James Cameron presents a personal account of Britain in the post-war years in ten programmes covering 1945-56.
5: ' I have today signed an order ending completely the clothes rationing system. From tomorrow coupons will no longer be required.'
(HAROLD WILSON )
And it wasn't only the end of clothes rationing which gave us a lift in 1948 - for the first time since 1939 the lights went up again; Barbara Kelly made her first television appearance and Don Bradman his last in a Test Match. But there were still plenty of problems - the Russians blockaded Berlin, communists caused trouble in Malaya and at home, you still couldn't get whisky or petrol, the pound continued to totter and had to be devalued. Nevertheless as we entered the new decade the clouds of austerity were visibly lifting.
Producers HELEN FRY and GWYNNETH HENDERSON