Making history exciting has always been a difficult task, it is by its very definition a relic of the past and as such has often been presented as such. To take a subject which until now has been presented as a series of dates and names, battles and marriages and make it exciting, is no mean feat. Marketing the subject to the in-crowd is easy, like any product they are already your captive audience and will always meet you half way, presenting you subject to the uninitiated and particularly the inquiring young mind, is the challenge. Peter and Dan Snow presenters of BBC's latest attempt rise to the occasion and their vehicle, Battlefield Britain, hits the target.
Although the BBC have long been the premier producers of natural history programs, it has been Channel Four who have held the high ground when it comes to history programs, especially for the younger market, Here however BBC address the balance and manage to gain a piece of that territory. Peter Snow is a familiar face on television, best known for his "swing-o-meter" on election night reports, and his natural enthusiasm for his job remains undiminished in this presentation.Dan Snow is his son and a historian by profession and he also manages to instil his own thirst for the subject into the precedings.
Much like channel fours successful series "Two Men In a Trench", the subject matter here is British battlefield history. But whereas the aforementioned was a medley of sciences, archaeology, history, storytelling and research, Battlefield Britain is purely fact based, more akin to Simon Sharma's "History of Britain" in its factual delivery. What makes this program stand head and shoulders above the rest is the use of graphical representation to bring the facts to life. To illustrate what the presenters are saying, they have a map case that when opened springs to life to show the movements of armies across the land or battlefield and the graphics are spot on. Graphics of this type are not a new idea in such a program, but whilst the likes of "Time Commanders" remains a computer game manipulated to make its point, here the visuals are much more convincing.
A 2000 years span is covered by the series starting with Boudicca's revolt against the Roman occupation, The Battle of Hastings, Owen Glendowers bid for an independent Wales in the early fifteenth century and The Spanish Armada. The more modern battles of Naseby, Boyne and Culloden cover the complex political machinations of England, Ireland and Scotland and the series is brought bang up to date with coverage of the Battle of Britain. The battles and struggles chosen are all ones that have a fairly complex development and the conflicts themselves could have gone either way. Alongside the graphics mentioned above, re-enactments and imagined personal accounts help set the scenes, but it is the ability of the presenters to communicate the subject as well as their enthusiasm for it that ultimately make the show a success.
Like any attempt to make the subject come alive, it could be argued that two many cinematic tricks are attempted and some of the direction of the program, "walk, talk, turn head, shot change, deliver final dramatic last line" as I saw it described. An whilst this does contain not only a large helping of cheese, but does seem to have more in common with Chris Morris and his spoof Brass Eye productions, it does add a much needed glamour and gloss to the show. And if the only criticism is along the lines of production and presentation style, then in terms of presenting the subject matter to the audience they seem to have succeeded in the highest of terms. The show does have that much needed excitement that often is missing in documentaries and whilst the purist may scoff at its pop culture style, its exactly that style that will draw new minds to the once dusty realms of our past. Heres to further series, or if not,constant re-runs on Sky.
A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES
In response to some comments given I have added a few facts and figures below. I watched this program straight off of the TV, but each episode is available to buy in its own right. The cheapest I found was £7.25 including postage from DVD Popcorn rising up to over £12.00 at HMV, so its best to shop around. There is an interesting set of links on the BBC website at
and from here at sorts of facts, articles and even games, relating to the subject matter can be accessed. There is also a book relating to the series going for £11.89 on Amazon and even cheaper if you dont mind having a pre-owned copy.
More details
How good are the presenters?
Soundtrack
Value for Money
Good
What format are you reviewing?
Film only
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
