A History of Ancient Britain

I have never gotten so sick of seeing a producer's face in my life. This isn't about Ancient Britain; it's about Neil Oliver. His face is in almost every shot, his words in almost every soundbite, and very little time is given to the experts who know something on this topic.

It is a producer's love fest to himself. We don't see the historic sites; we see a montage of shots of Neil Oliver walking through the sites. His commentary itself is not illuminating, but instead his observations mainly take the form of reacting to various objects he encounters. For example, when Neolithic arrowheads are shown, rather than something we could take away from the experience, Oliver goes off talking about how to him they are beautiful. Yes, that's all very nice, but there's no way I'm investing several hours trying to learn the history of Britain and coming away knowing that he found a certain ancient object beautiful or an historical site thrilling.

Please, Neil, it's not all about you.

All the information is presented in a concise, enthusiastic and professional manner. Some conjecture is involved in the explanations of certain artifacts which I found a little irritating, but that was minimal and overall, I found the show highly enjoyable.

The host is incredibly knowledgeable, and his involvement gave perspective to the locations and hardships the ancient peoples endured.

There was a lot of information conveyed through the show via artifacts, demonstrations and archeological digs. Documentaries of this caliber are few and far between. I will be searching for more historical documentaries by this presenter.

We Brits know so little of our native history before the Roman invasion. So little is taught. And this is because actually so little is known. This was a time before recorded history so all we have are bones and small artefacts and the occasional larger field or stone structure from which to conjecture about the people behind the remains. This is such a shame because it is difficult then to find out much about what we refer to as The Celts - the native British folk who had been on this island on and off for tens of thousands of years. This documentary is as good a documentary you are going to get on this subject. It starts at the very beginning of British prehistory before it was even an island, and takes us up to a hundred years before the roman invasion. It is brilliantly researched and presents a clearly followable timeline of British prehistory. And on top of this, Neil Oliver is so enjoyable to watch, not because he is exaggerated an energetic. He has a calming and studious approach to the subject matter. But two things stand out, his genuine personal enthusiasm and passion for the subject, and his professionalism and expertise - he is clearly someone who knows his stuff and so you trust that this documentary is giving you the best of the best information.

Beautifully shot but a tad meandering and led by a not very convincing archeologist who seemed more concerned with letting us view his magnificent locks blowing in the wind like it was in his rider. The sites were very interesting and the graphics, such as the depiction of the ice age covering Northern Europe with ice, a great visual aid but I would have preferred details as opposed to supposition. It reminded me of those dramatic 'documentaries' one tends to find on American tv.rather than science.

This series is brilliant. It moved me in many ways. I greatly appreciate the series and the information it contains. As it awakens and stirs the cell memories within. I really don't mind how many times Neil Oliver appears as it is his passions and information that makes it a great series. Many thanks to all whom contributed. There are things said and unsaid, the collective consciousness still resonates strongly. I make big crystal circles (and stone circles) because my heart wants to and when I watch these series I can feel the confirmation that there is a deep meaning behind it all. Thank you. I have not had the opportunity yet to walk Britain, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in this life yet when I watch these series I so long for it. Sincerely thank you.