UCLan academic brings story of the ‘Demon Drink’ to a national audience

25 May 2020

Fascinating and personal stories are brought to life on the BBC

A renowned researcher with expertise in the history and legacy of the UK temperance movement is to appear on the popular BBC2 programme ‘A House Through Time.’

Dr Annemarie McAllister, a Senior Research Fellow in History at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), appears in the third programme of the series, to be screened on 9 June, tracing the lives of residents in a house in Bristol.

Dr McAllister joins the presenter David Olusoga, to talk about the popularity of temperance in the 1880s and the business opportunities it offered.  She discusses the Pows, a family who lived in the house at that period.

Commenting on the experience, the temperance scholar said: “Filming for the programme took place last year and we discovered some fascinating stories attached to the people who lived in the Bristol-based house.

“Without giving too much away, drink in those days was seen as addictive, and indulgence in it was the road to ruin, morally, financially and physically. You will have to watch the programme to find out more!

“The previous two series of ‘A House Through Time’ have been very popular as they’ve tapped into the great interest which most of us have in the past. It was certainly exciting to be involved.”

 ‘A House Through Time,’ begins its third series on BBC2 on Tuesday, 26 May 26 at 9.00pm

Dr McAllister
Dr McAllister

Dr Annemarie McAllister works on the history and legacy of the UK temperance movement, using UCLan’s internationally significant archive, the Livesey Collection. She is interested in the cultural history of temperance groups, their material (particularly visual) cultures and the strong impact they had on their members. The three exhibitions she curated inform her continuing work with local and national groups, and social media presence. For further details see

demondrink or Twitter - @demon_drink

UCLan has a strong link with temperance as Joseph Livesey, regarded as the founder of the UK temperance movement, helped to set up the University’s forerunner in 1828, the ‘Institute for the Diffusion of Knowledge’ in Preston.