Choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the endless

searching is a nightmare we want to help you on our brand new podcast off the

telly we share what we've been watching

Cladie Aide.

Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming.

Lovely. Off the telly with me Joanna Paige.

And me, Natalie Cassidy, so your evenings can be a little less searching

and a lot more watching. Listen on BBC Sounds.

Hello and thanks for downloading the Witness Podcast from the BBC World Service with me

Susan Hume. Today we're going back to 1998 when the British Parliament at

Westminster heard that a thousand years of history was about to come to an end.

The state opening of Parliament when from her throne in the House of Lords the Queen traditionally

announces the government's plans for the year ahead. But in 1998 it was a very

untraditional speech, one which heralded the end of the ancient privileges of the aristocracy

to sit and vote in the UK Second Legislative Chamber as a right of birth.

A bill will be introduced to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House

of Lords.

It will be the first stage in a process of reform.

Since medieval times, the House of Lords

an unelected collection of British aristocrats had held huge political power.

Over the centuries, the elected House of Commons became the stronger of the two Houses of Parliament.

In more modern times, the House of Lords included political appointees, so-called life peers.

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