Last Monday, BBC repeated Sir Diarmaid MacCullogh‘s excellent documentary Henry VIII’s Enforcer: The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell, from 2013. Please watch it soon as you can it is only available until mid-January. Actually, excellent is rather an understatement as it is better than others you may see. In telling Cromwell‘s story from “the… Continue reading MacCullogh on Cromwell
Tag: BBC4
In its true colours – Mysteries of the Bayeux Tapestry
This enthralling BBC Four documentary describes the story of the artwork that is actually a seventy metre embroidery on a woollen surface. It was mostly filmed at the Bayeux Museum, where the artwork is displayed in temperature and humidity controlled conditions. The presenters pointed out that the “Tapestry”, obviously dedicated to Odo Bishop of Bayeux,… Continue reading In its true colours – Mysteries of the Bayeux Tapestry
A winter walk that ends at Middleham….
“….In tonight’s episode, Kate Bottley, a part-time Church of England priest from Sheffield, will take a historic hike through the ruins and snow-covered landscape of Wensleydale and Coverdale. As she sets off on her winter walk, the sun rises over the ruins of Jervaulx Abbey and with just a 360-degree camera in her hand, Kate walks along the banks… Continue reading A winter walk that ends at Middleham….
Model Railways and Britain from Above….
On the BBC news channel recently there was an item about Pete Waterman (of Stock Aitkin and Waterman fame) and his beloved model railway, which is spectacular and will feature in an upcoming showing of Timeshift on BBC 4. The episode in question is in Series 12, episode 7 of 10, entitled “The… Continue reading Model Railways and Britain from Above….
The Rise of the Clans
Neil Oliver‘s latest history series has been shown through December on Monday evenings (BBC1 Scotland) and twenty-four hours later on BBC4. The first part, of three, showed how the power vacuum caused by the sudden deaths of Alexander III and his granddaughter was resolved through the clan system and John Balliol’s abdication so that alliances… Continue reading The Rise of the Clans
Lucy Worsley’s Fireworks for a Tudor Queen ….
Lucy Worsley can always been relied upon t)o be entertaining, and her latest documentary – BBC – Lucy Worsley’s Fireworks for a Tudor Queen (2018 – is well up to standard. As the title suggests, she was going to reproduce the sort of amazing fireworks display that might have been created for Elizabeth I. In… Continue reading Lucy Worsley’s Fireworks for a Tudor Queen ….
A visual and literary appreciation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by Simon Armitage….
Most people, even if they haven’t read/tried to read, the ancient British poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, will at least know the opening scene. It’s Christmas at Camelot, and King Arthur and his knights are enjoying themselves, feasting and celebrating, when into the hall rides a huge knight who carries a sprig of holly.… Continue reading A visual and literary appreciation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by Simon Armitage….
The Black Prince’s jupon recreated….
The BBC is renowned for its amazing documentaries, and one of the latest series is titled A Stitch in Time, in which fashionable clothes from the past are recreated by modern crafts. The episode that really interested me was the one about the Black Prince’s jupon, i.e. the tight-fitting, brightly-coloured tunic he wore over his… Continue reading The Black Prince’s jupon recreated….
Art, Passion and Power: The Story of the Royal Collection
Andrew Graham-Dixon has been on our screens for almost a quarter of a century; – he is tall, slightly grey, drawls a little and is an excellent art historian. His latest series tells the story of the Royal art collection – from Henry VIII and Holbein, Charles I and van Dyck, the Protectorate selling the… Continue reading Art, Passion and Power: The Story of the Royal Collection
Invasions
I have watched Dr. Sam Willis on several occasions and regularly enjoy his programmes, particularly his artillery series. With the prematurely grey beard, he is usually much more informative than Dan Jones, who is of a similar age. However, part two of his Invasions fell below this standard. It featured a lot of black and… Continue reading Invasions
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