Almost all of us have a hobby horse we like to ride into battle against Political Correctness, and yet the PC phenomenon just seems to keep on growing, touching every facet of our lives from our pleasures to our politics.

Why? Could it be that this much derided scourge of the modern world contains a germ of goodness? Edward Stourton finds examples in all walks of life – and explodes a few myths along the way. His witty and thought-provoking manoeuvres through the pros and cons of PC are both entertaining and at times unexpectedly disturbing.