recent reviews
KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND
Here is everything you ever wanted to know about
the 41 men and women who have sat on the throne of England since 1066.
This meticulously researched and totally accessible new series (showing
over the next six Mondays) provides a perfect bite-sized lesson on the
history of the British Isles, beginning with William the Conqueror and
his Norman relatives, whose arrival on these shores was a real shot in
the eye for the local Anglo-Saxons.
David Chater, The
Times 1st March 2004
Napoleon’s Peninsular war
Congratulations to whoever succeeded in getting
author Bernard Cornwell to come on board for Sharpe's War, The History
Channel's excellent new series about that savage but pivotal period of
the Napoleonic wars known as the Peninsular War (1808-14). Cornwell's
ability to bring military history to swashbuckling life has won him
millions of readers around the world. So who better to present the true
story of the bloody military campaign that inspired his best known
series of novels, recounting the adventures of Green Jacket of officer
Richard Sharpe during Sir Arthur Wellesley's long hard drive to expel
Napoleon from The Iberian peninsula. Cornwell's presence alone should
attract many viewers, but it’s nice to be able to report that he
also makes an appealing and authoritative guide (as a former TV
producer, he has enough experience). He's also the first to admit that
while Sharpe's escapades closely follow the events of the campaign, the
demands of thrilling fiction require the occasional rip and twist in
the fabric of history. The opening episode (of four) offered a brisk
description of the road to war (Napoleon's "Continental
System" trade blockade, the invasion of defiant Portugal, the
annexation of Spain, rebellion, guerrilla warfare, massacres, etc)
followed by a detailed account of the opening stage of Britain's
involvement. From victory at Vimeiro through the controversial
Convention of Sintra and Sir John Moore's epic, Dunkirk-like retreat to
la Coruna, every step was grippingly illustrated and explained. If only
all of History's output could be this impressive.
Gerard O’Donavan, Daily Telegraph
MIPCOM NEWS 2003
“Eagle Media has the advantage of owning its
own archive of historical events; everything from the Vikings to the
Second World War, in fact. History programmes have become very much in
demand - probably because history is a subject taught less in schools
nowadays - and with our long involvement in the genre, we are well
placed to take advantage of this situation.
“However, it’s essential to bring a new
approach to history programming, Viewers want history that is themed
rather than chronological, and programmes that evoke an atmosphere
rather than just present straight facts. Viewers also want to feel they
are actually participating in the events, so there is much more
emphasis on production values than before. And rather than just wanting
to know how something happened in history, people want to know why an
event happened and what its legacy has been.”
Alan Ravenscroft, MD, Eagle Media Productions
