Researcher brings history of demon drink to TV audiences

A renowned Wigan-based researcher with expertise in the history and legacy of the UK temperance movement is to star on the popular BBC2 programme ‘A House Through Time.’

Dr Annemarie McAllister from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), appears in the third programme of the series, to be screened on June 9 , tracing the lives of residents in a house in Bristol.

Dr McAllister, who has lived in Wigan for 40 years, is a senior research fellow in history at the university in Preston,

In the episode she joins the presenter David Olusoga to talk about the popularity of temperance in the 1880s and the business opportunities it offered. She discusses the Pows, a family who lived in the house at that period.

The temperance scholar said: "Filming for the programme took place last year and we discovered some fascinating stories attached to the people who lived in the Bristol-based house.

"Without giving too much away, drink in those days was seen as addictive, and indulgence in it was the road to ruin, morally, financially and physically. You will have to watch the programme to find out more.

“The previous two series of ‘A House Through Time’ have been very popular as they’ve tapped into the great interest which most of us have in the past. It was certainly exciting to be involved."

The third series of ‘A House Through Time,’ started on BBC2 last night and airs at 9pm.