Britain's Most Historic Towns

Last updated

Britain's Most Historic Towns
Genre Documentary
Composer Jeremy Birchall
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes19
Production
Executive producerDominic Bowles
ProducerDominic Ozanne / Liam McArdle
Running time48 minutes
Production companyIWC Media
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release7 April 2018 (2018-04-07) –
19 December 2020 (2020-12-19)

Britain's Most Historic Towns is a British television history programme presented by Alice Roberts that began airing on Channel 4 in 2018. [1] [2] A second and third series were commissioned.

Contents

History

Britain's Most Historic Towns is a history TV programme first aired as a series of six episodes beginning 7 April 2018. The premise of each episode was that presenter Professor Alice Roberts and contributor Dr Ben Robinson would provide evidence and stories to back up that week's featured town's claim to be the most historic town from some period in British history.

A second series started on Channel 4 on 18 May 2019 with an episode based on wartime Dover. [3] Filming for the third series began in February 2020, but had to be paused from mid-March due to the national travel restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]

List of episodes

Series 1

Episode numberEpisode nameOriginal date airedEpisode informationViewing figure [5] Executive Producer/sSeries Producer
1Roman Chester7 April 2018Alice visits Chester where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Roman town. In this episode she abseils down the city's Roman Walls; dons Roman costume to sample a banquet; visits a cafe's basement to see ancient remains; unveils the bloodthirsty entertainment available at the amphitheatre and uses CGI to show how the Roman city and Garrison would have looked. [6] 1.84mDominic BowlesDominic Ozanne
2Viking York14 April 2018Alice visits York where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Viking town. In this episode she takes part in a Viking battle; meets the metal detectorists behind one of Britain's greatest archaeological finds and handles a 1000 year old poo. From the air, Ben Robinson shows how the current layout of the town reflects its history. [7] 1.49mDominic BowlesDominic Ozanne
3Norman Winchester [8] 21 April 2018Alice visits Winchester where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Norman town. In this episode she tries to storm a castle wearing Chain mail armour; investigates the origins or modern surgery; tries eating Eel pie and uses CGI to show how the Norman city would have looked. [9] 1.09mDominic BowlesDominic Ozanne
4Tudor Norwich28 April 2018Alice visits Norwich where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Tudor town. In this episode she uncovers the harsh reality of religious intolerance and experiences Tudor justice by ducking in the River Wensum. From the air, Ben Robinson shows how the current layout of the town reflects its history, and they use CGI to show how the Tudor city would have looked. [10] 1.41mDominic BowlesDominic Ozanne
5Regency Cheltenham4 May 2018Alice visits Cheltenham where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Regency town. In this episode she uncovers the start of the Spa and joins a Regency ball with assistance from Lucy Worsley. [11] 1.03mDominic BowlesDominic Ozanne
6Victorian Belfast11 May 2018Alice visits Belfast where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Victorian town. In this episode she discovers how Belfast went from being a small town to a large city; has a go at spinning flax; visits the Harland and Wolff shipyard where RMS Titanic was built and meets an expert on Music hall. [12] 0.88mDominic BowlesDominic Ozanne

Series 2

Episode numberEpisode nameOriginal date airedEpisode informationViewing figure [13] Executive Producer/sSeries Producer
1Wartime Dover18 May 2019Alice visits Dover to examine the effects of World War 2 on the town. She explores the underground base where the Dunkirk evacuation was planned, talks to a 90-year-old former ATS member about life during the Battle of Britain, and experiences life as a land girl. Ben uses aerial footage to show the challenges facing the Royal Navy. [14] 1.39mDominic BowlesLiam McArdle
2Georgian Bristol25 May 2019Alice explores her home town of Bristol during the Georgian period. She investigates the Slave trade and the part Bristol played, while hearing about the Georgian love of Gin and the world's first chocolate factory at Fry's. Ben uses aerial footage to show how the wealth generated during this period changed the city. [15] 1.28mDominic BowlesLiam McArdle
3Edwardian Cardiff1 June 2019Alice explores the Welsh capital of Cardiff during the Edwardian period. She discovers the growth of the city fuelled by different Marquesses of Bute and the coal trade. She investigates how it was mined, that the world trade in coal was managed in the city's coal exchange and the world's first million-pound trade deal. She also looks at how the trade links with the rest of the world brought a multicultural flavour to Cardiff in the early 20th century. [16] 1.01mDominic BowlesLiam McArdle
4Civil War Oxford8 June 2019Alice explores the University city of Oxford to discover its importance during the English Civil War. She discovers why Charles I made Oxford his new capital after fleeing London, and the growth of its population during the 9 years of conflict. She also experiences Charles I's favourite sport, how to fire a musket and what life under the puritan Oliver Cromwell was like. Ben uses aerial photography to show the strategic importance of Oxford and its defences. [17] n/a*Dominic BowlesLiam McArdle
5Plantagenet Canterbury15 June 2019Alice explores Canterbury and its links with the Plantagenet Kings of England. She investigates the story behind King Henry II and St Thomas Becket and the cathedral’s power during this time. Alice also looks at the influence of Geoffrey Chaucer’s book The Canterbury Tales and its part in the development of the English language. Ben uses aerial photography to show the size of the religious area of the city and the impact of the Black Death on the population during this time. [18] 1.43mDominic BowlesLiam McArdle
6Stewart Stirling22 June 2019Alice visits Stirling where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Stewart town. She discovers the often turbulent past between Stirling and the English. Ben Robinson takes to the air to explain the town's strategic importance. Alice visits Stirling Castle to learn more about King James IV's alliance with the French. She investigates the period of history when Mary, Queen of Scots was Queen of Scotland, and later when James VI becomes James I of England. [19] 1.19mDominic BowlesLiam McArdle

Series 3

Episode numberEpisode nameOriginal date airedEpisode informationViewing figure [20] Executive Producer/sSeries Producer
1Medieval Lincoln7 November 2020Alice visits Lincoln where she discovers the legacy of William the Conqueror and the Normans. From the air, Ben Robinson shows how the nearby waterways were vital for Lincoln's prosperity. She presents the history of Nicola de la Haie and her role in the Second Battle of Lincoln that resulted in the defeat of the rebels and their French allies. Alice describes the effects of the Black Death on the town. [21] 1.287mDominic BowlesTheo Williams
2Restoration London14 November 2020Alice visits London and delves into The Restoration period of 1660–1688 in the city. She learns more of the changes Charles II of England made, including the founding of the Royal Society and reopening theatres. Ben Robinson is in Greenwich, where he looks into the founding of the Royal Observatory. Alice visits the National Maritime Museum and uncovers shocking details of the slave trade. Alice draws comparisons between the Bubonic plague that ravaged the city, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. [22] n/a*Dominic BowlesTheo Williams
3Naval Portsmouth21 November 2020Alice visits Portsmouth to learn more about the long history it has with the Royal Navy. She discovers some uncomfortable truths about Lord Horatio Nelson's Navy and its involvement in the slave trade. From the air, Ben Robinson examines some of Portsmouth's many forts, built in case the French invaded. Alice visits Osborne House to find out more about Queen Victoria's fondness for her summer home. [23] 1.227mDominic BowlesTheo Williams
4Elizabethan Plymouth28 November 2020Alice visits Plymouth to examine the city's Elizabethan history. She discovers how Elizabeth I supported John Hawkins' and his cousin Francis Drake's privateering and involvement in the slave trade. Aerial archaeologist Ben Robinson examines Drake's Leat, a watercourse constructed in the late 16th century to provide fresh water for the navy. Alice investigates how Hawkins' and Drake's transformation of the navy led to the defeat of the Spanish Armada. She learns more about Walter Raleigh's desire to colonize the Americas and how the first Puritans set sail on the Mayflower from Plymouth for America. [24] 1.309mDominic BowlesTheo Williams
5Glasgow's Age of Steam5 December 2020Alice is in Glasgow to investigate the city's importance in Britain's steam-driven Industrial Revolution. She also learns about the influx of migrant workers in the city and the unsanitary conditions in which they lived, which made Glasgow the centre of several important medical advances. Ben Robinson uses aerial footage to show how Loch Katrine provides fresh water for the city. Professor Willy Maley recalls the visit of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show to Glasgow. [25] 1.227mDominic BowlesTheo Williams
6Georgian Edinburgh12 December 2020Alice explores Edinburgh to discover the role the city played in the union between England and Scotland. She investigates the city's link to the slave trade through the statue of Henry Dundas, visits the Royal Bank of Scotland to find out about the world's first overdraft and investigates how medical law was influenced by the body snatchers Burke and Hare.1.206mDominic BowlesTheo Williams
7Industrial Revolution Manchester19 December 2020Alice explores Manchester to reveal the story of revolt and protest of the British working classes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution. She visits Chetham's Library where she sees the desk where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels devised their communist ideas after seeing the conditions of the working class in Manchester. Alice also investigates the City's hatred of the Corn Laws at the Free Trade Hall, and at the John Rylands Library looks at rarely seen documents which show the human cost of the Peterloo Massacre.Dominic BowlesTheo Williams

∗ Not in BARB top 20 viewing figures

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Roberts</span> English academic, TV presenter and author

Alice May Roberts is an English academic, TV presenter and author. Since 2012 she has been Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. She was president of the charity Humanists UK between January 2019 and May 2022. She is now a vice president of the organisation.

Channel 5 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK and Australia division. It was launched in 1997 to provide a fifth national terrestrial channel in the United Kingdom.

<i>Fake or Fortune?</i> Television series on artwork provenance

Fake or Fortune? is a BBC One documentary television series which examines the provenance and attribution of notable artworks. Since the first series aired in 2011, Fake or Fortune? has drawn audiences of up to 5 million viewers in the UK, the highest for an arts show in that country.

<i>Death in Paradise</i> (TV series) Crime drama television series

Death in Paradise is a British–French crime comedy drama television series created by Robert Thorogood, starring Ben Miller, Kris Marshall, Ardal O'Hanlon and Ralf Little.

<i>Thronecast</i> British television series about Game of Thrones

Thronecast is a British television series which aired on Sky Atlantic between 2011 and 2019. From the fifth series onwards, the show was presented by Sue Perkins and Jamie East. It is an aftershow to Game of Thrones, which also aired on the channel in the United Kingdom. Each episode varied between 10 minutes and 60 minutes in length and featured interviews with cast and crew members, interaction with the audience through social media, and analysis of the episode, along with a preview of the next episode of Game of Thrones. It was the only official aftershow for the series until HBO aired After the Thrones in 2016, providing an aftershow to the show's sixth series until it was cancelled after ten episodes.

The sixth series of Made in Chelsea, a British structured-reality television programme, began airing on 14 October 2013 on E4. The series concluded on 16 December 2013 after 10 episodes, however a Christmas special episode aired immediately after the series on 23 December 2013, which was then followed by an end of season special presented by Rick Edwards on 30 December 2013 featuring a reunion of the cast to discuss events from the series. This was the first series to feature new cast members Sam Thompson, Sophie Hermann and Stephanie Pratt, and was the final series to feature Olivia Newman-Young, Phoebe-Lettice Thompson, and original cast member Francis Boulle. The series featured the love blossoming between Jamie and Lucy despite obstacles in the form of Spencer and Phoebe, the breakdown of Andy and Louise's relationship as many secrets are revealed, the rivalry between friends Fran and Phoebe as Phoebe discovers Fran has made a pass at her ex-boyfriend, and the start of the relationship for Alex and Binky.

Time Crashers is a British entertainment television programme co-produced by Wall to Wall Media and GroupM Entertainment for Channel 4. The programme's format sees ten celebrities transported to different historical settings where they experience the life of the 'lower' classes and are set tasks relating to that era. It is presented by Tony Robinson and historian Cassie Newland.

<i>Bake Off: The Professionals</i> British TV series or program

Bake Off: The Professionals is a British television baking competition featuring teams of professional pastry chefs pitted against one another over two challenges. It is a spin-off from The Great British Bake Off, and its first episode was screened on BBC Two on 29 March 2016. The eight-episode first series of the programme was presented by Tom Kerridge, with Benoit Blin, Cherish Finden and Claire Clark serving as judges. The second series was presented by Angus Deayton, and Claire Clark did not return as a judge. The third series moved to Channel 4 to join The Great British Bake Off after the BBC declined to renew the series. The Channel 4 series has been renamed Bake Off: The Professionals, and was originally presented by comedian Tom Allen and former GBBO competitor Liam Charles. Currently it is presented by Charles and comedian Ellie Taylor.

Great Canal Journeys is a British television series in which a pair of presenters take canal barge and narrowboat trips in the United Kingdom, Europe, India and Egypt. The series was originally aired on More4 before transferring to Channel 4 with Series 2.

<i>Heathrow: Britains Busiest Airport</i> British reality TV series

Heathrow: Britain's Busiest Airport is a British documentary series, aired by ITV from 2015 until 2022.

The Russell Howard Hour is a British topical comedy news television series that premiered on Sky One on 21 September 2017. The series is hosted by Russell Howard where he gives his thoughts and opinions on current topics as well as featuring special guests and other stand-up comedians. The show is in a similar style to his previous show, Russell Howard's Good News, which aired on BBC Three and then BBC Two from 2009 to 2015.

<i>This Time with Alan Partridge</i> BBC comedy series

This Time with Alan Partridge is a British sitcom first broadcast in 2019 on BBC One. It stars Steve Coogan as the inept broadcaster Alan Partridge in a spoof of current affairs programmes such as The One Show and Good Morning Britain.

<i>Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier</i> British TV series or programme

Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier is a British panel show broadcast on Dave. The first series premiered on 16 May 2018. In the show Jon Richardson and the panel talk about and rank worries in order of severity in the Worry Index. Worries are categorised as either a low, moderate or severe worry. The first series also features sketches in which Rose Matafeo and Richard Gadd research topics Richardson is worried about. A second series of ten episodes began on 3 July 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Bell (TV presenter)</span> British TV presenter (born 1979)

Rob Bell is a British TV presenter and STEMnet ambassador. He has appeared on TV programmes on BBC, Channel 5, Travel Channel and Yesterday.

<i>Britains Got Talent: The Champions</i> Televised British talent competition series

Britain's Got Talent: The Champions is a spin-off of Britain's Got Talent, a British talent competition series, which began broadcasting on ITV on 31 August 2019. The programme functions similar to BGT, but features a selection of participants - winners, finalists and other notable acts - from across the history of both Britain's Got Talent and the Got Talent franchise, who compete in a series of preliminaries to secure a place in the grand final and a chance to win a large prize and to be crowned Britain's champion within Got Talent.

<i>The Larkins</i> (2021 TV series) English ITV comedy drama

The Larkins is an English comedy drama television series, produced by Objective Fiction and Genial Productions. The series is the most recent adaptation of H. E. Bates novel The Darling Buds of May.

References

  1. ↑ Horsford, Simon (6 April 2018). "Uncovering the secrets of Britain's most historic towns – from Viking hairstyles to a fondness for enemas - The Telegraph p.6 April by S. Horsfold". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. ↑ ""First look: York stars on TV in Britain's Most Historic Towns" - York Mix.Com p.6 April 2018". 6 April 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns – Series 2 (2019) - Kent Film Office p.15 may 2019" . Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  4. ↑ "Blog". Alice Roberts. 7 November 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ↑ "BARB Weekly Top 30 programmes" . Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 1 Series 1 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 2 Series 1 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  8. ↑ ""Channel 4 documentary Britain's Most Historic Towns to air this weekend with Winchester focus" - Hampshire Chronicle" p.20 April 2018".
  9. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 3 Series 1 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 4 Series 1 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 5 Series 1 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 6 Series 1 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "BARB 4 screen dashboard" . Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  14. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Series 2 Episode 1 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  15. ↑ "Britain's Most Historic Towns Series 2 Episode 2 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  16. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 2 Episode 3 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  17. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 2 Episode 4 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  18. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 2 Episode 5 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  19. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 2 Episode 6 - Radio Times" . Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  20. ↑ "BARB 4 screen dashboard" . Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  21. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 3 Episode 1 - Radio Times". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  22. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 3 Episode 2 - Radio Times". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  23. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 3 Episode 3 - Radio Times". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  24. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 3 Episode 4 - Radio Times". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  25. ↑ "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 3 Episode 5 - Radio Times". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.