Retro good old days. Marmalade renamed. Bent cucumbers. Storm Dave.

Retro good old days. Marmalade renamed. Bent cucumbers. Storm Dave.

Author: Ray’s Rants UK April 5, 2026 Duration: 46:58
Retro good old days. Marmalade renamed. Bent cucumbers. Storm Dave. As usual, lots to talk about! 

Step into a time machine made of memory and anecdote with Ray’s Rants Life in the 1950s 1960s 1970s Great Britain. Hosted by Ray’s Rants UK, this isn't a dry history lesson, but a vivid, personal tour through three transformative decades. You’ll hear the crackle of pirate radio stations like Caroline breaking the monopoly of the airwaves and feel the beat of a British music explosion that brought Jimi Hendrix to London and made The Rolling Stones household names. The atmosphere is in the details: the distinctive taste of a Watney's Red Barrel in a crowded pub, the sweet fizz of a Babycham or Cherry B in a nightclub, and the swish of flared trousers and miniskirts on a Saturday night. This podcast digs into the full texture of everyday life, from the humdrum realities of the workplace and the cars people drove, to the family dynamics around the television set and the simple pleasures of English holidays. Ray rants and reminisces about what school was like for kids back then, the challenges and freedoms of family life, and how social norms for girls and women were shifting. Each episode is a conversation starter, a collection of stories that paints a complete picture of society and culture in post-war Britain. For anyone who lived through it, or for those curious about how it really felt, this podcast offers an authentic, ground-level view you won't find in textbooks.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Ray’s Rants Life in the 1950s 1960s 1970s Great Britain girls England family UK work school British music night clubs pubs fashion pirate radio Caroline English holidays television
Podcast Episodes
Ray's Rants Podcast - Midweek Message 266. The Village Green. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:40
In this episode, I chat about the activities on the village green back in the old days. The village fete, classic car show, cricket match, snowmen in the winter, courting couples... Happy days!
Who did that? Who did it? It wasn't me! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:13
Who did that? Who did it? It wasn't me! Have you been accused of something you didn't do? The injustice! The unfairness! Also in this episode, Hedgehogs, PE at school, cowboy outfits, spinning wool, couples unable to liv…
Midweek Message 265. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:09
In the 1950s, everyone had a tortoise! Hedgehogs were in abundance, foxes were only seen in the countryside... How things were different back in the old days.
Growing up in the 1950s [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:32
In this episode, I chat about growing up in the 1950s. What was it like for a young mother with a baby or toddler? How did she cope with looking after the child and doing all the housework, cooking, washing, ironing, sho…
Midweek Message 264. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:53
What do you do with a small child when you're trying to get things done around the house? Playpen or cot? In this episode, I chat about little ones on the loose around the house.
Midweek Message 263. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:55
The boat race, Cockney rhyming slang, shorthand and lots more on this week's Midweek Message.
Midweek Message 262. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:06
Back to the 1950s, again. No microwave, no air fryer, no automatic washing machine... How did we manage back then! Hard work, that's how! Please, join me for a good old chat.