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In the introduction to his new book, The Economist journalist and author, Joel Budd describes himself as middle class by every conceivable measure.

He goes on, "I am interested in white working-class Britons not because I want to understand myself but because I want to understand Britain. I cannot see how anybody, from any class or ethnic group, can claim knowledge of the country if they overlook three in ten of its inhabitants. And if that is not enough reason, consider that important decisions affecting everybody in Britain are taken with white working-class people primarily in mind."

No large group of people in Britain is as badly misunderstood as the white working class. Its members have been caricatured as grumpy and backward-looking, as incorrigibly xenophobic, even racist – a tired and simplistic narrative perpetuated by commentators and the media. The truth is entirely different.

Thirty years ago, almost nobody talked about the white working class - in the House of Commons and the House of Lords the term had been used just three times in the previous two decades. Brexit helped to turn the group into a towering social and political force. But, in the aftermath, one-third of the population has been reduced to a cartoon. 

Underdogs explores the myths around the stereotype and visits some of the places where Britain’s white working class live. From heartland towns such as Rhymney in South Wales to the idiosyncratic enclave of Theftord in Norfolk, Joel Budd meets people who although they vary in age and income, are proudly working class. Along the way the subculture of car modification and the decline of the armed robber (due to changes in workplace conditions) are both analysed and celebrated.

Music : Opening song – Oi Oi by Franko Fraize, closing song – Underdogs by Franko Fraize

Written by Joel Budd
Read by Daniel Weyman
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
The Waters Company for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4