This Night Waves special explores ‘kitchen sink realism’, the cultural movement which gave urgent, vivid expression to the reality of post-war Britain. Samira Ahmed is joined by celebrated film maker Ken Loach, film historian Melanie Williams and theatre critic Michael Billington to discuss the aims and achievements of the movement. Composer Neil brand performs live, illustrating a brief history of how music is used in ‘kitchen sink’ films. And art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston explains the how the term was originally coined to describe the work of painters such as John Bratby.