Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain — Season 1, Episode 1: Advance Britannia
Documentary • 60 min • 1 season, 5 episodes • ★ 8.5/10
Episode synopsis
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.
About Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain
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.