"In Till Death Us Do Part, what we saw was rabid paranoia about the loss of the greatness that was this country," he said.
Till Death Us Do Part might be dated now, but it is easy to see the genius behind it.
Take for example some of the references to `coons' by Alf Garnett, Warren Mitchell's racist, royalist, unionist character in Till Death Us Do Part.
Programme One, The Early Days, looks at the sitcom's origins in American variety programmes like The Jack Benny Show, through its first British incarnations in The Glums and Life With Lyons, to the landmark comedies of the '50s and '60s - Hancock's Half Hour, Steptoe and Son, The Likely Lads, Till Death Us Do Part and Dad's Army.
Contributing to the story throughout the three parts are sitcom stars such as Warren Mitchell (Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part), Richard Briers (Tom Good in the Good Life), Rodney Bewes (Bob in The Likely Lads), Tony Booth (Mike in Till Death Us Do Part and father of Cherie Blair), and various writers of some of the classics of our time.