A former economic adviser to Margaret Thatcher features in a film about the so-called wealth gap which is set to hit the cinemas.

The Divide is inspired by the best-selling book The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, the producers said.

Director Katharine Round said: “When it comes to income and wealth inequality we are confronted with shocking statistics on a regular basis, but yet it seems we still we aren’t connected to what they really mean. The Divide has a simple premise: 7 people at different positions in the income spectrum across the USA and UK, their intertwining stories revealing how every aspect of their lives are affected by gross income inequality.”

The Divide features commentators including former economic adviser to Margaret Thatcher, Sir Alan Budd, historian Sir Max Hastings, economist Ha-Joon Chang, Noam Chomsky and epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot.

Producers said that their film weaves together news archive material from 1979 to the present day, as well as the stories of the individuals featured.

The documentary, made by Dartmouth Films in association with Literally Film, will be in UK cinemas from 22 April.

Ms Round said: “The Divide is about seeing, and feeling, how very personal psychological levers are pulled in all of us by the dramatic shifts of income and wealth occurring under our noses.”

Executive Producer Christopher Hird said: “With opinion polls showing that over 80% of the population think that inequality is an important issue, Katharine Round’s film could not be more timely. Without graphs and without didactic narration, the film shows the social, economic and psychological realities of living in an unequal world.”