Documentary films have reflected attitudes and driven changes in British society for a century.
The origins of British documentary can be traced even further back, through early photography and nineteenth century print journalism to the graphic cartoons of the eighteenth century.
As a distinct movie genre British documentary emerged around 1906. From this point on
documentary films quickly established a theme. The theme focused on the culture of British working life and particularly the working classes. A classic of this genre is Grierson’s The Drifters.