However, series four was always going to hold a certain fascination for me personally. Covering the period from 1979 to 1990, it spans the time Margaret Thatcher entered No 10 to the tearful day she left. So there are plenty of things you can say to show she wasn’t a feminist, but I think if you look at her as an example of female power, it’s hard to deny her achievement. But it’s true that her mission, as she saw it, was to modernise Britain. That meant taking on the establishment, the country and the opposition within her own Cabinet. The Queen, by contrast, seeks to preserve an institution which embodies the status quo. She added: “This government is rotten to its core. We need to know how wide this goes and how much government business is being conducted in secret.” I think her kind of individualistic model – although in some ways in opposition with a left-wing view of feminism – was also a celebration of the power of individuals to cut through and make a difference in the world.

After leaving Number 10, she strove to change the culture and working practices of the Treasury, and reformed the public expenditure system and public services I didn’t mention I didn’t agree with the change she was making, because I didn’t agree with her politics! But I really did think the civil service needed shaking up. We agreed on that. I think she thought ‘Yes, this is somebody who wants to move mountains, like me’, so she took me on.” It's hugely interesting on feminism and women in power and the impossible standards men (and other women) hold women to. Definitely worth a read! Stella Duffy, co-founder Women's Equality Party Mrs Thatcher wasn’t good at networking, she says, “and I don’t think Theresa May is either. Certainly Margaret Thatcher became a bit bunkered at the end; and I think they like to keep things to themselves – some people might call it the ‘control freak’ element – which, in the particular circumstances we face, it’s not a good set of qualities. Caroline has over thirty years experience, including working at the highest levels in Government and the wider public and voluntary sectors.

Caroline can work up here – as can John, who threw himself into crime-writing after leaving the civil service.

Second, it’s not just about money, it’s also about recognising the rich resources that may already exist, many of which may be non-financial, and also giving communities a real say over what happens in their community and about where any new investment goes.I love the wildness,” she says. “There aren’t many places within easy reach of London where you can walk for miles without having to go on a road. Nevertheless, when names were put forward in 1989 for the private secretary job, she found herself among them – and then going to meet the Prime Minister as the likely successful candidate.