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Britain’s housing market is broken – but it didn’t have to be like this. For decades, politicians sold the dream of home ownership. But for millions of people, the reality is very different. People struggle to buy, and those lucky enough to own now face mortgage repayments among the highest in history. A priced-out generation contends with record rents, while ‘affordable’ housing feels anything but.

In this first episode, key figures from government, finance and campaigning reveal the roots of the housing crisis – and whose decisions led Britain here. In the boom before the financial crisis, when investors raced against first-time buyers to snap up property, the average British home doubled in price in just five years. After the crisis, quantitative easing and the ‘cocaine’ of Help to Buy ensure prices keep on rising. Who really got rich during these years – and why did it take government so long to realise there were also losers?