Michael
Wood The Great British Story: A People’s History
“Taking
a look at the history of the
British Isles through the eyes of
the ordinary people, Michael Wood
The Great British Story: A People’s
History is a fascinating eight-part
documentary currently showing on
BBC2 that digs deep into the past
to uncover who we really are and the
journey we took to become British...”
FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS CAME A GREAT EMPIRE; and that Empire reached to the
far corners of the world. But who were the people who became Britons and where
did they come from?
Michael Wood The Great British Story: A People's History takes a fascinating
look at history through the eyes of the people of Britain — both locally
and nationally. Setting the lives of the ordinary people into the context of
landmark events from the Viking invasion and the Norman Conquest through to
the Industrial Revolution and two World Wars, Michael's wonderful documentary
demonstrates how the people of Britain are united by history.
“Magnificently
presented; a wonderfully
entertaining and
informative documentary
that explains the
background to
making us British...”
The
events unfold as diverse communities such as the real-life EastEnders of Stratford
East and the Barbudans of Leicester tell their stories, with the greatest of
all slave archives and stories from the DNA of the Wirral Vikings.
It is a story of struggle and war; of great achievements by a tiny island off
the coast of Europe. Learn about how the Romans, who loved Britain, first named
and defined us; and how our small island has such an enormous presence in history.
Using the extraordinary energy and interest of local people across the UK and
the incredible resources of local archives, museums, societies and universities
up and down the land, the series will uncover Britain's past and chart the many
roads by which the people of Britain arrived at their present.
Michael delivers a grand, sweeping chronological narrative. Visiting key places
in history, we hear from the silk weavers of Sudbury to the women chain-makers
of Halesowen; see an amazing, carved sarcophagus in Govan Church; an Iron Age
hill fort; and 7th Century churches.
We discover the large military town of Caerleon in South Wales, with its Roman
legionary fortress; Arbeia, the fort of the Arabs; learn more about the presence
of the Moors in Britain; how Rome's fall to the Visigoths affected Britain;
and how our land got its cultural, linguistic and political identities.
Exciting finds help us piece together the history of our fantastic land. The
dig at Long Melford in Suffolk, a town with a deep-rooted history, sees ordinary
people acting as archaeologists and discovering their own history.
We take a look at the ancestors of the English — the immigrants from Jutland,
Denmark and Germany who were the Anglo Saxons, bringing a new culture and a
new language to Britain. And learn of the impact of environmental problems,
famine and plague on the population during the 6th Century, during which time
St Columba was converting our Pictish ancestors.
Michael looks at some unique early books such as one by the 8th Century Anglo
Saxon monk and teacher Bede's An Ecclesiastical History Of The English People,
circa 737 and The Book Of Deer, which is the oldest book in mainland
Scotland. He also looks at the search to find a lost Dark Age monastery.
Today we are a multi-cultural nation that enjoys anniversaries and celebrations
and ours is an extraordinary story with over 1,500 years of a history that gives
meaning and value to our present.
The original Welsh, Scottish, Irish and English have been joined by Anglo Saxons
and Vikings; the present-day Caribbean peoples, Africans, and Indians. From
Merseyside to Skye, from the Black Country to Cardiff and beyond; A Great
British Story: The People's History looks at the true Britain with the help
of experts including Dr Jonathan Williams of The British Museum, Professor Stephen
Driscoll and Dr Katherine Forsyth of Glasgow University and Archaeologist Alex
Groom.
Join Michael Wood on this compelling journey as he meets the people of Britain,
past and present, to deliver a Who Do You Think You Are for the nation in the
21st Century. Magnificently presented; a wonderfully entertaining and informative
documentary that explains the background to making us British.
Written and Presented by Michael Wood; Theme Music Played by the Band of HM
Royal Marines; Executive Producer for the BBC is Cassian Harrison; and Series
Producer is Rebecca Dobbs.
Currently showing on BBC2 and presented by the loveable historian and broadcaster
Michael Wood, the fantastic eight-part documentary Michael Wood The Great
British Story: A People's History comes to DVD courtesy of Acorn Media on
1 October 2012. Running Time: 480 Minutes on 3 Discs | RRP: £25.99 | Catalogue
Number: AV3073. Special Features include: Michael Wood Biography | Picture Gallery.
"Magnificently presented; a wonderfully entertaining and informative documentary
that explains the background to making us British"— Maggie Woods,
MotorBar
"Beautifully filmed and a bit sentimental, but also hugely informative" —
Radio Times
"It's great: an engaging show about who we are and where we are" — The
Guardian
“Taking
a look at the history of the