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Director Sir Christopher Nolan and cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling conclude their exploration of the Adland Five - five British filmmakers who stormed Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s, after reshaping the world of television advertising.

Hugh Hudson, Adrian Lyne, Alan Parker, Ridley and Tony Scott brought a fresh approach to filmmaking, rooted in an ability to distill complex ideas into simple, impactful narratives. By the mid-1980s they were firmly ensconced in Hollywood, making some of the biggest box office hits of the era.

This episode turns to Tony Scott – the last of the group to break through, but the one who delivered the most spectacular box office success. Top Gun, Tony’s second feature after the cult vampire tale The Hunger, became the defining blockbuster of 1986, pairing cutting-edge aerial spectacle with Reagan-era visions of military might. Hand-picked for the project by producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the strength of a Saab commercial – a car racing a fighter jet – Scott translated advertising bravura into pure Hollywood spectacle.

But if Top Gun represented Hollywood triumph, Hugh Hudson’s path after Chariots of Fire proved more troubled. His lavish Greystoke was dogged by production difficulties, and his next project, the American Revolutionary War drama Revolution starring Al Pacino, was met with critical hostility.

Christopher Nolan reflects on these diverging fortunes, and the wider impact of the Adland Five – five British directors who changed the pace, look and feel of modern cinema.

Producer - Jane Long
Executive Producer - Freya Hellier
Additional research - Edward Charles, Heather Dempsey and Queenie Qureshi-Wales
Sound mix - Jon Calver
A Prospect Street production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4