It was the biggest, grittiest, most foul-mouthed sitcom of its day.   

The Secrets and Scandals of Steptoe and Son delivers revelations about a Labour Leader asking the BBC for a big big favour and a descent into alcoholism that almost tore apart the biggest sitcom in Britain.      

The documentary also uncovers some remarkable truths about the arrest of Wilfred Brambell for “importuning persistently for immoral purposes” and reveals details of the behaviour of both Brambell and the Vice Squad that led to his arrest.  And the extraordinary way that the BBC decided to tackle one of its biggest stars being arrested in a men’s toilet.