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Product Description
Product Description
This series explores how prime ministers have used their power and responded to the great challenges of their time and how they made the job what it is today: Sir Robert Walpole, the first and longest-serving prime minister; Lord North, remembered as the prime minister who lost America; Sir Robert Peel, who put national interest before party; Lord Palmerston, who cultivated a cavalier image and dominated mid-Victorian politics; Benjamin Disraeli turned his skills as a novelist to politics and became Britain's first Jewish-born prime minister; David Lloyd George, Welsh radical who set up the early welfare state, became a presidential PM in the First World War and split the Liberal party; Stanley Baldwin, the first prime minister to master radio broadcasting, his notion of Englishness shaped inter-war Britain; and, Clement Attlee, who lacked any charisma, but created the modern welfare state and managed the big political beasts in his Cabinet. The BBC's Nick Robinson presents his fascinating and absorbing Radio 4 series featuring eight famous British prime ministers.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Nick Robinson presents this series of bite-sized history programs covering some of the most important prime ministers. A well put together BBC production which will instruct anyone with a limited knoweldge of political history on some of the more interesting and infulential characters of past governments.
My only complaint with this series is in it's shortness. This was a great opportunity to do a great history of the office of the prime minister and people who have held it, yet what we have here is a whistle-stop tour of some very important men who really deserved more time devoted to their histories.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great series and well worth the time and money if you don't know much about these figures, but not if you are looking for a deeper, more involved history.
My only complaint with this series is in it's shortness. This was a great opportunity to do a great history of the office of the prime minister and people who have held it, yet what we have here is a whistle-stop tour of some very important men who really deserved more time devoted to their histories.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great series and well worth the time and money if you don't know much about these figures, but not if you are looking for a deeper, more involved history.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is quite good if you have an existing interest in British Prime Ministers; Nick describes each of those featured and explains what they were famous for. There is some detail about the times they lived in, but overall, I did not find this particularly gripping.
Each PM gets about 15 minutes of descriptions and anecdotes, with contributions from other commentators (such as Ken Clarke and Lord Baker). You will probably have noticed that these CDs just cover a selection of (presumably the more famous/colourful) PMs; well, there is not much continuity, ie it just jumps from one to another without any reference to the guys that came in between, - which I feel might have helped to bring it to life.
I have a casual interest in many aspects of history and thought I would find this quite engrossing, but I am afraid despite it being informative, it did not quite do it for me.
I hope you found this review helpful.
Each PM gets about 15 minutes of descriptions and anecdotes, with contributions from other commentators (such as Ken Clarke and Lord Baker). You will probably have noticed that these CDs just cover a selection of (presumably the more famous/colourful) PMs; well, there is not much continuity, ie it just jumps from one to another without any reference to the guys that came in between, - which I feel might have helped to bring it to life.
I have a casual interest in many aspects of history and thought I would find this quite engrossing, but I am afraid despite it being informative, it did not quite do it for me.
I hope you found this review helpful.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Nick Robinson takes a brief look at eight of the UK's Prime Ministers on this two CD set which with a playing time of one hour and fifty five minutes in total gives slightly less than fifteen minutes to each Prime Minister. This is enough to whet the listener's appetite for more. The Prime Ministers covered are:
Sir Robert Walpole
Lord North
Sir Robert Peel
Lord Palmerston
Benjamin Disraeli
David Lloyd George
Stanley Baldwin
Clement Attlee
Each section includes comments from historians, biographers and past and current politicians and covers the most notable events of the time.
What I found most interesting was the difference between a good peace time Prime Minister and a good war time Prime Minister. Clement Attlee - low key, quiet but determined made an excellent peace time Prime Minister and helped to establish the welfare state but he wouldn't have succeeded in war time when someone more forceful is needed.
I was interested to hear about Lord Palmerston who I remember from my school days as being most noted for his foreign policy but who was also a formidable Prime Minister and a lively and outgoing individual.
Lord North is chiefly remembered for being the Prime Minister who lost the Colonies and Sir Robert Walpole as being the first and longest serving Prime Minister.
These CDs make interesting listening and the sound quality is, as ever with BBC recordings, excellent. They are useful just to dip into - one Prime Minister at a time - or if you listen to them from start to finish then they provide brief coverage of two hundred years of UK history.
Sir Robert Walpole
Lord North
Sir Robert Peel
Lord Palmerston
Benjamin Disraeli
David Lloyd George
Stanley Baldwin
Clement Attlee
Each section includes comments from historians, biographers and past and current politicians and covers the most notable events of the time.
What I found most interesting was the difference between a good peace time Prime Minister and a good war time Prime Minister. Clement Attlee - low key, quiet but determined made an excellent peace time Prime Minister and helped to establish the welfare state but he wouldn't have succeeded in war time when someone more forceful is needed.
I was interested to hear about Lord Palmerston who I remember from my school days as being most noted for his foreign policy but who was also a formidable Prime Minister and a lively and outgoing individual.
Lord North is chiefly remembered for being the Prime Minister who lost the Colonies and Sir Robert Walpole as being the first and longest serving Prime Minister.
These CDs make interesting listening and the sound quality is, as ever with BBC recordings, excellent. They are useful just to dip into - one Prime Minister at a time - or if you listen to them from start to finish then they provide brief coverage of two hundred years of UK history.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Authoritative and entertaining
I'm a great admirer of Nick Robinson's work, and I thoroughly enjoyed this first CD in the 'Prime Ministers' series. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Self-help junkie
BBC, But Robinson's Bias gets in the way
This is a compilation of a BBC radio series, but it has one flaw, it is fronted by Nick Robinson, who just can't help letting his right wing sympathies come to the fore. Read more
Published 1 month ago by The Penguin
Entertaining history - or historical entertainment - at its best
In this excellent BBC production you have what the BBC excels at - history made entertainment - and if you approach the series of recordings like that, it's a rewarding and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by R. WEST-SOLEY
A Well-Written Gem
As Political Correspondent for the BBC, Nick Robinson has a unique view of British Politics. In this series, Robinson examines the careers of several of the most important British... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. Gtj Charmley
Informative
A fantastic series brought to life by Nick Robinson who is an excellent presence. It helps if you don't know a lot about the prime-ministers before delving into this otherwise most... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. F. E. Marioni
Decent brief introduction
These are never going to replace even a half decent biography but as a quick introduction to key political figures of the past you could do a lot worse. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Pardo
A breif guide to the personal character of Prime Ministers.
I enjoyed the content of this documentary. However Nick Robinson's understated style never excites, so I couldn't bring myself to giving it 5/5. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Prof TBun
Politics can be an ugly business
I originally caught this series on its original radio run and it's just as compelling the second time around. Read more
Published 7 months ago by G. M. Dobbs
really enjoyable broadcasting
Nick Robinson has found his metier in this hugely enjoayable and informative canter through the Prime Ministerial biographies. He's a good radio broadcaster. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Antigone
Entertaining and educational
I enjoyed this more than I would have done if reading the book (is there one?). Nick Robinson's style works well on radio - interesting to listen to without the mannerisms that... Read more
Published 9 months ago by C. J. Tyler
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