Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain
Encyclopedia
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. It has been repeated several times, and Marr made a follow-up series covering the period 1900 to 1945 called Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain
writing in The Guardian
complimented Marr for his confrontational, argumentative, personalised history stating that television history, done well, should be more of an ice-bath than a comforting, warm soak. Gareth McLean
congratulates Marr for analysing the times in which he immerses himself, effortlessly communicating his enthusiasm, and hinting at fundamental truths of the human condition which he states is the future of factual programming. He is also impressed that Marr maintains his penetrating scrutiny and level of insight throughout the series. Lucy Mangan exclaims the show shone the light of understanding into hitherto dark and musty corners of ignorance but criticises the final episode for concentrating too much on Blair's People's Princess speech after Diana's death.
, was successfully sued for libel by activist Erin Pizzey
after his book A History of Modern Britain claimed she had once been part of the militant group Angry Brigade that staged bomb attacks in the 1970s. Pizzey became an opponent of the group and threatened to report their activities to the police when they discussed their intention of bombing Biba
, a lively fashion store. The publisher also recalled and destroyed the offending version of the book, and republished it with the error removed.
A viewer complaint that Marr’s comment on the Community Charge
(Poll Tax) that "Unlike the old rates, it would be payable by everyone, not just homeowners" gave the inaccurate impression householders who were tenants had not been liable for domestic rates. The BBC Editorial Complaints Unit upheld the complaint and promised the error would be corrected before any re-broadcast.
's Labour government sets out to build 'New Jerusalem', Britain is forced to hold out the begging bowl in Washington. Though Ealing Studios
produces a series of very British comedies and there is a spirit of hope in the air, the British people's growing impatience with austerity threatens to take the country from bankruptcy to self-destruction.
between working-class Christine Keeler
and Secretary of State for War John Profumo
brought the closed world of the British establishment together with the cocky new Britain growing up around it.
takes centre stage in a rapidly changing Britain as the country looks to modern technology and a fairer, liberated future. However, the Wilson governments presided over years of industrial conflict, stagnation and decline. As Edward Heath
's government ascends to power in the 1970s, British industry is reduced to working a three-day week, electricity is rationed and the country is again haunted by the shadow of wartime austerity.
and comes to some surprising conclusions about the British national character. It was a period of extreme ideological polarisation. Imperial visions stirred again as the fleet sailed for the Falklands. Privatisation and deregulation amounted to a cultural, economic and political revolution. Heroic national rescue operation or final act of self-destruction? An exploration of the extent to which we British are all now the children of Thatcher.
. Just when many in post-war Britain are getting used to the good life
, it seems we might have to start giving up our big cars and foreign holidays.
2007 in television
2007 in television may refer to:*2007 in American television*2007 in Australian television*2007 in British television*2007 in Canadian television*2007 in Japanese television...
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr
Andrew William Stevenson Marr is a Scottish journalist and political commentator. He edited The Independent for two years until May 1998, and was political editor of BBC News from 2000 until 2005....
that covers the period of British history from the end of the Second World War onwards. It has been repeated several times, and Marr made a follow-up series covering the period 1900 to 1945 called Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain
Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain
Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain is a 2009 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers the period of British history from the end of the death of Queen Victoria to the end of the Second World War...
Reviews
Tristram HuntTristram Hunt
Tristram Julian William Hunt, FRHistS MP is a British politician, historian, broadcaster and newspaper columnist, who is currently the Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent Central. He also teaches and lectures on Modern British History at Queen Mary, University of London in Mile End, East London...
writing in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
complimented Marr for his confrontational, argumentative, personalised history stating that television history, done well, should be more of an ice-bath than a comforting, warm soak. Gareth McLean
Gareth McLean
Gareth McLean is a Scottish journalist who writes for The Guardian newspaper and on Soap operas for the Radio Times magazine.McLean graduated with an MA in English from the University of Aberdeen, working at The Scotsman newspaper as a Feature Writer from 1997 until he began writing as a TV Critic...
congratulates Marr for analysing the times in which he immerses himself, effortlessly communicating his enthusiasm, and hinting at fundamental truths of the human condition which he states is the future of factual programming. He is also impressed that Marr maintains his penetrating scrutiny and level of insight throughout the series. Lucy Mangan exclaims the show shone the light of understanding into hitherto dark and musty corners of ignorance but criticises the final episode for concentrating too much on Blair's People's Princess speech after Diana's death.
Complaints
In 2009, Marr's publisher, Macmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
, was successfully sued for libel by activist Erin Pizzey
Erin Pizzey
Erin Patria Margaret Pizzey is a British family care activist and a best-selling novelist. She became internationally famous for having started one of the first Women's refuges in the modern world, Chiswick Women's Aid, in 1971, the organisation known today as Refuge...
after his book A History of Modern Britain claimed she had once been part of the militant group Angry Brigade that staged bomb attacks in the 1970s. Pizzey became an opponent of the group and threatened to report their activities to the police when they discussed their intention of bombing Biba
Biba
Biba was an iconic and popular London fashion store of the 1960s and 1970s. It was started and primarily run by the Polish-born Barbara Hulanicki with help of her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon.-Early years:...
, a lively fashion store. The publisher also recalled and destroyed the offending version of the book, and republished it with the error removed.
A viewer complaint that Marr’s comment on the Community Charge
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
(Poll Tax) that "Unlike the old rates, it would be payable by everyone, not just homeowners" gave the inaccurate impression householders who were tenants had not been liable for domestic rates. The BBC Editorial Complaints Unit upheld the complaint and promised the error would be corrected before any re-broadcast.
Viewing figures
| Title | Dates covered | Date of transmission | Audience figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance Britannia | 1945–1955 | May 22, 2007 | 3.1 million (14% share) |
| The Land of Lost Content | 1955–1964 | May 29, 2007 | 3.6 million |
| Paradise Lost | 1964–1979 | June 5, 2007 | 3 million (14% share) |
| Revolution! | 1979–1990 | June 12, 2007 | 3.2 million (14% share) |
| New Britannia | 1990–2007 | June 19, 2007 | 2.8 million (13% share) |
Awards
| Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Television Society Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world... Awards 2008 |
Best history series | Won |
| Best presenter | Won (Andrew Marr) | |
| Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2008 | Best documentary series | Won |
| Best TV performer in a non-acting role | Won (Andrew Marr) | |
| British Academy Television Awards 2008 British Academy Television Awards 2008 The 2008 British Academy Television Awards were held on 20 April at the London Palladium Theatre in London. The ceremony was broadcast live on BBC One in the United Kingdom. The nominations were announced on 18 March 2008. Drama Cranford received the most nominations with four, making Judi Dench... |
Audience award | Nominated |
| Best special factual | Won |
1. Advance Britannia, 1945 - 1955
Britain in 1945; the country is victorious but nearly bankrupt. As Clement AttleeClement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
's Labour government sets out to build 'New Jerusalem', Britain is forced to hold out the begging bowl in Washington. Though Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
produces a series of very British comedies and there is a spirit of hope in the air, the British people's growing impatience with austerity threatens to take the country from bankruptcy to self-destruction.
2. The Land of Lost Content, 1955 - 1964
The 1950s were a period of apparent calm, order and prosperity for Britain, but much of the populace was hungry for change, many began to distrust the government and protestors and satirists led people to question and mock their rulers. In 1961, the liaisonProfumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
between working-class Christine Keeler
Christine Keeler
Christine Margaret Keeler is an English former model and showgirl. Her involvement with a British government minister discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963, in what is known as the Profumo Affair....
and Secretary of State for War John Profumo
John Profumo
Brigadier John Dennis Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo CBE , informally known as Jack Profumo , was a British politician. His title, 5th Baron, which he did not use, was Italian. Although Profumo held an increasingly responsible series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known today for his...
brought the closed world of the British establishment together with the cocky new Britain growing up around it.
3. Paradise Lost, 1964 - 1979
As the 1960s progress, Harold WilsonHarold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
takes centre stage in a rapidly changing Britain as the country looks to modern technology and a fairer, liberated future. However, the Wilson governments presided over years of industrial conflict, stagnation and decline. As Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
's government ascends to power in the 1970s, British industry is reduced to working a three-day week, electricity is rationed and the country is again haunted by the shadow of wartime austerity.
4. Revolution! 1979 - 1990
The Britain of Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and comes to some surprising conclusions about the British national character. It was a period of extreme ideological polarisation. Imperial visions stirred again as the fleet sailed for the Falklands. Privatisation and deregulation amounted to a cultural, economic and political revolution. Heroic national rescue operation or final act of self-destruction? An exploration of the extent to which we British are all now the children of Thatcher.
5. New Britannia, 1990 - 2007
Britain enters the uncharted waters of the post-Thatcher era. Many have done well in the end 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 warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. Just when many in post-war Britain are getting used to the good life
The good life
The good life is a term for the life that one would like to live, or for happiness, associated with the work of Aristotle and his teaching on ethics.-Religious approaches:...
, it seems we might have to start giving up our big cars and foreign holidays.