Victorian Sensations

A strangely pitched series where Hannah Fry, Paul McGann and Philippa Perry examine the various cultural, technology and moral advances found in the turbulent decade of the 1890s.

Why there are three presenters for the series is uncertain, but each have their own charm and are all solid hosts - all episodes have a strangely over-egged theatricality that is silly but rather endearing. Like an awkward video you'd be made to watch at school. The presenters frequently "act out" things to varying degrees of cringe and each episode shifts from topic to topic in an almost "train of thought" manner that can be quite dizzying. Certainly though, every topic covered have at least one eyebrow-raising or interesting element to it that and as a bit of schlocky popular history it was nicely diverting and a fascinating glimpse into what was clearly a full-on decade to be alive in.