Were You Still up For Portillo

The 1997 election not only produced a historic result, it also generated enough incident to fill five nights of television rather than one. This text tracks the drama from the close of the polls at 10.00pm to the last recount the next day, stopping at Edgbaston and Edinburgh, Basildon and Brighton, Tatton and Torbay, Harrogate, Chelsea, Winchester and many more. It recaptures the mood of the night, observing the breaking of Portillo, Rifkind, Lamont and Mellor, the making of Twigg, Stuart, Follett and Bradshaw and the marathon on-screen labours of Snow, Brunson, Paxman and the Dimblebys.