John Hamer taught history in a boys' grammar school and subsequently a sixth form college in Sussex from 1960-83, when he was appointed Her Majesty's Inspector for History. He left HMI in 1997 to become the first education policy adviser to the Heritage Lottery Fund. He reviews his early career, in particular his examination work and preparation for the introduction of GCSE in the late 1980s. He discusses the structure of HMI before Ofsted and the working practices of the history inspectors. He discusses his role at the time of the first National Curriculum and reviews its impact on history teaching, as well as the impact of Ofsted since the early 1990s. He concludes by talking about his work in international history education. Interviewed by Nicola Sheldon.