Watch Victorian Slum House
- 2017
- 1 Season
-
7.9 (206)
Victorian Slum House is a historical reality show that explores the living conditions of the less fortunate individuals during the Victorian era in the East End of London. The show aims to highlight the struggles of the impoverished people during the late 1800s by transporting modern-day people back in time to experience the grueling realities of living in a slum. The show aired on PBS in 2016 and features Michael Mosley as the host.
The premise of the show is to take 21st-century people who have found themselves struggling with poverty or financial difficulties and see if they can survive in conditions similar to that in Victorian times. Eight individuals or families, who are living near or below the poverty line currently or have been homeless, are invited to step back in time and experience what life was like in the past for the underprivileged.
The main cast members are given the opportunity to live in a recreated East End slum, complete with six houses identical to those in the 1860s. Each of the eight households is given their home with no indoor plumbing, no modern amenities, and only minimal supplies to imitate the conditions of living in the slums of Victorian England. The cast has to wash their clothes by hand, cook on a coal-fired stove, and learn to survive on meager rations while trying to keep their livelihoods alive.
The Victorian Slum House is a five-part series that explores the lives of East Enders in the 1860s starting from 1860 to 1900. Each episode covers a decade and the challenges that come with it, such as health, work, and living conditions. The first episode exposes the living conditions in the slums in 1860, including sharing beds and disappearing children. The second episode enlightens us on how the residents of the slums were forced to send their children to work at age 5 to contribute to the family's income, and by the turn of the century, the East End families are shown to have more secure jobs and housing.
The families are expected to put in hard work daily, with many of them having to work outside the home to bring in extra income. The activities done at their daily jobs are reminiscent of the work that would have been typical for the residents of the East End slums, such as selling fish or matchsticks or building ships.
The show is an excellent representation of how the working class lived during that time period without modern utilities and the harsh reality of being homeless or struggling financially. The show also shows how hard it was for women in those times, who weren't allowed to earn a living and depended on their husbands for survival.
The show does an excellent job of balancing entertainment and education, with an emphasis on education of the time period, and the challenges of surviving with minimal means. The show's aim is not to glorify the past, but rather put a spotlight on how the developments of the industrial age impacted the working-class households, which largely made up London's population at that time.
In conclusion, Victorian Slum House is a fascinating show for history buffs and those interested in observing how the less fortunate classes of the past coped with harsh living conditions. The show is both educational and entertaining, and while it has a somber note, it manages to provide viewers with a stark reminder of the struggles of the working class back in the day. The show does an excellent job of portraying life scenes of the past while making a connection with the present-day viewers' experiences.
Victorian Slum House is a series that ran for 1 seasons (5 episodes) between May 24, 2017 and on PBS