In Union, a major new television series for the BBC, historian Professor David Olusoga examines questions of national identity, social class and inequality, ‘shining a light on our fractured modern society through the lens of the past, exposing the fault lines dividing the UK’, as publicity material for the four-episode series puts it.

And in episode three, The Two Nations, he reaches the nineteenth century, featuring an interview with Society for the Study of Labour History chair Dr Joan Allen, who talks about the emergence and impact of the Chartist movement.

Dr Allen has researched and written extensively on Chartism, and is the organiser of the annual Chartism Day event, backed by the Society. In this episode she illustrates the UK-wide nature of Chartism and its demands using original documents that can also be viewed on the Chartist Ancestors website.

Episode one of the series aired on BBC2 on Monday 2 October, with episodes two to four in successive weeks. However, all four episodes can be seen here on BBC iPlayer.

Other historians in the episode include Dr Andrew MacKillop of the University of Glasgow, who explores the challenges of the French revolutionary era for the UK, and Professor Steve Poole, of the University of the West of England, discussing the aftermath of the 1832 Reform Act.

Watch Union, with David Olusoga.