Through many decades of groundbreaking journalism, John Simpson now turns his eye to how Great Britain has been transformed by its free press down the years. He shows how, while the press likes to pretend it's independent, they have enjoyed the power they have over the events they report and have at times exercised it irresponsibly.

In this self-analysis some searching questions are asked, including whether the press can ever be truly free and whether we would desire it to be so.