People: England
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First World War in colour (1): Catastrophe
This BBC-series tries to make the First World War come alive with movies, interviews with (very) elderly survivors and historians, and extracts from letters and memoirs. In total, there are 6 episodes. All aspects of war are covered, from the battlefield in the east and west, to the land, air and see-battles. In this first…
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Shakespeare: food hoarder and taxe-dodger
The shadowy side of Britain’s well known bard’s personality may have been forgotten for a long time. Widely regarded as the greatest writer in English history, William Shakespeare is mostly know for his sonnets and plays. His historical image is that of a nice, friendly man in everyday life. But a recent study of Aberystwyth…
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Remains of Alfred the Great found?
It must have been an eerie sight for passersby as archaeologists exhumed an unmarked grave at a churchyard in Winchester on Tuesday. It is thought that the bones belong to the legendary Alfred the Great – the Anglo-Saxon king who fought off the Vikings and established the English justice system. Just over a month after…
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Churchill’s spy school
Churchill wanted to ‘set Europe ablaze’ with secret agents from the Special Operations Executive. This documentary shows how and where they were trained.
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A history of Britain (4): Nations
The true story of the movie Braveheart is told in the third episode of this superb BBC-documentary. Edward I, nicknamed Longshanks (1239-1307) for his length (1.88) dedicated his reign as monarch of England to the love of his life: The single minded pursuit of imperial power over the whole island. Edward Longshanks was the first…
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A history of Britain (2): Conquest
The Norman duke William crossed the Channel from France to England in 1066. He wanted to conquer what he thought was rightfully his: The English throne. Indeed, he could make some claims to the throne, as his adoptive father, Edward the Confessor, had no children of his own. The English nobleman Harald nonetheless took control…
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A history of Britain (6): Burning convictions
Whatever did happen to catholic England? This is the question Simon Schama tries to answer in this 6th episode of the series A history of Britain. The story starts at the beginning of the 16th century, in an age when the catholic church reigned supreme in spiritual England. But the pope’s power didn’t stop there.…