Counter-culture's fate: Co-opted or victorious?

Counter-culture emerged as a significant social movement following the Second World War, profoundly influencing institutions, businesses, politics, and generational attitudes. Comedian Stewart Lee presents a series tracing its evolution from the Beat Generation, folk, and jazz of the 1950s through the hippies and punk of the 1960s and 70s.

The exploration extends to the 1980s and early 90s, highlighting the UK's rave scene and eco-protests as potentially the last great counter-culture moments before the internet's widespread adoption. Lee interviews artists, musicians, and historians to assess counter-culture's present-day relevance in a fragmented digital society marked by social media silos and "culture wars."

Key questions arise: Has counter-culture been absorbed by the mainstream, or has its legacy become unassailable due to its successful arguments for freedom and identity? The series contemplates whether its core ideas have migrated politically, and whether a new counter-culture in the digital age might necessitate disconnection.

Contributors include Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), Damon Albarn, and Brian Eno, offering diverse perspectives on counter-culture's enduring impact and its uncertain future in a world where the lines between mainstream and alternative are increasingly blurred.