Vive la Revolution! Joan Bakewell on May '68(2018)

In 1968, Joan Bakewell was one of Britain's rare female TV presenters, hosting the BBC's Late Night Line-Up while tackling the era's most urgent issues. This documentary follows her reflections on the events leading to May '68, the year's defining moment when French students and workers erupted in protest. As Vietnam War dissent intensified, the Civil Rights movement gained momentum, and young people worldwide sought new forms of expression, President de Gaulle believed France would remain insulated from the global upheaval. Bakewell examines how that assumption proved catastrophically wrong, tracing the cultural and political currents that ignited one of history's most significant uprisings and shaped an entire generation's consciousness.