The story of the rise and fall of the great British high street is brought to life in an entertaining and ambitious new series that transports four empty shops and a group of modern shopkeepers and their families back to the birth of the high street in the 1870s, before propelling them through a century of dizzying change, right up to the 1970s. 

Over six hours of gripping television, the families' lives are turned upside down as they experience how shopkeepers lived and worked in six key eras of British history.  But this High Street is no museum.  The shops must serve modern-day customers who are used to the pace and convenience of 21st century shopping.

In a challenge laced with real-life entertainment, family drama and human endeavour, can the families deal with whatever history throws at them?  And can they lure shoppers back?