Â鶹ԼÅÄ

It's 170 years since William Makepeace Thackeray wrote his gazetteer of early Victorian social life, The Book of Snobs. Most of our views on snobbery come from this single text. Now, writer DJ Taylor wants to update this user's guide to the snob for the 21st century. He is joined in his search for the modern snob by snobs and snob observers from all walks of life, as well as by voices from the archive.

From the Raj to reality TV, from Westminster to the gentlemen's outfitters of Savile Row, Taylor argues that, at bottom, most of us are snobs and that snobbery is an essential part of the face we offer to the world.

Comedian Al Murray explores the role of snobbery as a comedic device, from Fawlty Towers to his own Pub Landlord. Jess Phillips MP reveals the snobberies of Parliament - and says we would all benefit if the Palace of Westminster was mothballed and replaced with a more up-to-date institution. And, with broadcaster and self-professed beer snob Hardeep Singh Kohli, Taylor asks why more and more people are using snobbery as a marker of identity, a badge of pride.

Produced by Hannah Marshall
A Loftus Media production for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4.