Seven Ages Of Britain
The history of Britain seen through the eyes of the powerful and wealthy has been told many times. But what about the rest of society? What was their experience of history in the 8,000 years before the emergence of modern society? Bettany Hughes moves the spotlight to the everyday lives of ordinary people: the unofficial history of Britain. In collaboration with of some of the country's top archaeologists and historians, Hughes pieces together the story of how the inhabitants of these islands evolved from the Stone Age to the Industrial Revolution.
REVIEWS
“Hughes is effortlessly brilliant.” The Times
“Bettany Hughes makes history tempting.”
Evening Standard
“Hughes is a natural television presenter…and the differences from Schama and Starkey are marked…she’s free of donnish mannerisms, and above all, happy to interview other historians rather than lecture uninterruptedly. Her outstanding gift is for conveying the frisson of connecting with individuals across millennia via the surviving clues, and this technique provides the programme’s stongest moments. “ The Sunday Times
“A fascinating new series…telegenic Bettany Hughes treads the delicate line between seriousness and accessibility…and even those with an aversion to history could find themselves drawn in.”
The Mail
“Bettany Hughes is to factual history what Charlotte Uhlenbroek is to natural history – the perfect televisual combination of brains and beauty.” The Mail
“Hooray! Archaeology without Tony Robinson, history with Bettany Hughes.”
Financial Times
“Wonderfully Refreshing” The Independent
“Hughes is easy on the eye…but she is also lucid and unfidgety. She doesn’t bubble with false enthusiasm…she doesn’t fill gaps in archaeological knowledge with conjecture. This straightforward history of our evolution is totally absorbing.”
The Times
“In Britain we seem to have a taste for women who are beautiful, intelligent and authoritative..Nigella Lawson, Rachel de Thame, Daisy Goodwin and Bettany Hughes.” The Times
“Don’t Miss. Telegenic historian Bettany Hughes fronts this well presented series. Well if Lawson can make a smelly kitchen erotic, why shouldn’t Hughes make stories of power sexy?”
The Evening Standard
“Bettany Hughes continues her fascinating series….” The Observer
“Hughes is an engaging, erudite presenter and the experts hauled in front of the camera have interesting comments to make. A guide to making history interesting.”
Time Out
"I congratulate all those involved in the making of Channel 4’s Seven Ages of Britain, without doubt the best history series of last year…To cram so much into seven episodes took pure genius. Oh, and if the history and photography weren’t enough to transfix me, then the presenter, Bettany Hughes, certainly did. The sight of her gliding through the ages like a mysterious beckoning siren, in dark flowing robes, made me listen to every word!"