frustration 16 May 2002 Cheap Concrete 30 May 2002 Arming the World 6 Jun 2002 Bad Bread 2 Jun 2003 Deadly Streets 9 Jun 2003 Eugenics 16 Jun 2003 Early Retirement 23 Jun 2003 The Bugs’ Revenge 14 Feb 2005 Glued to Our Seats 21 Feb 2005 The Supercity and Its Shadow 28 Feb 2005 The Ideas Strangler 7 Mar 2005 © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd