In When I Was a Nipper Alan Titchmarsh goes on a personal & nostalgic journey through post-War Britain in search of treasured values & traditions that were once the soul of society. With characteristic wit warmth & humour he draws on the experience of his own childhood & also takes a broader perspective creating a wonderfully detailed & evocative portrait of a way of life that is fast disappearing & asks what can we learn from this era of austerity to make our lives better today? Born in Yorkshire in 1949 & brought up in a Britain still recovering from World War 2 Alan remembers a time of relative calm when it was enough to return home at night knowing that the house would still be standing. We were known throughout the world for our patience resourcefulness & resilience. ' Mustn't grumble' was almost a national catchphrase & queuing was second nature. Peppered with wonderful archive photographs & advertisements When I Was a Nipper takes us back to those days down high streets & through farmyards on to trolley buses & into local pubs. As we move towards a global economy as communities fragment & customs are lost When I Was a Nipper captures a world that is fast receding into history. It's powerfully nostalgic for those who remember those days but it's also Alan's timely call to all recession-hit Brits to heed the lessons of austerity Britain: 'make do & mend'; 'look on the bright side' & 'take the knocks on the chin'.