Matthew Parris

Twenty years ago, Britain went to war - with itself. In March 1984, Mrs Thatcher's government announced plans to close 20 coal mines, with the loss of 20,000 jobs. The Miners' leader, Arthur Scargill, led his workers out on strike. What followed was the ultimate left verses right showdown, a colossal battle for the political heart of a nation, with an epoch-making, era-defining moment of social significance unparalleled since World War II. This feature length documentary tells the story of the year-long struggle that split friends, families and the country apart, led to shocking scenes of violence, and made many fear that George Orwell's nightmare vision of a police state was becoming a reality. After this war, Britain would never be the same again.

Edwina Currie, Matthew Parris and Ian Hislop lead a cast of politicians and journalists sharing personal memories of Cecil Parkinson and the scandal that ended his political ambitions – a secret affair with his secretary Sara Keays that lasted 12 years and would threaten the stability of the Conservative government. A story of power, politics and personal consequences.

As a young reporter, Jon Snow reported live on Margaret Thatcher becoming Britain's first female Prime Minister. Jon shares his personal recollections of the woman who dominated his early career.

In the final days of the yuppie decade, the summer of ’89 saw a new type of youth rebellion rip through the cultural landscape, with thousands of young people dancing at illegal Acid House parties in fields and aircraft hangars around the M25. Set against the backdrop of ten years of Thatcherism, it was a benign form of revolution, dubbed the Second Summer of Love – all the ravers wanted was the freedom to party… The rave scene, along with the drug Ecstasy, broke down social barriers and even football hooligans were ‘loved up’, solving a problem the government had never managed to crack. But lurid tabloid headlines and cat-and-mouse games with the police eventually turned the dream sour, as the gangster element moved in at the end of the summer.

Unemployed Harry Morgan from Tyneside takes over the duties of Conservative MP Matthew Parris for a week, in a sequel to the programme in which Parris lived on unemployment benefit for a week.

Multiple award winning ‘Times’ journalist and ex Conservative MP Matthew Parris spends six months on Kerguelen, the world’s most remote island.

Multiple award winning ‘Times’ journalist and ex Conservative MP Matthew Parris spends six months on Kerguelen, the world’s most remote island.

Multiple award winning ‘Times’ journalist and ex Conservative MP Matthew Parris spends six months on Kerguelen, the world’s most remote island.