A 90 min documentary film presented by Jools Holland, Lucy Worsley and Len Goodman celebrating the big band sound and uncovering the social history behind the music that kept the nation’s spirits up through the Second World War.

Blackpool was one of the few resorts that remained open during the war, training troops by day and offered a welcome escape from the horrors of war.

The programme features extracts from a specially recorded BBC4 concert given by Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra at the Empress Ballroom, Blackpool.