In this episode, the working lives of people in the 19th and 20th centuries are investigated. Alan uncovers the stories of the Victorian poor who found themselves living in harsh conditions at The Workhouse in Southwell – now the most complete remaining workhouse in the country. Elsewhere, Angellica Bell uncovers the contrasting environment of a Tudor-era town house that was taken over by squatters during the 1980s, while Nigel Havers explores the Back to Back terraced houses in Birmingham, where conditions were only marginally better than life in a workhouse.

• Suzannah Lipscomb
• Alan Titchmarsh