2/4. Rebuilding Britain. Almost bankrupted by fighting a world war and clinging on to its diminishing sense of Empire, Britain in the 1920s found comfort in its sense of history rather than in embracing modernity. While Paris celebrated Art Deco, Britain would mount the Empire Exhibition, looking back to its past. But, as Dan Cruickshank discovers, the tyranny spreading across Europe found young architects fleeing the terror of fascism to find a home in London, shaking Britain from its cosy nostalgia in the process.
Producer Kate Misrahi ; Exec producer Basil Comely Living with Modernism follows on BBC4 at 10pm