Looking at how Britain pays its way in the world today. Like Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain or Michael Palin's Himalaya, the book will have a coherence and life beyond the television series, mirroring its basic structure, but looking at some issues in greater depth, and telling additional stories to illustrate some of the ideas. This book is about the things that Britain produces in order to pay its way in the world, from physical goods that we can see and feel, to intangible services that are much harder to quantify.
We don't have to be prejudiced in favour of certain types of value: we shouldn't assume finance is modern and manufacturing out of date, for example. What matters is what sells and for how much. From manufacturing to technology, design and the services industries, this book will provide a cutting edge analysis - via entertaining stories - about what we make and why it matters.