Channel 4 has long had a tack record for producing first class History programming, and this is one of their best yet. Produced to mark the 70th anniversary of the Blitz, this Tony Robinson-presented series is a great look at the events of the late summer and autumn of 1940.
The centrepiece of the programme is a full reconstruction of a 1940′s style street. The first programme shows the team exploding replicas of German bombs to study the effect of blast and shrapnel. The footage and analysis is gripping stuff. Too often we hear about bomb damage in words, or see the effects in black and white photographs. But to watch a full reconstruction, in slow motion colour, really adds something to our understanding of the Blitz. What really occurs to me, is how the biggest bomb detonated in this programme was 500 kilograms -and the explosion was huge. But by the end of the war the RAF was using 20,000lb bombs!
The programme also makes excellent use of eyewitness accounts – people who lived through the blitz, such as firemen, air raid wardens and nurses. And they tell some harrowing stories, such as people who were killed by blast, without a mark on them. Some great colour footage of 1940 Britain is also incorporated in the programme. It is always good to see colour footage, as it does bring to life a period in british history that is often seen in black and white, in more ways than just its colour. The Historian’s used are perhaps not the best, however. But the production is slick, as we might expect, and as usual Tony Robinson is an enthusiastic and spot-on presenter.
It will be interesting to see how future episodes pan out. In particular I will interested to see how the programme deals with the tetchy issue of civilian morale during the Blitz.
Take a look at http://www.Freddibnahheritagecentre.co.uk for an amazing view of English heritage and how the industrial revolution put the Great in great britain. Tony Robinson would be a superb presenter for a programme on the restoration of Fred Dibnah’s famous workplace, one of the last remaining fully steam powered workyards in the UK. And you can help us restore it, please take a look and join us.