The Great British Dream Factory cover art

The Great British Dream Factory

The Strange History of Our National Imagination

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The Great British Dream Factory

By: Dominic Sandbrook
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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About this listen

Britain's empire has gone. Our manufacturing base is a shadow of its former self; the Royal Navy has been reduced to a skeleton. In military, diplomatic and economic terms, we no longer matter as we once did. And yet there is still one area in which we can legitimately claim superpower status: our popular culture.

It is extraordinary to think that one British writer, J. K. Rowling, has sold more than 400 million books; that Doctor Who is watched in almost every developed country in the world; that James Bond has been the central character in the longest-running film series in history; that The Lord of the Rings is the second best-selling novel ever written (behind only A Tale of Two Cities); that the Beatles are still the best-selling musical group of all time; and that only Shakespeare and the Bible have sold more books than Agatha Christie.

To put it simply, no country on Earth, relative to its size, has contributed more to the modern imagination. This is a book about the success and the meaning of Britain's modern popular culture, from Bond and the Beatles to heavy metal and Coronation Street, from the Angry Young Men to Harry Potter, from Damien Hirst to The X Factor.

©2016 Dominic Sandbrook (P)2016 Audible, Ltd 20th Century Art Europe Great Britain Modern Music Social Sciences England

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All stars
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The audible equivalent of endlessly scrolling nostalgia pages on social media… nothing insightful, nothing of any poignance, nothing that matters.

Mediocrity writ large.

An entire book of filler

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This really was a great listen. I learnt so much and asked equally as many questions. I brought in print, once finished, to read again.

My favourite read/listen of 2022

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I've loved his other books, this was ok but Sandbrook reveals himself as a bit of a stuffy Tory- his grasp of art sadly fails to match his grasp of history and some of his reactionary views - which he takes no trouble to hide- are embarrassingly narrow minded - JK Rowking and John Lennon fans you have been warned

The mask slips

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On starting this book I thought that there would be some kind of thesis, or some temporal or thematic limit on the books, films, theatre, music and art that would allow Mr Sandbrook to make his point, or cover his allotted subject material. There was neither. So, as enjoyable a canter through 19th, 20th and 21st century British art, music, literature, film, TV and theatre as this was, any listener is bound to be disappointed that their favourites were glossed over or missed out. In my case, I thought the glancing references to C.S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, Douglas Adams, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the entire punk era were omissions. But the truth is, trying to encapsulate all of British art over 200 years or more was an impossible task that was only ever going to be one person’s view of a vast landscape. Thesis, there was none! But the reader, with his exceptional grasp of accents, was quite excellent.

An impossible task

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Well narrated, held interest until the end .Learned some interesting facts about people who have shaped British culture

Interesting book

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After hearing his books revolving around politics in the 1970's, I was really looking forward to this. However, although it was ok, it didn't match the enjoyment and interest of the other two. Fewer laughs too I felt. Perhaps concentrating greatly on a small number of authors, musicians, etc in each chapter, some of which I weren't really familiar with and didn't enjoy if I did, was what made it harder work to complete. Superbly narrated even though the content didn't allow the range of impressions but he's so good at, to be displayed.

Absorbing in parts, so so in others.

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I have read most of his UK recent history books and found them all entertaining; this one was less so. Too much made of recounting content of popular literature rather than providing insight; lazy writing/researching/journalism in my opinion. That said, his style is easy to listen too. This one is just not one of his best.

Not one of Sandbrooks best

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Not as thrilling and in depth as Sandbrook history books, but a n interesting listen nonetheless

very nice

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Excellent run through of British pop culture, mostly focusing on the sixties and seventies. Each chapter explains the context behind every cultural phenomenon, from the popularity of Catherine Cookson to the rise of Elton John. My only quibble is that the character assassination of John Lennon is a bit over the top and glosses over the quality of Lennon's songwriting - though it's still interesting simply for being a fresh take on such a familiar figure.

Superb overview of British pop culture

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Everything in culture is connected; "Toe bone connected to the foot bone" etc...

As I was born in 1956, the cultural phenomena discussed within this audiobook resonates very strongly. It was most pleasurable to stroll thorough my own and Britain's recent cultural roots. Brilliantly narrated by David Thorpe, who renders remarkable impersonations of the myriad characters quoted, from Lennon & McCartney (of course) to Thatcher, Kinnock and my fave impersonation, a wonderful Brian Walden.

From the "angry young men" of the 50s to Billy Elliot, by way of James Bond and Flashman, doubling-back to HG Wells and Tolkien then fast-forwarding to The Buddha of Suburbia and JK Rowling, each section is a delight. I'm no huge Damian Hirst fan but found even that chapter entertaining and enlightening. The changing music scene is ever-present in the background and groundbreaking TV series such as The Prisoner also get extensive coverage, (hence my review title...).

I've put all the other Dominic Sandbrook Audible titles in my library (also read by Thorpe) and can't wait to get rattlin' Dem Bones....

"Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones"

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