The Normans is a British television documentary series first aired on BBC Two in 2010. Over three episodes, it sees Professor Robert Bartlett's journey from Great Britain via Jerusalem to the Kingdom of Sicily to examine the expansion and ambition of the Normans between the 10th and 13th centuries.
In an absorbing study, Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story of a national art that conveys passion, precision, hope and renewal. He juxtaposes escapism more
In an absorbing study, Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story of a national art that conveys passion, precision, hope and renewal. He juxtaposes escapism with control and a deep affinity with nature against love for the machine. The fascinating story takes us from the towering cathedral of Cologne, the woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer and paintings of Grünewald to the gothic fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, the Baltic landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich and the industrialisation lent expression of Adolph Menzel and Käthe Kollwitz. As the series progresses, it presents a rare focus on the cultural impact of Hitler's obsession with visual art, reveals how art became an arena for the Cold War and examines the redemptive work of the "visionary" Joseph Beuys – the most influential artist of modern times. close
Documentary series (United Kingdom, 2004), 7 episodes.
Terry Jones, as always incendiary and humorous, talks about the inhabitants of medieval Britain more
Documentary series (United Kingdom, 2004), 7 episodes.
Terry Jones, as always incendiary and humorous, talks about the inhabitants of medieval Britain - from peasant to king - their way of life and views.
Episode 1. Peasant. About how the plague epidemic led to the enrichment of peasants and their uprising.
Episode 2. Monk. The life of a monk, protected from the vain world, seems to be an ideal of simplicity and piety. The main task of the monk is prayer and work. But the medieval church could not avoid the influx of ministers pursuing their own personal selfish goals.
Episode 3. Minstrel. Being a minstrel in the Middle Ages meant more than just playing and singing. Minstrels had to play many roles: entertain the owners, raise the attack of soldiers, even spy. These medieval cheerleaders were not as carefree as they seem.
Episode 4. Knight. Knighthood is the personification of courage, loyalty to duty, nobility towards a woman. Were these the knights of the Middle Ages? What was knighthood in its heyday?
Episode 5. Alchemist. The Middle Ages are considered a time of ignorance and superstition: the Church suppressed the desire for knowledge, medicine killed rather than cured, and people did not know what shape the Earth was. But what really happened? Maybe we just don't know the past well?
Episode 6. Robber. Legends have brought to us stories of noble forest robbers who personified the hope of justice for the medieval poor. Was the law so inaccessible to the common man? What was the legal system in medieval England?
Episode 7. King. There are many dubious facts in history. What do we know about medieval kings? Richard the Lionheart is a hero, connoisseur of art, Christian. Richard II is a narcissistic tyrant suffering from megalomania. Richard III is an evil and demonic hunchback. Is that true? The film attempts to dispel legends and myths created over the centuries.
Episode 8. Girl. About what was supposed to be a girl in the Middle Ages, and about the principles of morality that should be observed by young women. close
Terry Jones' Barbarians is a 4-part TV documentary series first broadcast on BBC 2 in 2006. It was written and presented by Terry Jones, and it challenges more
Terry Jones' Barbarians is a 4-part TV documentary series first broadcast on BBC 2 in 2006. It was written and presented by Terry Jones, and it challenges the received Roman and Roman Catholic notion of the barbarian.
Professor Barry Cunliffe of the University of Oxford acted as consultant for the series. close