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Shifty

Shifty

This series shows in a new and imaginative way how over the past 40 years in Britain extreme money and hyper-individualism came together in an unspoken alliance. Together they undermined one of the fundamental structures of mass democracy - that it could create a shared idea of what was real. And as that fell apart, with it went the language and the ideas that people had turned to for the last 150 years to make sense of the world they lived in.

Created ByAdam Curtis
StatusEnded
Original NameShifty
First Air DateJune 14, 2025
Last Air DateJune 14, 2025
Seasons1
Episodes5
Episode Runtime5h 46min
LanguageEnglish
Original LanguageEnglish
Production CountriesUnited Kingdom
Production CompaniesA24BBC
NetworksBBC iPlayer
Part Five - The Democratisation of Everything
S01E05

Part Five - The Democratisation of Everything

Who needs politicians in a magical world of free individuals? So they give away their power. But Alexander McQueen sees what is really happening. The monstrous rise of the handbag. The Prince of Wales and his hidden smutty word. Christian Heavy Metal. Sleazy politicians. Imaginary Time. Mohamed al Fayed. King Rat. Censorship in Bollywood. The disappeared from the mental hospital. Highland Rape. Labour gives the last real power away. Sugababes. The pool, the sauna and the lifestyle. Artists become agents for property developers. There are Black Holes in your head. Factories close in the North East. A scanner from Maplin. The empty zones in the Dome. Toad in the Hole. Margaret Thatcher's handbag. The hidden backbeat. Subprime. The fake show at the end of the century. And the real one.

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