Anthony Sampson’s Anatomy of Britain in 1962 was a success with many follow-ups until Who Runs This Place? The Anatomy of Britain in the 21st Century in 2004; last in the series as Samson died that year.
Peter Fleming (journalist, soldier, travel writer and brother of Ian) commissioned Jan Struther to write a regular column for The Times about “an ordinary sort of woman who leads an ordinary sort of life”.