David Kynaston was born in Aldershot in 1951. He has been a professional historian since 1973 and has written eighteen books, including The City of London (1994-2001), a widely acclaimed four-volume history, and WG's Birthday Party, an account of the Gentleman v. Players match at Lord's in July 1898.

He is the author of Austerity Britain 1945-51 and Family Britain 1951-57, the first two titles in a series of books covering the history of post-war Britain (1945-1979) under the collective title 'Tales of a New Jerusalem'. He is currently a visiting professor at Kingston University.

Francis Green is Professor of Work and Education Economics at the UCL Institute of Education.

He is the author of ten books and 150 papers, and is a recognised authority on the economic and social effects of private schooling in the past and present.

He also works as an occasional adviser to the European Foundation for Living and Working Conditions, the OECD and the World Bank.