The 1900 Island

Four families, with a longing to escape the demands of the modern world, head back over a hundred years to the turn of the 20th century. In this major new series, The 1900 Island, they are living for a month as a small Welsh fishing community on the dramatic tidal island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. It’s a time of hand-to-mouth existence for the families - the Powers, the Davies, couple Kate Evans and Arwel John and the Barkers - as they come face to face with the harsh reality of one of the toughest ways to make a living in 1900 Britain. They must adapt quickly to their new way of life but bad weather, lack of experience and limited rations lead to hunger and frustrations. Can a last-minute effort by the women save the day?

As the families enter their second week, the weather finally turns in their favour and the men head out to sea to try for a successful catch. The women are left with unrelenting domestic chores and the children head to school. But the fragile sense of community starts to fray as rivalries and hunger take their toll on the adults. As the going gets tough, it becomes a challenge for them to try and keep together. Gavin Davies, in particular, struggles to feed his family and it is only when a cargo boat comes calling that they all finally earn some much-needed cash. A newcomer joins the village as he jumps ship.

Four families, with a longing to escape the demands of the modern world, head back over a hundred years. They’re experiencing life, for a month, as a small fishing community on the dramatic and wild tidal island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. They may have settled into the 1900s style of living, without running water or electricity, but that doesn’t make life any easier. Three weeks after arriving on the island, the community spirit is fragile as different priorities and approaches to life start to take shape. With the Davies family of seven struggling to make ends meet, and quickly running out of supplies, Lydia instigates a charity food hamper. The neighbours could gift eggs and vegetables, but not everyone shares the same vision about how best to help. As the weather picks up, the men plan an extended fishing trip, for three days and two nights, leaving their wives and children home alone. But out at sea the men struggle day after day to get a catch, while their wives - with no means of communication - have no way of knowing whether they are safe or not. Will the families fall in love with the past or fall apart on The 1900 Island?

It’s the final week for the four families on The 1900 Island, living in a time of hand-to-mouth existence and hard physical graft, at sea and at home. With a last minute haul of fish, everyone is counting down the days. But as the outside world comes calling, modern mechanisation hits their rural idyll, prices plummet and there is a rude awakening for the men and women on the island. They resort to cockling and gathering shellfish to makes ends meet and one family contemplates leaving the community for opportunities elsewhere.