Sixties NI

Northern Ireland’s past is being brought back to life through archive footage in Sixties NI, a new UTV documentary series created in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive. The series offers viewers a front-row seat to a decade of change in Northern Ireland.

From the buzz of teenage dancehalls and milk bars to the early careers of sporting legends George Best and Mary Peters, Sixties NI immerses audiences in the sights and sounds of a society finding its modern identity, as shown on UTV, which launched in 1959.

Every frame is drawn from film reels carefully preserved at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and restored and digitised by Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive so they can be enjoyed by new generations.

Guests at a recent Belfast premiere previewed two episodes before joining narrator Ian McElhinney (Derry Girls, Game of Thrones), UTV and Northern Ireland Screen’s archive team for a discussion on how the footage was rediscovered, restored, and shaped into the series.

Francis Jones, Head of Heritage and Archive at Northern Ireland Screen commented: “The Digital Film Archive exists to safeguard Northern Ireland’s moving-image heritage and ensure it can be shared with audiences today and in the future. Through our partnership with PRONI and UTV, we have been able to preserve and digitise rare footage that has not been seen in decades. Bringing this material back into public view not only connects people to the everyday life of 1960s Northern Ireland but also demonstrates the vital role archives play in keeping our cultural memory alive.”

The series is the latest result of the UTV Archive Partnership between Northern Ireland Screen, UTV and PRONI, supported by the Department for Communities. Since 2018, the partnership has worked to preserve and open up the UTV archive for everyone.

David Huddleston, Acting Director of the Public Record Office of NI and Deputy Keeper of the Records said: “Archives provide a direct link to the past and are for everyone. Therefore, I am delighted that the partnership between the Public Record Office, Northern Ireland Screen and ITV brings UTV film archive footage to a new audience. The series shows a wide range of people and places in the 1960s as they were reported by UTV and are being made available through the completion of archive digitisation and preservation supported by the Department for Communities.”

The 6-part series was executive produced by Tony Curry, produced by Brian Henry Martin, directed by Evan Marshall, edited by Paul McClintock, and narrated by Ian McElhinney.

Simon Clemison, Head of News & Programmes at UTV said: “I’m delighted that through UTV’s positive partnership with Northern Ireland Screen and PRONI, viewers are able to enjoy this incredible footage which captures life in the early 1960s in Northern Ireland. For our younger generation, this series offers an insight into the era’s cultural, social and technological evolution, and how life looked during that time. The series is a great celebration of Northern Ireland’s heritage, and we’re proud to be part of it.”

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