


Stretching from the Stone Age to the year 2000, Simon Schama's Complete History of Britain does not pretend to be a definitive chronicle of the turbulent events which buffeted and shaped the British Isles. What Schama does do, however, is tell the story in vivid and gripping narrative terms, free of the fustiness of traditional academe, personalising key historical events by examining the major characters at the centre of them. Not all historians would approve of the history depicted here as shaped principally by the actions of great men and women rather than by more abstract developments, but Schama's way of telling it is a good deal more enthralling as a result. Schama successfully gives lie to the idea that the history of Britain has been moderate and temperate, passing down the generations as stately as a galleon, taking on board sensible ideas but steering clear of sillier, revolutionary ones. Nonsense. Schama retells British history the way it was--as bloody, convulsive, precarious, hot-blooded and several times within an inch of haring off onto an entirely different course. Schama seems almost to delight in the goriness of history. Themes returned to repeatedly include the wars between the Scots and the Irish and the Catholic/Protestant conflicts--only the Irish question remains unresolved by the new millennium. As Britain becomes a constitutional monarchy, Schama talks less of Kings and Queens but of poets and idea-makers like Orwell. Still, with his pungent, direct manner and against an evocative visual and aural backdrop, Schama makes history seem as though it happened yesterday, the bloodstains not yet dry.
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The Hundred Years’ war between England and France gave us the victories of Crecy and Agincourt, and made the reputations of Edward III and Henry V. It gave France a national heroine in Joan of Arc. But, even now, the jury is out as to its causes and outcome. Was it the final swansong of a redundant knightly class whose only reason for being was to fight? Was it a battle over ever more important territory to the emerging economies of England and France? Or was it the painful birth of two distinct national identities, forged through their long and violent divorce? Dr Janina Ramirez guides us through the stories of kings, great knights, bloody battles and cultural triumphs of this momentous conflict.

Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on British Channel 4 from 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode featured a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining the process in layman's terms. This team of specialists changed throughout the series' run, although has consistently included professional archaeologists such as Mick Aston, Carenza Lewis, Francis Pryor and Phil Harding. The sites excavated over the show's run have ranged in date from the Palaeolithic right through to the Second World War.

Lucy Worsley re-investigates some of the most dramatic chapters in British history. She uncovers forgotten witnesses, re-examines old evidence and follows new clues.

Michael Wood argues that the most important and influential British kings were a father, son and grandson who lived over a thousand years ago during the age of the Vikings.

Documentary series revealing the inner workings of Britain's railways, introducing the track-workers, train guards, drivers, police officers and management teams determined to keep the country moving.

Comedian Lenny Henry sets out on a journey to discover what makes us laugh and what role humour plays in our lives

Series looking at the British genius for woodwork over the centuries.

History series telling the glorious and gory story of the city's rise to power.

Tony Robinson goes for a walk through some of Britain's beautiful and historic landscapes.

Seven Ages of Britain is a BBC television documentary series which is written and presented by David Dimbleby. The seven part series was first aired on Sunday nights at 9:00pm on BBC One starting on 31 January 2010. The series covers the history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over the past 2000 years. Each episode covers a different period in British history. In Australia, all seven episodes aired on ABC1 each Tuesday at 8:30pm from 7 September 2010.

The enormous popularity of recent British dramas such as Downton Abbey, Mr. Selfridge, and Sherlock, has led to vast interest in the real-life stories and history of the icons of Great Britain. Each episode of this series visits a famous British building or institution to explore its past and present, meeting a wide range of experts and historians along the way.

Exploring the hidden corners of the UK in search of the best the countryside has to offer.

Dr Alice Roberts follows a year of British archaeology, joining up the results of digs and investigations the length of the country.
Documentary examining the winners and losers in Britain's booming gambling revolution.

In a unique experiment, five teachers from China take over the education of fifty teenagers in a Hampshire school to see whether the high-ranking Chinese education system can teach us a lesson.

This 2-part documentary series reveals the truth about King Edward VIII's affair with American divorcée Wallis Simpson, and the espionage operation that accompanied the investigation.

Michael Portillo celebrates the modern railway’s 200th birthday, revealing the journey that changed the world.

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

In this four-part documentary series, leading Hollywood actors undertake a fascinating journey into their family's past by re-tracing the footsteps of their grandparents during World War Two. We follow the moving, personal stories of Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Carey Mulligan as they travel to historic locations, from the beaches of Dunkirk to prisoner of war camps in Asia, to learn about the war their grandparents experienced. All of the actors have unanswered questions about the scars war left on their grandparents, and in each episode one of the actors explore how six years changed the lives of their family and the world forever while learning about the life and death decisions that their grandparents faced.

On the edge of London stands Hampton Court, one of Britain's biggest palaces and most popular tourist spots, attracting almost a million visitors every year. Spanning 750 acres of grounds, it boasts 1,300 rooms and 23 courtyards...along with a host of secrets and historic stories. This two-part special provides an exclusive and intimate look at life inside the court today for the people keeping Henry VIII's world alive in the modern age, and also explores what life was like in the palace where the private world of the Tudors began.
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7 episodes • 2000Avg: 9.6Golden Era
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beginnings (3100 BC - 1000 AD) | Sep 30, 2000 | 9.0 |
| 2 | Conquest! (1000 - 1087) | Oct 7, 2000 | 9.0 |
| 3 | Dynasty (1087 - 1216) | Oct 14, 2000 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Nations (1216 - 1348) | Oct 21, 2000 | 10.0 |
| 5 | King Death (1348 - 1500) | Oct 28, 2000 | 10.0 |
| 6 | Burning Convictions (1500 - 1558) | Nov 4, 2000 | 10.0 |
| 7 | The Body of the Queen (1558 - 1603) | Nov 11, 2000 | 10.0 |

4 episodes • 2001Avg: 7.5Valley of Despair
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The British Wars (1603 - 1649) | May 8, 2001 | 7.0 |
| 2 | Revolutions (1649 - 1689) | May 15, 2001 | 8.0 |
| 3 | Britannia Incorporated (1690 - 1750) | May 22, 2001 | 7.0 |
| 4 | The Wrong Empire (1750 - 1800) | May 29, 2001 | 8.0 |

4 episodes • 2002
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forces of Nature (1780 - 1832) | May 28, 2002 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Victoria and Her Sisters (1830 - 1910) | Jun 4, 2002 | 0.0 |
| 3 | The Empire of Good Intentions (1830 - 1925) | Jun 11, 2002 | 0.0 |
| 4 | The Two Winstons (1910 - present) | Jun 18, 2002 | 0.0 |

Simon Schama
Self — Presenter

Michael Kitchen
Reader

Lindsay Duncan
Reader