The Story of England on BBC 4

Last night I watched the The Story of England on BBC 4 (first in a six-part series).

I had very mixed feelings about the production. Ever since the launch in the 1990s of Tony Robinson's Time Team, documentaries of this kind seem to fall into a high-camp archaeological-dig-as-panto parody. It's reached the point where you can't take anything they say seriously.

All the stock elements were included.

Thus you had the brightly-striped knitwear (in a scarf around Michael Wood's neck); a sinister character in a pentangle t-shirt identifying with absolute certainty tiny flakes of potsherds; various hairy diggers interacting with Tory blue-rinse lady gardeners etc.

Presenter Michael Wood (whom I used to respect) adopted the Cillit Bang style of narration, shouting at the camera.

Some parts of the programme were very dodgy - twice someone said "my guess is" and the programme went on to accept the guess as complete truth.

At least there was a proper consideration of placename evidence.

Anyone who has been on an archaeological dig will know that they are tedious, inconclusive and open to all sorts of bias and interpretations (the reports, if the excavation ever gets written up, will usually display the veiled prejudices of the writer).

This programme was entertaining, but not to be taken seriously. It was as sexed-up as an Iraqi dossier. And perhaps just as dishonest (or am I being unfair?).

Mayavision made the series.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/leicester/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9024000/9024160.stm