The Great British Story: A People's History

Historian Michael Wood explores the United Kingdom's remarkable past from the perspective of ordinary people. The first episode spans the period from the end of the Romans to the eighth century. It explores the crystallisation of our regional identities in the Dark Ages, the legacy of Rome and th...

Historian Michael Wood explores how our modern ethnic and linguistic identities began to take shape after the Dark Ages, and how English, Scots and Welsh nations emerged under the impact of the Viking invasions. He travels across Britain and Ireland to see local communities making exciting new di...

After the Battle of Hastings, the Norman Conquest was a brutal foreign occupation that would eventually draw in Wales and Ireland too. Exploring how the Normans consolidated their power by building castles all over England, Michael Wood visits the excavation of an enormous Norman Castle mound at ...

Historian Michael Wood covers the catastrophic 14th century here, including the Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt. Michael tracks the plague's spread across Britain and looks at how society changed in the aftermath, including the rise of a new class of workers and the battle for workers rights...

Songwriter and Deacon Blue vocalist Ricky Ross returns to his home town of Dundee to investigate both its history and hidden landscapes. Dundonians and local experts guide Ricky through the archives and streets where evidence of his ancestors' struggles and achievements still remains.

Investigating the Reformation, including the Cornish Prayer Book rebellion and the rise of industry and commerce. Michael Wood examines a unique Gaelic and English phrase book written for Elizabeth herself in the hope of better Anglo-Irish understanding.

Historian Michael Wood tells the story of the British Civil Wars, seen from the perspective of the people right across the British Isles. In Dublin, Cornwall and the Black Country, he finds evidence of how the conflict split communities and cost people their lives, but also gave rise to the seeds...

Historian Michael Wood Michael uncovers the extraordinary tale of the Industrial Revolution which turned Britain into the world's first industrial society. Exploring the deep roots of British industry, Michael visits the Free Miners of the Forest of Dean, the flax mills of Northern Ireland, the C...

Historian Michael Wood takes an overview of the momentous history between the Jubilees of 1897 and 2012. During this period, the people of Britain went through two World Wars and saw their industries and their Empire shrink, transforming the country from the globe's greatest power to the world's ...