Call Back the Past

Call Back the Past was a production of South Africa's Springbok Radio. Each 15-minute episode attempts to recreate the flavor of a year from the past with snippets of significant news, scientific or industrial advances, and cultural events--particularly in popular culture--from the subject year.

When available, contemporaneous material from each year is used, such as a recording of Al Jolson singing "By the Light of the Silvery Moon"; a recorded excerpt from a speech by Albert Einstein; or a piece from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, The Pirates of Penzance when calling back the year of its premiere.

Percy Sieff created and narrated the show, which aired from 1968 to 1982.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.