Peter Hennessy is the Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London and an expert on the history of Government. Listen to the highlights of his programme below.
Living with the doomsday device
Peter Hennessy visits HMS Vigilant, one of the Trident submarines on patrol in the North Sea, armed with Britain's nuclear deterrent.
He looks into life on board the submarine and asks the crew how they handle the pressure of having their finger on the trigger of the doomsday device.
War Powers Act
Two seasoned Whitehall warriors discuss a plan to give more war powers to parliament, particularly over the decision to go to war.
Join the debate
The future of the monarchy
Do you want a monarchy in 30 years time? We commissioned a survey to look at people's changing attitudes to the royalty.
Political Satire
What makes for great political humour? We ask comedy writers Sir Anthony Jay and Armando Iannucci.
Currency crisis
How vulnerable is Britain to a currency crisis? We speak to two economists caught in the eye of the 1976 and 1992 currency storms.
Listen to the extended debate
Professor Peter Hennessy
Professor Hennessy discusses the ideas and inspiration behind his programme.
