Andrew Marr’s Making Of Modern Britain is an epic account of the events that shaped Britain, from the death of Queen Victoria to the end of the Second World War. The series uses archive and stills, dynamic sequences of Marr’s journey across Britain, pithy anecdote and analysis to tell a powerful national saga.

Marr takes viewers from the imperial power of the late-Victorian age to the dawning of modern democracy; from Charlie Chaplin to Gracie Fields; and from the trenches and sea battles of the First World War to Britain’s triumphant victory over fascism in 1945. The series complements Marr’s Bafta-winning History Of Modern Britain, and his powerful storytelling helps us make sense of ourselves in the context of our early 20th-century history.

In the first episode in the epic six-part series, Marr re-visits Britain at the dawn of the 20th century. He finds the country mourning the death of Queen Victoria; fighting an intractable guerrilla war against the Boers in South Africa; enjoying the bawdy pleasures of music hall; and worrying about the physical and moral strength of the working class.

There are stories of political intrigue between David Lloyd George and his arch enemy Joseph Chamberlain; the beginning of the struggle for women’s suffrage; and an account of the day Mr Rolls met Mr Royce and kicked off a revolution in motoring. With astonishing archive and vivid anecdotes, Marr gets to the heart of post-Victorian Britain. He brings to life Britain’s struggle to maintain its imperial power in the world in the years before the First World War.

Wednesday 28 October
9.00-10.00pm BBC TWO