Shifty (TV series)

Shifty
Genre	Montage documentary
Created by	Adam Curtis
Written by	Adam Curtis
Directed by	Adam Curtis
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	5
Production
Executive producer	Rose Garnett
Producer	Sandra Gorel
Editor	Adam Curtis
Running time	66–77 minutes
Production company	A24
Original release
Network	BBC iPlayer
Release	14 June 2025 (2025-06-14)

Shifty: Living in Britain at the End of the Twentieth Century is a 2025 five-part British documentary television series created by Adam Curtis. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} It was commissioned by the BBC and aired on BBC iPlayer on 14 June 2025. ^{[5] [6]}

Synopsis

Shifty is, according to the Guardian columnist Lucy Mangan, a "purely UK-focused dissection of recent history, built around the idea that the growing atomisation of society has ushered in an age in which the concept of a shared reality on which we can all depend has dissolved – and with it any hope of a functioning democracy." ^[7] The overarching theme is that Britain is haunted by its past, constantly replayed through the media, which prevents it from going forward with a vision for the future.

Episodes

^[8]

Episodes of Shifty

No.	Title	Duration
1	"The Land of Make Believe"	69 minutes
Episode one opens with the year 1979 and Britain's deindustrialisation, which had begun in the 1960s. Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister in May 1979 promising to turn the country's fortunes around after a turbulent decade of high inflation and economic decline. Curtis suggests Thatcher increased her popularity by appealing to anti-immigration sentiment among working class voters. He argues Thatcher won by evoking the Churchillian spirit of Britain's imperial past. At the same time, many were beginning to openly question the orthodox narratives of the British Empire, and doubts were coming to the surface. Footage is shown of archaeologists unearthing a downed Hawker Hurricane and the remains of its Second World War pilot on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. He was initially assumed to be a forgotten hero who had gone down fighting. Archive documents showed that in reality his squadron leader was woefully indecisive, making RAF pilots under his command ineffectual and easy prey for the Germans. In one clip a surviving pilot expresses disapproval at the "bogus romantic cult" around fighter pilots, saying the reality was much darker. Thatcher's attempt to end the wage-price spiral and make British industry competitive again by applying strict monetarism proved unsuccessful. "The government found that the supply of money in the economy kept growing and no one knew why", reads a caption. In a bid to control inflation, the government raised interest rates, but as a result the exchange rate rose and factories across the UK rapidly became insolvent, leading to high unemployment levels and the devastation of working class communities. The film says Thatcher's government had in fact accelerated the collapse of Britain's heavy industry. "A new atomised age of individualism" was emerging, so Thatcher would rely on myths of the past to maintain a feeling of optimism and togetherness. The episode is interspersed with clips of 1980s race riots in England, self-expression in young people's fashion and music, evolving interpersonal dynamics, and Stephen Hawking challenging old ideas about the laws of physics. The music video for The Land of Make Believe , a 1981 single by Bucks Fizz, is played at the end of the episode. According to the song's writer, Peter Sinfield, its lyrics were intended to be a criticism of Margaret Thatcher. A caption points out that Sinfield lived as a tax exile in Spain. While talking about this during a publicity interview on the podcast The Rest Is Entertainment , Curtis remarked "the underlying message of these films is never trust a liberal". [9]
2	"Suspicion"	67 minutes
3	"I Love a Millionaire"	66 minutes
4	"The Grinder"	67 minutes
5	"The Democratisation of Everything"	77 minutes

References

1. Einav, Dan (11 June 2025). "Shifty TV review — Adam Curtis turns to Margaret Thatcher's premiership in new documentary". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
2. Midgley, Carol (14 June 2025). "Shifty review — hypnotising montage of life at the end of the 20th century". The Times. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
3. Bennion, Chris (14 June 2025). "Adam Curtis's thrilling, maddening and soul-destroying portrait of a faithless, jaded nation". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 14 June 2025.
4. Roussinos, Aris (13 June 2025). "Adam Curtis paints Britain's death pangs". UnHerd. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
5. "BBC commissions: new Adam Curtis series "Shifty"; doc on celeb chef Heston Blumenthal's bipolar diagnosis". realscreen.com. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
6. Freeman, Hadley (24 May 2025). "Adam Curtis shows where it all went wrong for Britain — I loved it". The Times. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
7. Mangan, Lucy (14 June 2025). "Shifty review – Adam Curtis's new show is an utter rarity: stylish, intelligent TV with something to say". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 14 June 2025.
8. Shifty . Retrieved 14 June 2025– via www.bbc.co.uk.
9. The Rest is Entertainment (19 June 2025). "Adam Curtis on the BBC, Politics & AI". YouTube (Podcast). Event occurs at 07:24. Retrieved 21 June 2025.

External links

• Official website
• Shifty at IMDb
• Adam Curtis on the BBC, Politics & AI - 43-minute interview with Adam Curtis about Shifty