1981: Life of the EXTREMELY WEALTHY | Man Alive | Classic BBC Documentary | BBC Archive

Cigars at £120 a time. £2,000 a year on hairdos. Gold-plated baths costing £5,000 each. Handkerchiefs at £10 a blow. A yacht at a quarter of a million pounds. Who is buying them? And, more intriguingly, how? Despite the worst recession since the 1930s, there still seems to be plenty of money about - in some pockets. Is it that a lucky few are simply born with a rare get-rich gene? Or is it that they have got themselves the advice of extra-sharp accountants? Can anyone get rich? Man Alive looks at the lifestyle of some big spenders. And asks how they do it. Could it be that there are really two tax systems in Great Britain and that some people are always going to have it easier than others? Following the programme, Jeremy James speaks to chartered accountant Philip Hardman about the ways that wealthy people can use the British tax system to their advantage. Jeremy James then hosts a studio discussion with author and former Conservative MP Jeffrey Archer and Labour MP Frank Fields about the growing financial inequality in Britain. What can be done about it? Indeed, should anything be done about it? Presenter: Jeremy James Reporter: Peter Bazalgette Producer: Judi Conner Editor: Tim Slessor Clip taken from Man Alive: There's Still a Lot of It About, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 5 March, 1981. 00:00 Introduction 01:37 Peter Bazalgette at the Earls Court Boat show 04:16 Godfrey Bonsack on luxury baths 06:20 Luxury designer clothes 09:03 Dunhill cigars 10:25 Millionaire Rupert Deen on the life of the idle rich 13:47 Horse breeding 16:47 Luxury properties in the North West of England 18:42 Wilmslow boutique shopping 19:23 Peter North and his Porsche 21:38 Peter Stringfellow profile 23:25 Peter Stringfellow interview 27:00 The Millionaire nightclub, Manchester 28:57 Millionaire Nightclub vox pops 31:57 Philip Hardman on UK tax relief for businesses 36:32 Jeffrey Archer and Frank Fields debate wealth 48:29 Credits You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults. Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?... You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive