The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

Episode 1

The Sound of The Crowd

Looks at how the early 80s saw the powerful new forces of choice and consumerism radically reshape British life, tearing down existing ways of doing things and ripping up the rule book of British politics. This new culture of consumer-driven populism propelled Margaret Thatcher to victory. For the first time, 'who we were' became a question less about the fixed identities of region and class, and much more about the choices we made, from where we shopped to how we cooked, to what we wore. Margaret Thatcher may have embodied this change - but she didn't drive it. This takes in everything from the popularity of Delia Smith to affordable fashions on the high street, from the subcultures of Britain's youth to the crisis of identity that rocked and splintered the political left. But it also shows how the mood of aspiration that swept the nation left certain sections of society adrift and alienated, from the hollowed out industrial heartlands of the Midlands to the inner city communities of south London and Liverpool.