An objective look inside a unique phenomenon in the world of shops with comments from Sir John Betjeman Marjorie Proops Graham Turner Department stores are very much part of British life-medieval market places, roofed over richly adorned and centrally heated. This programme examines the nature of one which grew from an obscure Victorian grocery to be a household word, a significant clue to understanding the British and a sophisticated joke. An extraordinary shop designed to please the fastidious and the rich, it is also a mirror of social changes over the past 120 years. Is it an anachronism in the 70s? Does it cater for a nostalgia for the sort of privilege we would all like? Or is it just one of those things that makes this country different from others? Like it or not, this huge emporium exists and flourishes. Narration written by PATRICK O'DONOVAN and spoken by JOHN CLEESE Produced by HARRY HASTINGS