02: Never Had It So Good | Class Rule

Duration: 39'24''

Synopsis

Michael Cockerell continues the story of the class factor in post war politics. This programme looks at the 13 years of Conservative rule from Winston Churchill 's return to power in 1951.

Further Information

More clips from Class Rule

01: We Are the Masters Now | Class Rule

01: We Are the Masters Now | Class Rule

BBC Two | 1991 | 39'19''

A four-part documentary series about the effect of class on British political life since the war. Reporter/producer Michael Cockerel...

03: Workers' Playtime | Class Rule

03: Workers' Playtime | Class Rule

BBC Two | 1991 | 39'23''

Harold Wilson pledged to break up ''the old boy network where blue blood takes precedence over good brains''. But he eventually fell out w...

04: Towards a Classless Society? | Class Rule

04: Towards a Classless Society? | Class Rule

BBC Two | 1991 | 39'40''

Michael Cockerell looks at the years from Margaret Thatcher to John Major. Mrs Thatcher succeeded in winning more working-class...

01: We Are the Masters Now | Class Rule

01: We Are the Masters Now | Class Rule

BBC Two | 1991 | 39'19''

A four-part documentary series about the effect of class on British political life since the war. Reporter/producer Michael Cockerel...

03: Workers' Playtime | Class Rule

03: Workers' Playtime | Class Rule

BBC Two | 1991 | 39'23''

Harold Wilson pledged to break up ''the old boy network where blue blood takes precedence over good brains''. But he eventually fell out w...

04: Towards a Classless Society? | Class Rule

04: Towards a Classless Society? | Class Rule

BBC Two | 1991 | 39'40''

Michael Cockerell looks at the years from Margaret Thatcher to John Major. Mrs Thatcher succeeded in winning more working-class...

More resources about Politics

01: Lifting the Lid | Inside the Commons

01: Lifting the Lid | Inside the Commons

BBC Two | 2015 | 59'19''

Presented by Michael Cockerell, this series takes an unprecedented look at the heart of British democracy.

Episode 1 | Clash of the Superpowers: America vs China

Episode 1 | Clash of the Superpowers: America vs China

BBC Two | 2026 | 59'26''

Donald Trump comes to office in 2017 and upends America’s relationship with Beijing. He promises to ‘make China pay’, ...

Cabinet Confidential

Cabinet Confidential

BBC Two | 2001 | 58'11''

One-off documentary providing an inside view of how Tony Blair and former prime ministers have run their cabinets. Featuring interviews, archive footage...

S01E01: Identity Crisis | Darren McGarvey's Class Wars

S01E01: Identity Crisis | Darren McGarvey's Class Wars

BBC Scotland | 2021 | 57'59''

As Darren examines how social class shapes our identities and destinies, he meets people moving between the classes on...

Heath vs Wilson: The 10-Year Duel

Heath vs Wilson: The 10-Year Duel

BBC Four | 2011 | 1'29'01''

Documentary charting the story of two prime ministers who dominated a decade when Britain changed forever - the 1970s. Featuring interviews...

02: Upstairs, Downstairs | Inside the Commons

02: Upstairs, Downstairs | Inside the Commons

BBC Two | 2015 | 58'55''

Michael Cockerell examines what goes on backstage at the state opening, when the Queen comes to open the parliamentary year.

Episode 1 | Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution

Episode 1 | Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution

BBC Two | 2021 | 59'26''

Two young MPs, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, are determined to modernise the Labour party against a backdrop of economic ...

Educating North Korea | Panorama

Educating North Korea | Panorama

BBC One | 2014 | 29'09''

Reporter Chris Rogers travels to North Korea, where a university paid for by the west is attempting to open the minds of the secretive state...

Putin: The New Tsar

Putin: The New Tsar

BBC Two | 2018 | 59'34''

Documentary revealing the story of Vladimir Putin's extraordinary rise to power - from a lowly KGB colonel to Boris Yeltsin's right-hand man and ultimate...

03: Party Games | Inside the Commons

03: Party Games | Inside the Commons

BBC Two | 2015 | 58'57''

In the third episode, Michael Cockerell sees how the traditional three-party system appears to be falling apart at the seams.

06: What Women Want | Referendum Documentaries

06: What Women Want | Referendum Documentaries

BBC Two Scotland | 2013 | 58'56''

In this programme, Jackie Bird investigates the reasons for the apparent gender gap at the centre of the campaign for Scottish...

How Do We Pay for the Care of our Elderly? | Panorama

How Do We Pay for the Care of our Elderly? | Panorama

BBC One | 2010 | 8'39''

Should the state pay for social care for the elderly or should people sell their homes and be responsible for funding t...

Spread Of The Communist Ideology | Genius of the Modern World

Spread Of The Communist Ideology | Genius of the Modern World

BBC Four | 2016 | 3'58''

The Bolshevik Revolution kickstarted the shift towards communism, but Russia didn't have the predicted variable...

The Marketing of Margaret | Panorama

The Marketing of Margaret | Panorama

BBC One | 1983 | 49'21''

Michael Cockerell reports for Panorama on the way Margaret Thatcher's image was created, from 1983.

01: Gentleman Players | Alan Clark's History of the Tory Party

01: Gentleman Players | Alan Clark's History of the Tory Party

BBC Two | 1997 | 49'01''

This first programme focuses on Stanley Baldwin, Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain, and the General St...

01: Making Margaret | Thatcher: A Very British Revolution

01: Making Margaret | Thatcher: A Very British Revolution

BBC Two | 2019 | 59'32''

Margaret Thatcher's inner circle reveals how she managed to overcome her outsider status to become a prominent poli...

02: Scotland's Smoking Gun | Referendum Documentaries

02: Scotland's Smoking Gun | Referendum Documentaries

BBC Two Scotland | 2013 | 58'53''

Documentary series focused on the upcoming Scottish referendum. This first programme looks at some of the worldwide eve...

04: Reinventing the House | Inside the Commons

04: Reinventing the House | Inside the Commons

BBC Two | 2015 | 58'40''

In the final episode, battles break out over the future of the House. Plus the ongoing struggle to conserve the palace.

04: The Arc of History | Inside Obama's White House

04: The Arc of History | Inside Obama's White House

BBC Two | 2016 | 59'30''

The last episode begins with Obama's decision to launch the special operation into Pakistan, to catch Osama Bin Laden.

09: Janet's Scotland | Referendum Documentaries

09: Janet's Scotland | Referendum Documentaries

BBC Two Scotland | 2013 | 59'04''

Writer and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter is in Scotland to find out more about the referendum and some of the issues behind...