BBC To Produce Margaret Thatcher Documentary

According to Variety, BBC has ordered a landmark documentary series on the iconic and divisive former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. "Thatcher," a five-hour look at the politician known as the "Iron Lady," will be produced by BBC Two.

The series will tell the story of how a young girl from a modest English market town, who trained as a chemist, became a world leader. Thatcher served as premier from 1979 to 1990, and died in 2013.

The documentary, consisting of five hour-long installments, will provide a social history of modern Britain. British pubcaster the BBC promises "a front-row seat as Thatcher rides the tumultuous tides of public support through three election victories, as the nation yo-yos and divides itself between soaring adulation and violent unrest."

The documentary series will also examine the legacy of a Conservative politician often voted as both Britain's best and worst post-war leader. "Thatcher" will weave archival footage with interviews with the politicians, friends, and adversaries who knew her.

"Whether we love it or hate it, we all live in a world created by Margaret Thatcher," said Aysha Rafaele, creative director of BBC Studios' documentary unit. "This new BBC Two series will explore how the ideology that she espoused and embodied came to be the defining narrative of the last 40 years."