I have a suspicion that the starting point for makers of BBC documentaries is their own archive. Tuesday night’s episode of the six-parter British Style Genius was no exception, exploring the contribution of the ‘country look’ to British style with wonderful clips from the thirties right through to Sloane Rangers partying hard in the early eighties.

Highlights included Jeremy Hackett’s portobello find (HRH Edward VIII’s riding boots), Noki’s reinvented riding boots for Luella, a “hello Dorctor Freud!” interview with Laura Ashley’s children and photographs of their models with Paul Simonon pre-Clash.

Whatever you think of the series so far the historic footage from this episode is marvellous. Watch it here.

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British Style Genius screens on Tuesday evenings for three more weeks.

The BBC’s six-parter British Style Genius began on Monday night with an episode focusing on the phenomenon known as the “British High Street”.

Joy-sapping moments included a Topshop production person delighting at how they had cost-effectively replicated a pretty vintage thirties fringed shrug for Kate’s range, thus stripping it of everything that had made it special, and Phillip Green, Katie England and Kate Moss in a highly staged production meeting at Topshop HQ. “Two-fowsend??” squeals Kate over the sales units. The genius on the high street is making money.

The director and execs must have been kicking themselves over the pay-off - Phillip Green boasting that they were going to “take on” New York, when in reality the opening date for Topshop in Soho just keeps on moving backwards… ouch!

The other five programmes are looking up though, with themes of tailoring, rebels, country (hooray and pass the gin!!) and the ’street’.