The first part of The Shock of the New - The Mechanical Paradise - was broadcast on 21 September 1980. Presenter Robert Hughes promised eight television essays on eight separate themes of modern art. His opening statement cut between multiple locations, setting out the scope of the series in a cheeky response to Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation. Hughes put modern western art in the context of the culture and social history of the times, demystifying it as never before. A best-selling book that accompanied the series quickly became a popular reference work.
The Shock of the New was filmed over three years, during which time Hughes travelled 250,000 miles. Other than visiting the places and filming the works he was talking about, the programme featured archive footage of many of the artists – an option not available to the producers of Civilisation! The Shock of the New was produced by Lorna Pegram, Hughes’s frequent collaborator.
Hughes went on to make acclaimed films about Goya and Gaudi, as well as the series American Visions, his personal view of American art. In 2004 he made The New Shock of the New, which looked at developments since 1980. The Shock of the New continues to be influential: Hughes died in 2012 but not before The Guardian named the spin-off book – which is still in print - among its 100 greatest non-fiction books.
September anniversaries
-
Close down of Television service for the duration of the War
1 September 1939 -
The Morecambe and Wise Show
2 September 1968 -
Chamberlain announces Britain is at war with Germany
3 September 1939 -
Start of first series of Porridge
5 September 1974 -
Droitwich transmitter becomes operational
6 September 1934 -
The News Quiz
6 September 1977 -
Casualty
6 September 1986 -
Only Fools and Horses
8 September 1981 -
The Woodentops
9 September 1955 -
First live Children's 成人快手 from 'the Broom Cupboard'
9 September 1985 -
The Saga of Noggin the Nog first transmitted
11 September 1959 -
Crackerjack
14 September 1955 -
The Royle Family
14 September 1998 -
Opening of 成人快手 Bristol
18 September 1934 -
First episode of Fawlty Towers
19 September 1975 -
First episode of I, Claudius
20 September 1976 -
The Old Grey Whistle Test
21 September 1971 -
The Shock of the New
21 September 1980 -
CEEFAX: world's first teletext service
23 September 1974 -
Pride and Prejudice
24 September 1995 -
成人快手 Television for Schools begins
24 September 1957 -
Question Time
25 September 1979 -
The Epilogue
26 September 1926 -
Start of 成人快手 European Service, News in French, German and Italian
27 September 1938 -
成人快手 Singers
28 September 1924 -
The beginning of The Third Programme
29 September 1946 -
Have I Got News For You
28 September 1990 -
War and Peace
28 September 1972 -
First episode of Come Dancing
29 September 1950 -
Start of Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4
30 September 1967 -
Chamberlain returns from Munich
30 September 1938