Andrew Marr has mined a rich seam of old documentary film footage and assembled it into a punchy, lively, hugely entertaining and informative account of modern Britain. The script is brilliant. The editing is outstandingly good: pacy, sharp and perfectly cut to the rhythm of the text. Marr is full of bounce: quirky, witty and scholarly. And as well as the wonderful collage of film, we also get quite extraordinary artefacts and visits to original locations to illustrate the text.
I shall never forget the clip where Marr, with his hair well-brushed, assures us he is being driven along not in A Silver Ghost, 'This is THE Silver Ghost!' Smirk, smirk, and dont we all wish we were too!