Saltaire will feature in a television series which provides an insight into the British character through the landscape of its buildings.

David Dimbleby is exploring the buildings that define the nation during the six-part series How We Built Britain, which got underway on BBC1 last night.

In the fifth programme, he will journey north to the powerhouse of Queen Victoria's Britain, where passion for progress brought a wealthy lifestyle to some - but a harsh and often short life for the factory workers who helped create it.

The programme, The North - Full Steam Ahead, will explore how Sir Titus Salt created a community for his workers because he was so appalled by living conditions in Bradford.

The programme, to be broadcast at 9pm on Sunday, July 8, will show how Saltaire had a factory with smoke filters, a church, school and village hall.

Robin Silver, of Salts Mill, said the mill and Saltaire had made contributions to the history of Bradford and Britain.

He said: "In the year 2000 it was nationally recognised as being a landmark in industrial development not just in the UK but, as Britain had the first Industrial Revolution, also across the world." The Royal Institute of British Architects is partnering the BBC by running a debate in West Yorkshire to complement the ongoing series.

The debate, Building Britain - Bradford and Leeds, A Tale of Two Cities, will give the public a chance to give their views on the state of building in both Bradford and Leeds.

The event, at The Venue, Leeds College, at 6pm on Thursday, June 21, will have experts facing questions from the audience.

Maud Marshall, chief executive of Bradford Centre Regeneration, will field questions on current and future developments in Bradford.

The debate will also coincide with Architecture Week which starts on June 15. To celebrate Architecture Week, there will be a series of BBC1 television essays on Building Britain.

In West Yorkshire, designer Linda Barker will examine the approaches to regeneration by Bradford and Leeds. People interested in attending should e-mail riba.yorkshire@inst.riba. org or call (0113) 2378480.