Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain - 1. A New Dawn

In the first of a six-part series, Andrew Marr revisits Britain at the dawn of the 20th century. He finds the country mourning the death of Queen Victoria; fighting an intractable war against the Boers in South Africa; enjoying the bawdy pleasures of music hall; and worrying about the physical and moral strength of the working class.

There are stories of political intrigue between David Lloyd George and his arch enemy Joseph Chamberlain; the beginning of the struggle for women's suffrage; and an account of the day Mr Rolls met Mr Royce and kicked off a revolution in motoring.

With powerful archive and vivid anecdotes, Andrew Marr gets to the heart of Edwardian Britain. He brings to life Britain's struggle to maintain its imperial power in the world in the years before the First World War. (R)

Broadcast on:

BBC Two, 7:00pm Friday 30th October 2009

First broadcast:

Wednesday 28th October 2009

Duration:

60 minutes

Available until:

9:59pm Wednesday 9th December 2009

Categories:

• Factual,
• History