Satire is supposed to be a cleansing force - but is comedy now harming rather than helping our politics? In a journey through 50 years of broadcasting archives since the satire boom took off, Matthew Flinders explores how comedy and politics have affected each other - for better and for worse - in the modern broadcasting age.

The programme hears from those who have created and moulded the comedy - from Sir Antony Jay, who helped develop That Was The Week That Was and created Yes Minister, to John Lloyd, creator of Spitting Image, and performers like Rory Bremner.

Presenter Matthew Flinders also hears from politicians who have been the butt of satire and who have tried to fight back.