TV history programmes seem content to re-tread
the same areas over and over again. I'll decapitate and mummify myself if I have to watch one more
documentary about the Tudors or the Egyptians
or The Second World War.Who is in charge of
commissioning these programmes- a secondary school teacher? What about the pre-colonial
history of China,Africa,India etcetera or
the popular struggles of the Luddites,Chartists
and Levellers. I thought that Channel 4 had
a mandate to commission alternative programming
but I very rarely see any history programmes
that stray from the normal school curriculum subjects unless they're some silly achaeological reality
TV show like Time Team.TV also seems to love
revelations:amazing new footage!/scientific evidence!!/skeletons in the closet!!! which is ironic
since TV keeps so many subjects covered up,
for example:anything that isn't deemed to have
popular or commercial appeal.

Quite agree WellWisher
Have you ever wondered why the school curriculum is as it is? If you teach people too many truths they start to ask awkward questions!! and we couldn't have that could we!
How does the saying go? "History is written by those in power" or something like that.

Although to pick up on GreenJack's pont.....unless its anything to do with the Third Reich....The History Channel may as well be re-named The Hitler Channel....as hardly(if ever) a day goes by without some documentry on that subject..I'm as intereseted as the next amateur historian in the period but some of balance would be nice...there is more to history than 1933 - 1945.....

Commissioning editors are doubtless bound by many strictures but it would be good if one or two broke the mould and got in some programmes which threw a bit of light into the shadowlands of history. Just don't give us Graham Hancock and dumbing down. Well wisher gets my vote.

quote:

The History Channel may as well be re-named The Hitler Channel....as hardly(if ever) a day goes by without some documentry on that subject

StevieB

These programmes are cheap to produce. There is so much archived footage, all you need is a script, a narrator and a licence fee for the relevant archive. All you need then is to edit it to the script and you're in the business.

There are dozens of books covering highly interesting characters and episodes in history such as "Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman" by Frances Stonor Saunders or "Bloodfeud" by Richard Fletcher. They would make wonderful programmes. I guess it comes down to money or a perception that no one is interested. They could take a chance on a couple though.

Time to start writing programmes Harry ? Sometimes it's a case of "if not you then who ?"