THE Herald and STV are to join forces to co-produce a three-part series charting the history and development of the independence issue in Scotland, it was announced last night.

Road to the Referendum will comprise three one-hour episodes that delve into the news archives of The Herald and STV and set out to use anecdotes, insight and humour to examine changes in Scottish opinion from the Second World War to the present day, as the country prepares to vote on independence two years from now.

The series is scheduled to air next spring and will include interviews with current and former politicians, as well as civil servants, party activists and a variety of Scottish opinion formers.

Herald & Times Group managing director Tim Blott said: "Road to the Referendum promises to make a significant contribution to Scotland's understanding of the background and rationale behind the most significant decision facing the nation for 300 years.

"This production partnership between two of Scotland's leading media companies allows us to harness an unrivalled range of archive resources and journalistic talent for Scotland's newspaper and online readers and television viewers."

Alan Clements, director of content for STV, said: "STV is well positioned to provide a platform for the debate on Scottish independence, and this series will be a journey through Scotland's historical, social and cultural highlights from the past seven decades.

"Road to the Referendum will draw on an incredible archive of footage, images and interviews to provide a historical look at the question of independence. We aim to do for politics what The Football Years did for our national sport – explore it in a way that attracts a mass audience as well as the enthusiasts."

In April 1945, a by-election win in Motherwell made Robert McIntyre the first SNP MP. In the following decade Labour came up with various Home Rule plans, and yet at the 1955 General Election the Conservatives won 50.1% of the vote – the only time since then that a party has recorded a majority of the popular vote.

The first programme will analyse this period, running through to 1979. The second programme will take in the Thatcher years from 1979 to the election of the Blair Government and the creation of the devolved Scottish Parliament.

The final programme will look at the Holyrood years and the shape of the Scottish political landscape through to the planned referendum in autumn 2014.

Herald & Times Group managing editor Tom Thomson said the co-production would produce a landmark print, web and television series.