In this first episode, Hard Man, Grayson plunges into the world of cage-fighting, or Mixed Martial Arts, in north-east England. As a self-described 'life-long sissy', Grayson has a problem with machismo, but as he spends time with the fighters, many of his expectations about hyper-macho men are overturned.
In this episode Grayson spends time with Lancashire Police as they wrestle with the problems on one of the most crime-plagued estates in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. Although 85% of all crime is committed by men, the issue is rarely discussed in gender terms. But that's what Grayson sets out to do, getting behind the stark statistics and seeing if this masculine conflict can tell us something about all men. Grayson embeds with the police for a series of dawn raids, part of Operation Nemesis, an initiative to crack down on gang-related violence and drug-dealing, and talks to some of the men arrested in police custody.
Grayson Perry's examination of modern masculinity takes him to the City of London. Is banking still testosterone-fuelled? And how will City workers react to the art they inspire?