Michael Wood's Story of England

Superb
This is a fascinating and superb series that very colorfully and entertainingly covers the entire history of England, from pre-Roman times to the 1950s, via the village(s) of Kibworth in the county of Leicestershire. Through various means -- archeological, documents, topographical studies, and local and oral history -- we find out the true story of real and ordinary people. History comes vividly alive in a way that the endless successive repetition of wars, monarchs, and squabbling aristocrats never can.

We are never patronized or asked to indulge in glorious fantasies here. History is told via the words of the people themselves -- through, for instance the amazingly in-depth documents and scholarship that have been preserved throughout the centuries in this uniquely placed village. As it turns out, there's a lot more here than even remotely meets the eye. We get a much fuller and more comprehensive and understandable history of this England than I ever would have thought...

The Journey Of One Town Through History: An Educational Experiment That Succeeds Spectacularly As Entertainment
As far as non-fiction television programming goes, I think that "Michael Wood's Story of England" is one of the most unique examples imaginable. An exciting and informative trip through history, Wood's and his team seek to recreate a working timeline as it affected one small town. The quaint English burg of Kibworth, Leicestershire is host to this educational experiment. The first recorded instance of Kibworth being recognized was in 1086. So Wood begins with archeological findings, then digs through annotated history, and then wraps with more personal accounts on this world wind journey through the ages. The narrative advances through various time periods up until present day to see just how the different eras impacted this sleepy little town. This is taking living history to its most personal level! Not only do the inhabitants share in the story, they are eager participants in the documentary. Part of why this is so captivating is Wood's appeal, but mostly it is how...

HISTORY FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
I really enjoyed this method of telling, in a basic way, the history of England through the experiences of a small town. British history is pretty detailed and extends back many millennia, unlike American history (or the American history most of us know about). Wood veers away from the escapades of kings and queens and various nobility and instead gives us a more populist version, which might be dubbed the "ordinary man's story." We watch as a region and a town is transformed by time and migration, by war and by love. I liked that approach, and I learned as much about the various cultures that crossed that island nation--and possibly more--than I would have learned by the traditional names-and-dates approach.

The videos (CDS or DVDs actually) consist of several episodes and can be watched over several sittings. I enjoyed how he got the local townspeople--of all ages--involved in helping him tell his story. It's "beginner" British history, in many respects. But it...

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