- 14 Oct 12, 16:17#327191
The BBC currently have a documentary series ongoing: "Andrew Marr's History of the World". I think it's brilliant. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0 ... _Survival/
Really well produced and presented, of course you can't go into detail in a TV series for something of such broad-scope, but it achieves it's role perfectly, acting pretty much as a showcase, emphasising the key ideas, describing the events that brought those ideas into play and capturing the idea of a historically connected "human nature", that often past peoples weren't so different. As you'd expect, it starts off with the earliest home-sapiens, and he describes the journey out of Africa, the population of the rest of the world and the eradication of the Neanderthals, to the first settled civilisations from the development of agriculture and so on.
Critically, in my opinion, it is very balanced and fair. I was worried the series would have a "Western bias", but it doesn't, he focuses on ideas across the world, and I think manages to give an accurate picture, showing the flaws, of historical characters and ideas (from Plato to Confucius, Buddha to Alexander the Great), but not being hampered as the BBC so often is by neutrality, he makes key points with conviction and clarity.
Very well shot too, anyone else watching? I know it will be difficult for non-British viewers to access
Here is the description for the first episode:
Personal highlight so far, was a hand print, dated 27,000 years ago!(if I remember correctly)
Really well produced and presented, of course you can't go into detail in a TV series for something of such broad-scope, but it achieves it's role perfectly, acting pretty much as a showcase, emphasising the key ideas, describing the events that brought those ideas into play and capturing the idea of a historically connected "human nature", that often past peoples weren't so different. As you'd expect, it starts off with the earliest home-sapiens, and he describes the journey out of Africa, the population of the rest of the world and the eradication of the Neanderthals, to the first settled civilisations from the development of agriculture and so on.
Critically, in my opinion, it is very balanced and fair. I was worried the series would have a "Western bias", but it doesn't, he focuses on ideas across the world, and I think manages to give an accurate picture, showing the flaws, of historical characters and ideas (from Plato to Confucius, Buddha to Alexander the Great), but not being hampered as the BBC so often is by neutrality, he makes key points with conviction and clarity.
Very well shot too, anyone else watching? I know it will be difficult for non-British viewers to access
Here is the description for the first episode:
Andrew Marr sets off on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history. Using dramatic reconstructions, documentary filming around the world and cutting-edge computer graphics, he reveals the decisive moments that shaped the world we live in today, telling stories we thought we knew and others we were never told.
Starting with our earliest beginnings in Africa, Marr traces the story of our nomadic ancestors as they spread out around the world and settled down to become the first farmers and townspeople. He uncovers extraordinary hand-prints left in European caves nearly 30,000 years ago and shows how human ingenuity led to inventions which are still with us today. He also discovers how the first civilisations were driven to extremes to try to overcome the forces of nature, adapting and surviving against the odds, and reveals how everyday life in ancient Egypt had more in common with today's soap operas than might be imagined. (R)
Personal highlight so far, was a hand print, dated 27,000 years ago!(if I remember correctly)
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