Episode guide: A House Through Time series five
2-3 minute read
By Niall Cullen | October 18, 2024
Find out where you can watch BBC Two’s A House Through Time and review highlights from the fifth series.
A House Through Time began on BBC Two in January 2018. Since then, host David Olusoga has explored rich stories hidden behind the walls of properties in Liverpool, Newcastle, Bristol and Leeds. The show has inspired thousands to discover the history of their houses.
The fifth series of A House Through Time hit TV screens in October 2024 and focused on two houses - Montagu Mansions in London, and 72 Pfalzburger Strasse in Berlin.
Where can I watch A House Through Time?
Series five of A House Through Time is being aired on BBC Two, every Thursday at 9 PM.
If you live in the UK, all episodes from the newest season are also available to watch on-demand, on BBC iPlayer.
A House Through Time season five: here's what you missed
Episode one
In the first episode of season five, David Olusoga begins his historical journey in the 1920s. Setting the scene of two cities shaped by conflict, he takes a look at the impact that the First World War had on residents of Montagu Mansions, Marylebone and 72 Pflazburger Strasse, Wilmersdorf, Berlin.
Wilmersdorf, Berlin, c.1900.
He begins to examine the emergence of the Nazi Party in Germany - and the dire consequences this would have on some of the home's residents.
Looking back: our highlights from season three of A House Through Time
If you missed out on the previous seasons of A House Through Time, we’ve compiled our favourite bits to give you a taster.
Here's what we loved in season three, which aired in 2020.
Episode one
In the first episode of A House Through Time series three, David Olusoga started his investigations on the residents of 10 Guinea Street, including the life of intrepid sea captain, Joseph Smith.
With his research dating back to the 18th century, he uncovered incredible stories of piracy, child abandonment, political writing and slavery.
Episode two
In episode two, David Olusoga traced the tales of 10, Guinea Street as the century turned from the 1700s to the 1800s.
Particularly harrowing was the story of Hester Gray, who worked in the house as a servant in mid 1800s. Hester endured an abusive relationship with her husband Henry.
The shocking tales of scandal, domestic violence and asylum inmates had us gripped from start to finish.
Episode three
The third episode of A House Through Time series three focused on the property’s residents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It began by exploring the lives of newlyweds Owen and Louisa Pow.
The couple suffered multiple blows to the start of their lives together, losing a child and business during their time at Guinea Street.
Later, Olusoga revealed a tragic tale from the First World War, discovered in our newspapers.
The death of Sapper A.H. Kew announced in Western Daily Press, 15 August 1917.
Jane Curley, now occupying 10, Guinea Street, lost her husband to the Great War while pregnant with their child. Unfortunately, similar stories were all too common at the time.
Episode four
Series three of A House Through Time culminated with David Olusoga delving into the home’s wartime past and bringing his research up to modern times. If you’re interested in pinpointing a property at the outbreak of the Second World War, try our exclusive 1939 Register map search.
The host’s detective skills unravelled stories of mystery and crime, including an article in Western Daily Press that revealed one of the house’s residents was a convicted criminal concealing his identity.
Cyril Tabrett lived in 10 Guinea Street after World War 2.
A House Through Time proves that house history research, with all its challenges, has the potential to open more chapters in your family’s story. That's why we enjoy it so much. And it seems we’re not the only ones.
What did your house look like generations ago? And if its walls could talk, what amazing stories would they tell? We’d love to hear about the history of your house over on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Reach out to us using #WhereWillYourPastTakeYou? for a chance to be featured.
Header photo credit: Sludge G, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
Related articles recommended for you
Remember their story: the first and last British soldiers killed in the First World War
History Hub
Who Do You Think You Are? Series 21: here's what you missed
Discoveries
Kamala Harris' family tree tells a tale of migration and education
Discoveries
