Jonathan Meades

Franco Building with Jonathan Meades

Writer and broadcaster Jonathan Meades turns his gaze onto Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.

Ben Building: Mussolini, Monuments and Modernism

Having previously investigated the architecture of Hitler and Stalin's regimes, Jonathan Meades turns his attention to another notorious 20th-century European dictator, Mussolini. His travels take him to Rome, Milan, Genoa, the new town of Sabaudia and the vast military memorials of Redipuglia and Monte Grappa. When it comes to the buildings of the fascist era, Meades discovers a dictator who couldn't dictate, with Mussolini caught between the contending forces of modernism and a revivalism that harked back to ancient Rome. The result was a variety of styles that still influence architecture today. Along the way, Meades ponders on the nature of fascism, the influence of the Futurists, and Mussolini's love of a fancy uniform.

Joe Building: The Stalin Memorial Lecture

Jonathan Meades examines the cult of Stalinism through its buildings and monuments.

Surrealissimo: The Trial of Salvador Dali

A comic drama about the weird and wonderful world of Salvador Dali and the Surrealists. This film charts Dali's meteoric rise from obscurity to the world's most publicised artist.

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A surreal film about surrealism.

Jerry Building: Unholy Relics of Nazi Germany

Jonathan Meades explores the architecture of Nazi Germany, from its holiday camps to its concentration camps.