TV review: Inside John Lewis

Given recent Tory proposals for public-sector co-operatives, this three-part documentary series is a timely look at how a partnership model is working in the private sector. It is, as the voiceover intoned, “a model of moderation” – but has it helped or hindered John Lewis during the recession? Founder John Spedan Lewis believed in employee ownership as an alternative to both rampant capitalism and the perceived threat of Bolshevism. And it’s clear that the retailer is still firmly in the middle, having been an important barometer of how the suburban classes have behaved during the downturn.