this first series of The Prime Ministers

Politics There’s no better illustration of what seems to be Nick Robinson’s central simple thesis in this series of Prime ministerial profiles, that time is a great dealer, than the moment in the first episode when he introduces the “current Prime Minister” and Gordon Brown’s Renfrewshire accent describes the influence the portrait in his study of Sir Robert Walpole had on his decision making processes.

Broadcast just two years ago, this first series of The Prime Ministers as well as recording history, has become a historical record in and of itself as Nick Clegg (paraphrased by Robinson) suggests the attempt by Lloyd George to a continue a war time coalition into peacetime was undemocratic and David Cameron speaks in glowing terms about Disraili’s electoral reforms. How times change.

The image of Brown hunched over his desk with his predecessor in the job keeping a watchful eye over his every movement explains rather a lot about his premiership and that of his successor’s “big society” idea, that they’re paradoxically less interested in dealing with the matters of the time than second guessing how a future BBC chief political correspondent will consider their period in office, if they’ll make the cut.

True, they’re unlikely to want Lord North’s reputation, the man “who lost America” and almost tipped the power of the country into terminal decline. Robert Peel’s a more likely model, the man who successfully worked against his party’s agenda to produce the Factories Act which hurt industrialists in their heartland and championed a workforce which at that point didn’t even have an electoral voice.

Yet what Blair, Brown and now Cameron seem to be in the grip of is a drive to continue or cope with an agenda of reform for reforms sake begun in Thatcher’s time.  They’re desperate to be seen to be pro-active in a role which, thanks to many of the men profiled here, should be reactive. Each of the latest government’s u-turns look like realisations that change isn't always necessary, that stability is more important than flux.

Which shouldn't be too much of a surprise as over and over again in these densely factual mini-documentaries we’re reminded that even “great men” are only human. Attlee was surprised to find himself in the job having beaten Churchill, who seemed like a dead cert having dragged the country to victory in war and was subsequently barely able to speak on visiting King George VI to accept the position.

That’s one of the strengths of the series, that Robinson focuses on some of the less obvious figures. Churchill would be the obvious choice for inclusion, yet he’s been nudged out to make space for Lord Palmerston, who few outside of fans of political history may have heard of despite having introduced Offences against the Person Act 1861 which still defines the difference between murder and manslaughter.

It'll be interesting to know if Robinson's successor, making this series in the future, would give Gordon Brown his own episode. Perhaps he’d be mentioned in relation to the feud in a Tony Blair episode or as one of the many complex reasons that we have a coalition government now, should David Cameron do anything that will be of historical significance centuries down the line.  Three years just wasn't long enough.

Nick Robinson's Prime Ministers: Complete Series 1 is published by AudioGo. RRP: £13.25 ISBN: 978-1408469668. Review copy supplied.