Andrew Marr's History of the World

This series is full of wrong conclusions in history and over the top presentation.

It should be classified as alternative communist view history.

The history of the world 🌍 is a history of ideas of people which haven't been presented here.

It's craggy, it's rugged and it looks like it was formed from hot volcanic ash around 70,000 years ago. Yes, it's Andrew Marr's face – desperately in need of dental work but as trustworthy and kindly as your favourite teacher at school.

The History of the World was always going to be a ridiculously ambitious project. But Andrew Marr is tackling it with great flair – as fearlessly as Genghis Khan or Julius Caesar or any of the charismatic historical figures he's introduced us to so far.

Of course, the dramatic reconstructions are a little clunky at times, and some of history's greatest figures do look like they've been cast after a quick flick through the actor's directory Spotlight. But I for one don't care. Because I am loving Andrew Marr's History of the World.

Last night I sat down and watched the first four episodes back to back, and when you cram a potted version of world history into such a short time frame quite a lot of things start to make sense. We kicked off with a look at how the earliest humans spread around the world, mainly, it seems, by balancing their way across precarious narrow stone bridges. Then we explored the great empires of Rome and China – two ancient civilisations who, in the absence of long haul air travel, co-existed for thousands of years without ever knowing of each other's existence. How peaceful the world would be today if the United States and the Muslim World were as blissfully unaware of each other.

My favourite episode so far looked at how the Vikings became the Russians. Apparently they couldn't decide which of the world's religions would suit them best, so they invited the heads of all the world's religions to come to Russia and pitch to them, saying they would choose the one they liked best. They immediately turned down Islam because they didn't want to give up drinking, and finally plumped for the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, because they liked the style of the paintings and the big pointy gold domes.

Television like this make me wish I'd paid more attention in history classes at school, and underlines the fact that a subject is generally only as interesting as the person who teaches it to you. Presenters like Professor Brian Cox, Simon Schama and Andrew Marr are bringing science and history to life for a generation who previously thought these subjects were dull and boring.

You can catch up with the whole series of Andrew Marr's History of the World on iPlayer, and I highly recommend that you do.

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I'm a history affectionado and had all but given up on TV programs, but Andrew Marr brought me back to the screen. This is the mostly brilliant, concise presentation of world history and more importantly the history of world culture I have ever come across. Andrew Marrs presents a well balanced collection of pivotal moments in human history, up to date with current historical and archaeological knowledge. And more importantly presents and links those event to the important cultural changes which shape are modern view of the world. Highly recommendable for children and adults alike and even if you know history this might once in while give you a new insight. Effectively a history lecture filmed on location it does, as far as I can see present all historical facts correctly while a global perspective is maintained. The tone is surprisingly intellectual and neutral and Andrew Marr presents Asian, Indian, Arabic and European history in well balanced episodes with only minimal use of drama and suspense owed to the medium.

Watch it, buy it, show to your children (I will once mine are old enough), this will be a classic of humanities education. Teachers, use it in school, there is no school book, which can compare with this program to show the central themes of human history.

Get a 10/10. Surely not comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster in special effects and acting but it 100% achieves its mission, telling human history and culture in context.

Thought I would watch episode 4 to see what was served up. Discovered, to my bemusement, that Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was portrayed as an Uzbek. That's news to me - the give away is in his name ak-Khwarizmi - of Khwarezm. He lived during the Abased Caliphate - circa 780 - 850 AD and is famous for al-jibr - better known as algebra. The Uzbeks were still nomadic peoples at this time. Maths had long been studied in places like Babylon and India at this time. Cordoba and Baghdad may have been large by the standards of the petty realms of Europe at that time but that didn't make them the largest cities in the world. In the West Cordoba would have vied with Byzantium for honours, and in Central Asia, several cities could easily have taken the crown - in particular Old Urgench (Konye-Urgench)capital of the Khwazemian Empire. And let's not forget the cities of China (or Song as it was then known). One could go on Misleading in important aspects

The series opens and closes with the Ayoreo tribe from Paraguay. It conveys an outmoded view of tribal peoples straight out of a colonialist's handbook. We are told they live like our ancestors and that history has passed them by. Neither are true and it's dangerous rubbish because it's exactly the same view which has led to the destruction of tribes throughout the world. We are also told that Africa was 'always dangerous' for early man (but the script thankfully fell short of calling it the 'dark continent'). The 're-enactments' of people passing out of Africa and growing crops for the first time are pure Monty Python. Best viewed as comedy. How this was a co-production with the Open University beats me.