| Summary: | Each new generation believes that it is the first to deal with a whole raft of social issues from welfare dependency to organised crime. But Victorian Britain faced very similar problems to those we experience today. This intriguing series tells the story of four 'problem' families from the 19th century and follows the fortunes of their descendants right up to the present day. From a little boy who was thrown into the Thames by his impoverished mother and saved by a bargeman to a young woman convict transported to Australia, the series finds out if their descendants have transcended their ancestors' class position or if they are they living on the same streets, in the same neighbourhoods, leading similar lives to the generations that came before. Packed with twists and turns, and told in their own words, the journeys these families take offer a surprising and fascinating insight into life and society through the ages. On this episode, the true story of two Victorian mothers, Lavinia and Florence, from opposite ends of the social scale - brought together by domestic violence. One was desperate to feed her six children in 1880s London, the other came from a lavish country home and ventured into the slums to try to help a fellow mother. It's the saga of a woman from the Victorian workhouse whose descendant ends up at Eton, and of a family from the landed gentry who have thrown off the burden of their past.
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