Home > Documentary TV Show > Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

2007

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 Advance Britannia May 22, 2007

Andrew Marr revisits Britain in 1945 and finds the country victorious but badly beaten up and nearly bankrupt. With astonishing archive and telling anecdote, he tells the story of Britain's extraordinary struggle for national and cultural survival in the post-war world. As the newly elected Labour government sets out to build 'New Jerusalem', Britain is forced to hold out the begging bowl in Washington. Back in Britain, Ealing Studios attempts to hold back the tide of Hollywood with a series of very British comedies. There is a spirit of hope and optimism in the air but the shortage of consumer goods and the British people's growing impatience with austerity threaten to take the country from bankruptcy to self-destruction. A stirring story of Britain's battle against the odds to retain its world power status.

EP2 The Land Of Lost Content May 29, 2007

The second programme in the series explodes the popular image of the 1950s as a golden age of order and prosperity, and of lost content. A Conservative government is back in power. The economy appears to be improving. New homes are being built, the age of mass car ownership is dawning and people have money in their pockets. But 1950s Britain isn't as calm as it looks, or as strong.

EP3 Paradise Lost Jun 05, 2007

Andrew Marr examines the age of Harold Wilson's classless society; a country excited by new technology, modern architecture and the scary futurism of Doctor Who. Wilson attempted to connect with the 60s spirit of progress by conjuring up the image of a future driven by science and the white heat of technology. But while the swinging sixties unleashed dreams of a fairer, liberated future, the Wilson governments presided over years of industrial conflict, stagnation and decline.

EP4 Revolution Jun 12, 2007

Andrew Marr revisits the Britain of Margaret Thatcher and comes to some surprising conclusions about the British national character. Promising to restore order, confidence and national pride, Margaret Thatcher unleashed a dramatic and divisive transformation of British society. In a period of extreme ideological polarisation, British identity was re-defined by the global market, and striking miners and sections of the Trade Union movement were demonised as the enemy within. Imperial visions stirred again as the fleet sailed for the Falklands. Having won power with the promise to restore traditional British values, the Thatcher government unleashed a whirlwind of privatisation and de-regulation that amounted to a cultural, economic and political revolution. Heroic national rescue operation or final act of self-destruction?

EP5 New Britannia Jun 19, 2007

In the final part of Andrew Marr's epic national saga, Britain enters the uncharted waters of the post-Thatcher era. Many have done well during the Thatcher years but now boom is turning to bust. Britain feels more vulnerable than ever to rapid international change - from the influence of powerful new global market forces to global warming. Just when many in post-war Britain are getting used to the good things in life, it seems we are going to have to start giving up our big cars and foreign holidays - or at least go back to some form of rationing. But who could persuade us to do this? Churchill had that kind of power in the 1940s, but which politician would we trust and follow today?
8.4| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain is a 2007 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers the period of British history from the end of the Second World War onwards. The series is highly praised and resulted in a follow up series covering the period 1900 to 1945 called Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain. A book released by Marr at accompanying the series and bearing the same name also details this period of history.

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Reviews

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
ShangLuda Admirable film.
Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
dustysandals Why is it that continuity still put berets on men the wrong way round? Even when confronted with actual footage of the uniform, they still dressed Andrew up as Frank Spencer! Shame!When will the BBC (and other channels) stop referring to the British flag as the "Union Jack". The Jack is a rod to hang the flag on at the end (stern) of a boat!Apart from these comments, a good programme, and despite some comments about Andrew "dressing up" and also "dressing up of history" I thought it was OK.It's just small points that ruin it for me.
darren gamble SPOLER ALERT this program is about the history of modern Briton from 1945 to 2007 END OF SPOILERS Andrew Mar gives a very accurate and detailed view of the modern British culture and society.from the austerity and decline of the 1940 and early fifties to the culture boom of 1955-73 gives a good idea of how, as a nation, Britain has changed over a short period of time.it then goes on further into the failures of heath and Callaghan including the "3 day week" and "the winter of discontent".it then explains that with a few "hiccups" Britain was "saved" by Mrs. T who pitted the fool who supported socialists and not Reagan.after Marr explains Mrs T. challenge by Mr.H and replacement by Mr.M the final episode deals with the years 1990-2007.thers not much to say about the final episode but it was the weakest of the series.overall though a brilliant documentary 10/10
Nick Pett Top work Mr Marr. Endearingly eccentric, enthusiastic, exhilarating overview of Britain. Of course there are gaps and highly debatable views, but he got all the top stories on the screen and reminded (hopefully) hundreds of thousands of people how we got to where we are. This is the sort of thing that makes history shimmer and excite - whetting the appetite for more in-depth explorations of each of the powerful stories that made up this wonderful series. I particularly enjoyed the episode that covered Harold Wilson - a time that i know little about but this programme made me want to dive into it and explore. And fragments of childhood memory came back to me during the episode on the 80s - my father's hulking mobile phone and the disappearance of my village bobby to go to the miners' strikes. Very evocative. Running over all of this was Marr's rich and engaging language - his presenting was the icing on the cake. Overall, Bonkers but brilliant.