Did you know that Northumberland is the only county in England with its own dedicated musical instrument?

Jeremy Paxman tells the story of coal mining in England, Scotland and Wales from Roman times, through the birth of steam power to war, nationalisation, pea-souper smogs, industrial strife and the picket lines of the Miner’s Strike.

This rich personal account focuses on the social impact of the Industrial Revolution, rather than its economic and political histories and gets under the skin of the period, creating a cast of colorful characters, including factory workers, miners, shoemakers, carpenters, servants, and farm laborers.

A Northerner in exile, Stuart Maconie goes on a journey in search of the North, attempting to discover where the cliches end and the truth begins.