Made in Britain
During the Queen’s long reign, Britain’s heavy industries have faced devastating decline. Andrew Marr picks the ‘New Elizabethans’ he believes have pioneered new British exports.
In the final episode, Andrew looks at one of the greatest challenges faced by modern Elizabethans: the loss of Britain’s manufacturing heartlands and the surprising impact it has had on the state of the nation. To tell this story, he selects a rich cast of characters who have – in his estimation – responded to the challenges and found ingenious ways of adapting to the changing industrial landscape.
When the Queen ascended the throne in 1952, the country she inherited could still be defined by its manufacturing bases: Sheffield steel, Cornish tin, Welsh coal and Clyde-built ships. Britain in 1952 was, after all, still one of the workshops of the world, if no longer the primary one. Manufacturing accounted for a third of everything that Britain produced, and employed around four in ten of all British workers. Britain turned out a quarter of the entire world's manufacturing exports. But over the next 40 years, all that would change.
For Andrew, the decline in Britain’s heavy industries has had a critical impact in shaping the nation we have become. He investigates the various reasons behind it, arguing that it is not down to a lack of talent. From Christopher Cockerell to Clive Sinclair, the New Elizabethans have demonstrated extraordinary imagination and innovation, even if this hasn’t always been successfully capitalised upon.
But this is not a story of failure - it’s a story of adaptation. Andrew shows how over the course of the Queen’s reign, we Elizabethans have learnt from the lessons of the past. He looks at how inventors like James Dyson have built up billion-pound empires, and, crucially, he examines how the British brand has become about more than motorcars and machines: as our heavy industries of old have declined, we have found other industries and other exports, like the songs of Dusty Springfield or the buildings of Zaha Hadid. He argues that British culture and creativity have become perhaps our most valuable assets, from advertising and architectural design to music and monarchy.
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Music Played
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The Shadows
Jet Black
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Fats Domino
Going To The River
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Frank Sinatra
Nice Work If You Can Get It
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Billy May
The Man With The Golden Arm
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Eddie Cochran
C'Mon Everybody
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Humphrey Lyttelton
Suffolk Air
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The Shadows
Kon-Tiki
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Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra
Flying Home
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Barry Gray Orchestra
Thunderbirds
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The Tornados
Telstar
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Fontella Bass
Rescue Me
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The Beatles
Love Me Do
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Dusty Springfield
I Only Want To Be With You
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The Kinks
Till The End Of The Day
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Dusty Springfield
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
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Dusty Springfield
Son Of A Preacher Man
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Chris Farlowe
Out Of Time
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Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Electricity
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The Rolling Stones
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
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Donna Summer
I Feel Love
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Pink Floyd
Echoes
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Rod Stewart
Maggie May
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Led Zeppelin
When The Levee Breaks
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Elton John
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
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Fleetwood Mac
Dreams
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Talk Talk
Life's What You Make It
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The Kinks
The Village Green Preservation Society
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Talk Talk
Life's What You Make It
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DJ Axel
Snooperstition (Stevie Wonder vs. Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre)
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Stevie Wonder
Superstition
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Roxy Music
Virginia Plain
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Mike Oldfield
Shadow On The Wall
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Buggles
The Plastic Age
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Lipps, Inc.
Funkytown
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Alabama 3, Simon Edwards
Speed of The Sound of Loneliness
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T. Rex
Hot Love
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Marlena Shaw
California Soul
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Duran Duran
Hungry Like The Wolf
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Pink Floyd
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
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David Bowie
Loving The Alien
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The Jesus and Mary Chain
April Skies
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The Dandy Warhols
Bohemian Like You
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Eric Clapton
I've Got A Rock 'n' Roll Heart
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Massive Attack
Teardrop
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The Chemists
A Love Like No-One Else
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The Stone Roses
What The World Is Waiting For
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Kate Bush
James And The Cold Gun
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Elbow
Powder Blue
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Andrew Marr |
Director | Alexander Leith |
Series Producer | Alexander Leith |
Executive Producer | Denys Blakeway |
Editor | Damian Leask |
Production Manager | Helen Swindells |
Broadcasts
- Thu 17 Dec 2020 21:00
- Wed 30 Dec 2020 02:30
- Wed 1 Jun 2022 21:00
- Thu 2 Jun 2022 02:15