A Brave New World

The second programme in the series looks at the way in which a colourful collection of New Elizabethans have sought to come to terms with Britain’s decline as a world power since 1952, to project British values and influence abroad, and to ensure Britain’s ongoing relevance at a time when so much seems to be slipping away. How have we coped with the loss of empire, American cultural and political hegemony, and the rise of a consolidated European superstate? These are issues that the British have wrestled with since the Queen ascended the throne in 1952, and which continue to divide and occupy us to this day.