Boardwalk Empire

Paul Lay, editor of History Today, has written in praise of some of the latest US dramas to be found on Sky's new "Atlantic" channel. These include Boardwalk Empire, set in the casinos of Atlantic City during the Prohibition, and Mad Men, set in the world of advertising in 1960s New York. Both pay excellent attention to period detail, and through their scope and ambition give a very real sense of what it might be like to live through that period, in the same way that "The Wire" recently portrayed the political, judicial and criminal worlds of Baltimore. Have you been watching any of these? If so, please let us know what you think, and whether they have lived up to their billing.

PS: We should point out that these shows contain adult themes and language and should only be watched by those aged appropriately to appreciate them...

Kate Rea

Kate Rea will be speaking at the Nonsuch HP society today (1.15 in the Library). She is a historical researcher and has also been involved in the production of documentaries such as "World War 2: Behind Closed Doors" (more details here). She has been closely involved in the creation of WW2History.com, recording much of the eye-witness testimony for the site. She read Russian and Russian History at Cambridge and will be speaking in particular about her interest in that subject today. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Lembit in the Jungle

Ex-politician and friend of Nonsuch, Lembit Öpik has joined this year's crew for I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. You see his thoughts on this in this ITV video. He will be joined by, amongst others, Linford Christie, Stacey Solomon and "Dr" Gillian McKeith. How do we feel about this? Does he have the potential to be a winner? How will it affect his bid to be Mayor of London? Please let us know.

The First World War from Above

BBC1 showed this evening a fascinating documentary using archive aerial photography from the First World War to show the extent of the destruction created by the conflict. Film footage from an airship showed in close detail how much damage had been wrought both on the battlefields and towns such as Ypres, which was totally devastated and yet still had people on the ground trying to make some sort of a living. The film also touched upon the efforts needed by Royal Flying Corps pilots to take the photographs (their death rates were higher than soldiers in the trenches) and the work of the tunnellers, who set off massive underground explosions (leaving craters still visible today) to try and gain a military advantage. The size of the 29 simultaneous explosions at Messines, near Ypres, was so great it "rattled the teacups in Downing Street". Highly recommended viewing for this Remembrance Week.

PS: More examples of the photography can be seen here and here. The photo at the top of this post shows a German barracks (identified by the British by the flowerbeds the soldiers had dug to amuse themselves) before and after it was shelled.

10 Unfortunate Midterm Ads

This Guardian article highlights 10 of the more tactless ads put out during the midterm election, including Christine O'Donnell's "I am not a witch...I'm you" video (above), and a rather creepy (and xenophobic) ad from the "Citizens against public waste (below). You'll need Youtube access to watch these, but let us know what you think!

PS: Here is a good comment on the significancd of the midterms from Mark Mardell, plus a good round-up of stories from the BBC. Here is Comedy Central (Home of the Daily Show)'s election site, and analysis of their recent "Rally to restore sanity"

The Dambusters

BBC2 showed a programme about the Dambusters on Sunday night. This was the name given to the RAF bombing raid during World War 2 that aimed to destroy German dams (and therefore create massive flooding damage) using special bouncing bombs. The story is well known, particularly because of the 1955 film which celebrated 617 Squadron's achievements. The BBC programme was more reflective. It pointed out some of the factual errors in the film, most of which were designed to make the heroes more sympathetic. In the film Guy Gibson, the squadron leader, is quite easygoing whereas in reality he could be quite aloof and focused on the job. In the film Barnes Wallis, the inventor of the bouncing bomb, comes up with the idea of bombing the dams but faces opposition from the War Office. In reality, the idea had been discussed before war had even begun. The film also gave plenty of time to exploring the effects of the successful destruction of the dams, interviewing Germans who lost their families and houses in the flooding (over 1600 people were killed, many of them allied prisoners of war in labour camps). This tone suggests perhaps that our attitude to events in World War 2 is changing as it moves ever further back into the past and fewer people are alive to remember it (there is now only one remaining veteran Dam Buster). Britain's experience of the war has an important place in our national identity and culture, but a gap of 70 years perhaps allows greater opportunities of a more balanced assessment of its significance.

PS: There is plenty of information about the Dambusters around. Here are two examples. The National Archives has an online exhibition of significant documents here.
PPS: Here is a (genuinely exciting!) 10 minute YouTube clip from the Dambusters Film where they attack the first dam. It is said that George Lucas was inspired by this for the final scenes of Star Wars...

Science and Maps

There is plenty of good history on TV at the moment. Tonight BBC2 begins showing its flagship programme "The Story of Science", ambitiously showing the history of science. The notes on the website state that it is "a tale of courage and of fear, of hope and disaster, of persistence and success", interweaving "great forces of history – revolutions, voyages of discovery and artistic movements – with practical, ingenious inventions and the dogged determination of experimenters and scientists". Tonight's episode focuses in particular on the growing realisation that the earth rotated around the sun, and not vice versa, and the impact of this on society, religion and culture.

Meanwhile BBC4 is showing several programmes about the impact of maps on history and their utility as sources for the period they represent. "Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession" examines maps from the Ancient World to Google Earth, and shows how they were used as tools to project political power and propaganda, such as the Romans' maps of the newest parts of the Empire that they had conquered. Meanwhile the "Beauty of Maps" does exactly what it says on the tin, looking in wonder at particular maps and examining some of their secrets. It has a special website where you can examine some of these for yourself.

If you watch any of these programmes, please post a review either as a comment below or in an email to us. We would love to hear what you think, or if you have any other recommendations.

Blitz Street

Channel Four's Blitz Street attempts to recreate what is must have been like to experience being bombed during World War 2. They have recreated some typical 1940s houses on an army base and have then subjected them to various bombs to see what the explosions must have been like. The explosions are of course very impressive but even more interesting are the eye witness testimonies from people (often children at the time) who experienced being bombed. The programme is on Mondays and you can watch episodes on YouTube here.

PS: If you only have 5 minutes - go to minute 36 of the first episode!
PPS: Here is the Telegraph's review of the programme.

TV Debates

Plans have been revealed for the 3 debates that will take place between the party leaders before the election on presumably May 6. It's a historic moment but will the strict rules stifle the debates too much? What effect do you think these debates will have on the election and do you think they will be worthwhile?

Meanwhile, BBC3 is showing a "First Time Voters Question Time" on Wednesday evening, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Here is there Facebook Page and a list of the panellists. If you watch it, let us know what you think!

PS: Here is some inside info on how the Prime Ministerial Debates' rules were agreed.

PPS: Our colleague at Politcs Etc has some interesting comments to make about the current state of the BBC. Recommended reading!

PPPS: Here's a not particularly positive review of the Dermot O'Leary programme. Did anyone else see it? Do you particularly want "youth" politcs programmes or are they all "epic fails"?

Gordon Brown and Piers Morgan

What did you think about Piers Morgan's interview of Gordon Brown on Sunday night? The Prime Minister was certainly very candid about his personal life, particularly the death of his daughter Jennifer. He was rather more reticent when discussing his relationship with Tony Blair. Do you think this interview will be of benefit to him, or will people dismiss the programme as a cynical part of the election campaign? Are there any subjects you would have liked him to discuss? Do you think Piers Morgan did a good job? Comments below, please!

If you missed the programme, you can catch it here for the next month. There are also further clips here.

Christianity, the Navy and the Internet

There is a wealth of history programmes on television at the moment, particularly on the BBC. On Saturday BBC2 showed Tudor Historian Diarmaid MacCulloch's "History of Christianity", Dan Snow's "Empire of the Seas", the history of the Royal Navy, and "The Virtual Revolution", recounting the development of the internet. I'm not sure if everyone would classify the last programme as history exactly, but clearly the technological revolution of the last few decades is hugely significant. On top of that David Dimbleby is tracing "Seven Ages of Britain" through significant artefacts on BBC1, and Radio 4 continues its "History of the World in 100 objects". Is this overkill? There is clearly a great interest in history within the country, and perhaps it is easier to convey history through this media than say, maths, but will people tire of the subject if it continues to be produced at this rate?
If you've watched any of these programmes, or visited their websites (The 100 objects and Virtual Revolution ones are impressive), let us know what you think.

PS: Just spotted another one - the History of Chemistry on BBC4. Even science has to succumb to the history treatment!
PPS: The picture shows some of the examples of the 100 objects in the programme. If you click on it you can see a larger (and easier to read) version.

Into the Storm

"Into the Storm" was on BBC2 last night and followed Winston Churchill through World War 2, looking in particular at his role in Dunkirk, the bombing of Dresden, and the Yalta Conference.

If you missed it, check it out here on the iPlayer. Here is a review of it from The Times.

Horrible Histories: The Four Georges

Plenty of material from the Horrible Histories BBC programme has made its way to YouTube. This sketch for example imagines what Georges I II III and IV would be like if they auditioned for the X-Factor... There also plenty of links to other sketches - please recommend the best ones so we can put them on the blog.

PS: Here is an interview with Terry Deary, creator of the Horrible Histories books. He does not consider himself to be a historian, and thinks schools are a waste of time!

Prime Ministerial Debates

Should Gordon Brown take part in a televised debate? Sky News has announced that it will hold one before the next elections, and David Cameron and Nick Clegg have agreed to take part. However, Brown knows there are considerable risks involved - this Economist article gives as an example the debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960. Radio listeners thought that Nixon was the better debater that night, but television viewers (of which there were many millions more) thought Nixon looked sweaty and shifty, whilst JFK came across as calm and reasonable.

However, if Brown doesn't take part, Sky says they will go ahead anyway and leave an empty chair to represent him - perhaps they will be tempted to follow Have I Got News for You who once represented Roy Hattersley with a tub of lard when he was unable to turn up...

The Tudors - Separating fact from fiction

Have you been watching the Tudors? It's an enjoyable way to spend an hour on a Friday evening, but its accuracy is making some historians rather cross, including David Starkey, as the Telegraph reports here. However, others suggest that all historical interpretations can be of use providing they are watched critically and it is remembered that their primary purpose is to entertain. This author writes that "complaints over shows like The Tudors are simply asinine assertions of imaginary intellectual authority". Meanwhile the BBC helpfully offers the chance research Henry VIII further using its new search facilities, shown here.