Audio slideshow: The Brighton bomb

On 12 October 1984 - at the Grand Hotel in Brighton - the IRA tried to blow up Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet during the Conservative Party conference. Five people died and 34 were injured.

The author of the House of Cards political thrillers and former Conservative advisor Michael Dobbs was there.

In a programme for BBC Radio 4, he argues that the bomb has radically changed British politics, hiding politicians behind security barriers. Here - with the help of archive recordings from the time - he returns to Brighton.

"Brighton: The Bomb that Changed Politics" can be heard on BBC Radio 4, at 2002 BST on Monday 12 October 2009.
The programme will be available for 7 days on the BBC iPlayer.

Images courtesy PA, Getty Images and De Vere Hotels.
Slideshow production by Paul Kerley. Publication date 9 October 2009.

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