Season 8

01 How to Be a Good President Episode 114th September 2008 Helped by contributors including Shirley Williams, Douglas Hurd and Simon Hoggart, journalist Jonathan Freedland attempts to define the qualities which make a great US president. 02 Between the Lines - Railways in Fiction and Film Episode 29th October 2008 Novelist Andrew Martin presents a documentary examining how the train came to shape the work of writers and film-makers, from Wordsworth and Dickens to The Railway Children. 03 Last Days of Steam Episode 316th October 2008 Documentary that tells the surprising story of how Britain entered a new age of steam railways after the Second World War and why it quickly came to an end. 04 How to Write a Mills and Boon Episode 42nd November 2008 To mark 100 years of romance publishers Mills and Boon, literary novelist Stella Duffy takes on the challenge of writing for them, a task that ends up being harder than it looks. 05 How to Solve a Cryptic Crossword Episode 510th November 2008 Don Manley reveals the tricks that compilers use to bamboozle and entertain cryptic crossword solvers, while fans including Prunella Scales explain why they enjoy them. 06 The Comic Songbook Episode 622nd December 2008 Documentary which celebrates Britain's tradition of comic songs, from Noel Coward's Mad Dogs and Englishmen to Benny Hill's Ernie, and reveals the skill involved in creating them. 07 Fashion versus the BBC Episode 722nd January 2009 A team of fashion writers and commentators including Peter York, Colin McDowell, Ted Polhemus and Hilary Alexander looks at the relationship between British fashion and the BBC. 08 The North-South Divide Episode 82nd April 2009 Journalist John Harris travels around England to find out why the north-south divide is still an economic reality following the decline of industry, and if it can be closed.