At the start of Europe: Them or Us (12 April) Nick Robinson stood on the white cliffs of Dover and reminded us that we are separated from the continent by geography and history. It was a pity to start with a pair of clichés, verbal and visual, but he recovered to produce a thorough and interesting programme.

The “1,000 years of history” that supposedly make us exceptional were frequently evoked here. But Robinson’s focus was on the mere 70 years in which we have been involved with Europe’s political and economic institutions.

There were some fascinating interviews with politicians and civil servants, British and foreign. Thanks to the existence of an archive assembled for a much earlier programme, we also had contributions from Edward Heath, Enoch Powell, Tony Benn and many more.

The story started in wartime, with Winston Churchill’s desperate plan to create a union of Britain and France in the days before the Germans took Paris. It did not happen. Our Cabinet balked at the idea of a single currency, and then events overtook the idea.