Passport to Pimlico

In post-Second World War London, an unexploded bomb detonates in Miramont Gardens, Pimlico, revealing a long-buried cellar containing artwork, coins, jewellery and an ancient manuscript. The document is authenticated by the historian Professor Hatton-Jones as a royal charter of Edward IV that cedes a house and its estates to Charles, the last Duke of Burgundy, when he sought refuge there after being presumed dead at the 1477 Battle of Nancy. As the charter had never been revoked, an area of Pimlico is declared to still be a legal part of Burgundy. Stanley Holloway plays Arthur Pemberton, a neighbourhood shopkeeper appointed as Burgundy's prime minister. The council begins discussions with the government, leading to a series of negotiations and ultimately a compromise that reunites Burgundy with Britain while reinstating rationing for food and clothing in the area.