Waiting for Work was a documentary written and directed by Jack Ashley. Politically passionate and one of the first working class reporters at the BBC, he wanted to show the suffering caused by high unemployment in Hartlepool. With no work, no prospects, and little money, Ashley asked how the unemployed reacted to their situation in an affluent society.

The documentary caused a storm when it was first shown in 1963. The original film is followed by a report by Ashley's daughter Jackie on how it changed politics in the north of England. Show less