From a media release:
CBC, 3Bird Media and Entertainment One (eOne) today announced a new factual entertainment series, BACK IN TIME FOR DINNER (6×60), premiering Thursday, June 14 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC. Hosted by Carlo Rota (Great Canadian Food Show, Little Mosque on the Prairie, 24) and based on the hit Warner Bros. format of the same name, this social experiment takes one Canadian family on a whirlwind trip back in time as they eat their way through six decades of Canadian life.
Over the course of the series, the Campus family – five food-loving, busy middle-class suburbanites – will surrender their modern diets and lifestyle to go back in time. Starting in the 1940s and landing in the 1990s, their home will become a virtual time machine as it is transformed into a new decade each week. With a weekly guide presented to the family by host Carlo Rota, the Campuses will cook and eat their way through the experiment, experiencing first-hand changing family dynamics, gender roles and diets, as influenced by the social, technological and economic realities of each decade.
In some episodes, the Campus family will be joined by a special celebrity guest who can shed light on some of the trends from the decades they’re reliving and reflect on iconic moments of that time. Guests include Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison of Canadian music trio Sharon, Lois and Bram; renowned Hockey Night In Canada host Ron MacLean; fitness duo Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod of Body Break; and television personality, fashion editor and author Jeanne Beker.
Chowing down solely on the food of the era, the family will cook and eat their way through Canada’s past. What the family eats — who prepares it, where it comes from, where it’s stored, what foodstuffs are available — will act as a prism, bringing into focus how world events translated onto the dinner plates of everyday Canadians. From frozen dinners to elaborate desserts, every meal will tell a story.
Active and outgoing, the Mississauga, Ontario-based Campus family is used to non-stop action. Busy, multitasking mom Tristan leads the pack, working as a nurse and using her organizational skills and wit to keep everyone in line. Dad Aaron is the family’s calming influence, with an affable, laid back attitude. All three of the Campus kids have busy schedules of their own: Eldest daughter, 18-year-old Valerie, loves music and has a talent for sports, particularly softball and field hockey; 17-year-old Jessica shares her sister’s passion for music, but is also a voracious reader and loves the arts: and 15-year-old son Robert is a hockey nut with a heart of gold, finding time to help everyone in the neighbourhood with anything they need.
A CBC original series, BACK IN TIME FOR DINNER is produced by 3Bird Media and eOne with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Executive producers are Jennifer Twamley and Andrika Lawren for 3Bird Media and Jocelyn Hamilton and Vibika Bianchi for eOne.
