History of Britain

'History of Britain' with Simon Schama is testament to what the BBC can come up with if they try. As someone who was never particularly fascinated with history, and never did well at it in school, I was amazed to find myself religiously tuning in. This documentary charters the history of Britain up to current day, covering the most 'important' aspects and covering them in very 'living' detail. It's not just facts and dates - but little anecdotes, strange bits of information about people that make them 3-dimensional characters rather than portraits in books. This is the TV version of a coffee-table book. At times I feel it is a little too ...  Read the complete review

History is dull…. we have all sat at school and endured ceaseless droning upon fascinating topics such as ‘Dynamic Innovations in farming machinery of the 17th Century’ or ‘Taxes in the Middle ages’ - OK, maybe I exaggerate slightly, but you get the idea. The BBC produced a new Documentary, this time retelling the history of Britain, largely revolving round the history of the rulers of England and their exploits. Following on the heels of programmes such as the marvelous ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’, the BBC would really have to pull out all the special effects stops to make it interesting. But not a special effect ...  Read the complete review

Simon Schama's "History of Britain" is one of the best historical documentaries I have ever seen. So far we have only seen three out of the 16 episodes but if it carries on in the way it has begun we are in for a real treat right up to Christmas. Basically the series charts the major turning points and significant events in English (and I guess British) history. The first episode began with the first settlement on the Orkney's and took us through Roman Britain. The second episode looked at Anglo Saxon Britain and the battle of Hastings. And then last week we saw the reign of Henry 2nd and his sons, Richard and John, complete with the murder of ...  Read the complete review

The BBC has always been good at producing documentaries and The History Of Britain by Simon Schama on BBC2 on Wednesdays is no exception. Good old Aunty Beeb has shown the good sense to repeat each episode the following Sunday on BBC1 but unfortunately quite late at night. Those of us who, like me, thought of history as a waste of time with all those kings and queens and dates, would have been pleasantly surprised by this programme. The commentary brought the past to life like no book could ever do. Suddenly the history of Britain became interesting and I for one was glued to every single frame and every single word. Even if history ...  Read the complete review

This series sets out to tell the story of British History in sixteen parts (8 now and 8 in the spring). In the first part it whipped through from pre-Roman times up until the foundation of the Saxon state, but that episode was really a bit of a taster. The real story in the program begins (as some would say Modern English History begins) with the Norman Conquest. This is one of those programs that becomes an instant classic, and it is not hard to understand why: Schama, the narrator, is teaching history how it is meant to be taught: facts, battles, heroes andd villains. Rather than the instant-revisionism, so popular on most TV history in this country, he comes ...  Read the complete review