Seven Ages of Britain (BBC series)
Encyclopedia
Seven Ages of Britain is a BBC television
documentary series which is written and presented by David Dimbleby
. The seven part series was first aired on Sunday nights at 9:00pm on BBC One
starting on 31 January 2010.
The series covers the history of Britain
's greatest art and artefacts over the past 2000 years. Each episode covers a different period in British history. In Australia
, all seven episodes aired on ABC1
each Tuesday at 8:30pm from 7 September 2010.
and repeats aired on BBC Two
.
In Summer 2009 artist Nathaniel Mellors
was commissioned by the BBC to make a short "work of modern art" to introduce the final episode of the series. The resultant work The Seven Ages of Britain Teaser features Dimbleby voicing a silicon mask cast from his own face, alongside actors Gwendoline Christie
( as 'The Operator') and Johnny Vivash (as 'Kadmus').
. The series has since been picked up by the Discovery Channel
.
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
documentary series which is written and presented by David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
. The seven part series was first aired on Sunday nights at 9:00pm on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
starting on 31 January 2010.
The series covers the history of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
's greatest art and artefacts over the past 2000 years. Each episode covers a different period in British history. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, all seven episodes aired on ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
each Tuesday at 8:30pm from 7 September 2010.
Production
Originally the series was to air in late 2009, but was later re-scheduled to early 2010. The HD edition of the show aired on BBC HDBBC HD
BBC HD is a high-definition television network provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
and repeats aired on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
.
In Summer 2009 artist Nathaniel Mellors
Nathaniel Mellors
Nathaniel Mellors is a British artist and musician.-Life and work:He studied at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, the University of Oxford and the Royal College of Art....
was commissioned by the BBC to make a short "work of modern art" to introduce the final episode of the series. The resultant work The Seven Ages of Britain Teaser features Dimbleby voicing a silicon mask cast from his own face, alongside actors Gwendoline Christie
Gwendoline Christie
Gwendoline Christie is a British actress.She graduated from drama school in 2005 and lives in London. Her striking height, , motivated photographer Polly Borland to make her the subject of a noted series of photographs....
( as 'The Operator') and Johnny Vivash (as 'Kadmus').
Episodes
| Episode number | Title | Period covered | Airdate | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Age of Conquest" | AD 43 – 1066 | 31 January 2010 | 4.2 million (16%) |
| 2 | "Age of Worship" | 1170 – 1400 | 7 February 2010 | 4.3 million (16%) |
| 3 | "Age of Power" | 1509 – 1609 | 14 February 2010 | 4.5 million (17.1%) |
| 4 | "Age of Revolution" | 1603 – 1708 | 28 February 2010 | 4.4 million (16.5%) |
| 5 | "Age of Money" | 1700 – 1805 | 07 March 2010 | 3.82 million (14.2%) |
| 6 | "Age of Empire" | 1770 – 1911 | 14 March 2010 | 3.72 million (14.6%) |
| 7 | "Age of Ambition" | 1914 – Now | 21 March 2010 | 3.347 million (12.6%) |
Discovery series
BBC Channel 4 had previously aired a series by the same title in 2003, presented by Bettany HughesBettany Hughes
Bettany Hughes is an English academic historian, author and broadcaster.Hughes' father is the actor Peter Hughes and her brother is the cricketer and journalist Simon Hughes...
. The series has since been picked up by the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
External links
- Seven Ages of Britain at the Open University