The Power of the Past
Modern British architects such as Richard Rogers, Terry Farrell and Norman Foster reveal the stories behind some of their most famous creations of the 1980s.
How an exceptional generation of British architects, led by Norman Foster and Richard Rogers, conquered the globe with their high-tech vision.
This episode focuses on the 1980s, when modern architecture was deeply unpopular and under attack from the Prince of Wales. The architects reveal the dramatic stories behind some of their most famous creations, including Rogers's Lloyd's of London building and Foster's Stansted Airport.
Terry Farrell reveals how he was kept in the dark when he was designing the MI6 Headquarters, Michael Hopkins recalls the challenges of bringing ultra-modern architecture into the traditional world of Lord's Cricket Ground, and Nicholas Grimshaw follows in the footsteps of the great Victorian engineers with his Waterloo International station.
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Clips
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Reinventing the Skyscraper in Hong Kong
Duration: 02:49
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James Bond's HQ
Duration: 02:30
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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Talking Heads
Burning Down the House
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Pet Shop Boys
Paninaro (Italian Remix)
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Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Genetic Engineering
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Art of Noise
Close (to the Edit)
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Gary Numan
Slowcar To China
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Spandau Ballet
Instinction
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Trio
Da Da Da
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Japan
Canton
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Blancmange
Living On The Ceiling
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Japan
Cantonese Boy
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Japan
Vision Of China
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00:28New Order
Thieves Like Us
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Duran Duran
The Chauffeur
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Malcolm McLaren
Legba
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00:33Frankie Knuckles
Your Love (feat. Jamie Principle)
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Pet Shop Boys
Im Not Scared
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Art of Noise
Moments In Love
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Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Crush
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China Crisis
Christian
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Massive Attack
Safe From Harm
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Björk
One Day (Springs Eternal Mix)
Remix Artist: The Sabres of Paradise. -
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Depeche Mode
Enjoy The Silence
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Desireless
Voyage Voyage
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Leftfield
Melt
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Aphex Twin
Heliosphan
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William Orbit
Painted Rock
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Orbital
Attached
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William Orbit
Water Babies
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Moodswings
Spiritual High Part III
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00:57Orbital
Belfast (Proms 2015)
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Moby
Porcelain
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Pet Shop Boys
In The Night
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Writer | Peter Sweasey |
| Director | Peter Sweasey |
| Producer | Peter Sweasey |
| Executive Producer | Nicolas Kent |
Learn More with The Open University
Building Stories: Meet the architects behind some of Britain's most iconic buildings
Programmes on post-war architecture
A collection of programmes examining the triumphs and failures of post-war architecture.