Now, with the year coming to a close, Yesterday explores the Spirit Of 1940 for the last time, with an exclusive, five-episode series that investigates what it was like to live in war-torn Britain.

International model Jodie Kidd and former Olympic tennis player Andrew Castle are joining TV chef Valentine Warner, to explore how the spirit of 1940s rationing affected all areas of British life during World War II.

Ration Book Britain will also hear first-hand wartime memories and tales of resilience and ingenuity, during what was a period of frugality.

Jodie will explore how women on the home front had to make do and mend when it came to furnishings and fashion, while being expected to look their best at all times to help boost morale.

Under the guidance of an expert, she will learn how to apply make-up 1940s style, using cherry juice for blusher, beetroot for lipstick and tea bags, as an alternative to stockings for when supplies ran low.

She will also look at how the nation managed to remain house proud as the bombs continued to fall and furniture became more difficult to find. Delving into the past, Jodie will visit the Geoffrye Museum in London’s East End, where she will learn what it was like for newlyweds to build a home during this challenging time.

Former professional tennis player turned TV presenter, Andrew Castle, will tell the unlikely story of how sport played an essential role in the war effort, by maintaining morale, keeping people fit and entertaining both the armed forces and civilians.

He will go on to meet medal winners from the 1948 Olympics, who triumphed over adversity when the games were staged in war-ravaged Britain. Andrew will also travel to Herne Hill Velodrome to meet former Olympic champion Tommy Godwin. Here, he will go back in time as he takes to the track on Tommy’s trusted bicycle, the same one he rode to victory more than 60 years ago.

Following a successful one-off episode earlier this year, TV chef Valentine Warner will return to present two programmes in this new and exclusive Ration Book Britain series.

The first will see him using his culinary skills to examine how rationing affected those fighting on the front line. Using ingredients only available at the time, he will re-create important wartime recipes, and await the verdict from a taster panel of Chelsea pensioners.

In the second programme, he will explore how a typical wartime Christmas was celebrated on a shoestring budget, and how food rationing gave rise to some surprisingly inventive festive cooking.