John Donat in conversation with Mary Reyner Banham, Peter Reyner Banham, Sir Misha Black, Sir Hugh Casson, Michael Frayn, F.H.K. Henrich, Leonard Manasseh, Joseph Rykwert, Peter Shepheard

1951 was the year of the Festival of Britain. Was it really, as its Director Gerald Barry described it, 'tonic to the nation'?. What effect did it have on the public's mood: and what, if anything, did it contribute to architecture, urban and industrial design over the next 25 years?

(An exhibition entitled A Tonic to the Nation has just opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London)
(Rainbow Over the Thames: Tuesday 10.15 pm, BBC2)
Preview: page 15