Britain's Most Historic Towns

Britain's Most Historic Towns is a British television history programme presented by Alice Roberts that aired on Channel 4 in 2018.[1][2]

Britain's Most Historic Towns
GenreDocumentary
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer(s)Dominic Bowles
Producer(s)Dominic Ozanne / Liam McArdle
Running time48 minutes
Release
Original networkChannel 4
Original release7 April 2018 (2018-04-07) –
present

History

Britain's Most Historic Towns is a history program first aired on 7 April 2018 which ran for six episodes. The premise of the program was that presenter Professor Alice Roberts and contributor Dr Ben Robinson would provide evidence and stories to back up each week's featured town's claim to be the most historic town from a period in British history.

A second series of the programme started on Channel 4 on 18 May 2019 with a programme based on Wartime Dover.[3]

List of episodes

Series 1
Episode number Episode name Original date aired Episode information Viewing figure[4] Executive Producer/s Series Producer
1 Roman Chester 7 April 2018 Alice visits Chester where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Roman town. In this episode she abseils down the city's Roman Walls; dons Roman costume to sample a banquet; visits a cafe's basement to see ancient remains; unveils the bloodthirsty entertainment available at the amphitheatre and uses CGI to show how the Roman city and Garrison would have looked.[5] 1.84m Dominic Bowles Dominic Ozanne
2 Viking York 14 April 2018 Alice visits York where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Viking town. In this episode she takes part in a Viking battle; meets the metal detectorists behind one of Britain's greatest archaeological finds and handles a 1000 year old poo. From the air, Ben Robinson shows how the current layout of the town reflects its history.[6] 1.49m Dominic Bowles Dominic Ozanne
3 Norman Winchester[7] 21 April 2018 Alice visits Winchester where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Norman town. In this episode she tries to storm a castle wearing Chain mail armour; investigates the origins or modern surgery; tries eating Eel pie and uses CGI to show how the Norman city would have looked.[8] 1.09m Dominic Bowles Dominic Ozanne
4 Tudor Norwich 28 April 2018 Alice visits Norwich where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Tudor town. In this episode she uncovers the harsh reality of religious intolerance and experiences Tudor justice by ducking in the River Wensum. From the air, Ben Robinson shows how the current layout of the town reflects its history, and they use CGI to show how the Tudor city would have looked.[9] 1.41m Dominic Bowles Dominic Ozanne
5 Regency Cheltenham 4 May 2018 Alice visits Cheltenham where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Regency town. In this episode she uncovers the start of the Spa and joins a Regency ball with assistance from Lucy Worsley.[10] 1.03m Dominic Bowles Dominic Ozanne
6 Victorian Belfast 11 May 2018 Alice visits Belfast where she provides evidence to show it is Britain's most Victorian town. In this episode she discovers how Belfast went from being a small town to a large city; has a go at spinning flax; visits the Harland and Wolff shipyard where RMS Titanic was built and meets an expert on Music hall.[11] 0.88m Dominic Bowles Dominic Ozanne

Series 2
Episode number Episode name Original date aired Episode information Viewing figure[12] Executive Producer/s Series Producer
1 Wartime Dover 18 May 2019 Alice visits Dover to examine the effects of World War 2 on the town. She explores the underground base where Dunkirk was planned, talks to a 90yr old former ATS member about life during the Battle of Britain and experiences life as a land girl. Ben uses aerial footage to show the challenges facing the Royal Navy.[13] 1.39m Dominic Bowles Liam McArdle
2 Georgian Bristol 25 May 2019 Alice explores her home town of Bristol during the Georgian period. She investigates the Slave trade and the part Bristol played, while hearing about the Georgian love of Gin and the world's first chocolate factory at Fry's. Ben uses aerial footage to show how the wealth generated during this period changed the city.[14] 1.28m Dominic Bowles Liam McArdle
3 Edwardian Cardiff 1 June 2019 Alice explores the Welsh capital of Cardiff during the Edwardian period. She discovers the growth of the city fuelled by different Marquess of Bute and the coal trade. She investigates how it was mined, that the world trade in coal was managed in the city's coal exchange and the world's first million pound trade deal. She also looks at how the trade links with the rest of the world brought a multicultural flavour to Cardiff in the early 20th century.[15] 1.01m Dominic Bowles Liam McArdle
4 Civil War Oxford 8 June 2019 Alice explores the University city of Oxford to discover its importance during the English Civil War. She discovers why Charles I made Oxford his new capital after fleeing London, and the growth of its population during the 9 years of conflict. She also experiences Charles I favourite sport, how to fire a musket and what life under the puritan Oliver Cromwell was like. Ben uses aerial photography to show the strategic importance of Oxford and its defences.[16] n/a* Dominic Bowles Liam McArdle
5 Plantagenet Canterbury 15 June 2019 Alice explores Canterbury and its links with the Plantagenet Kings of England. She investigates the story behind King Henry II and Thomas A. Becket and the cathedral’s power during this time. Alice also looks at the influence of Geoffrey Chaucer’s book The Canterbury Tales and its part in the development of the English language. Ben uses aerial photography to show the size of the religious area of the city and the impact of the black death on the population during this time.[17] 1.43m Dominic Bowles Liam McArdle
6 Stewart Stirling 22 June 2019 1.19m
  • Not in BARB top 20 viewing figures

References
  1. "Uncovering the secrets of Britain's most historic towns – from Viking hairstyles to a fondness for enemas - The Telegraph p.6 April by S. Horsfold". Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. ""First look: York stars on TV in Britain's Most Historic Towns" - York Mix.Com p.6 April 2018". Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. "Britain's Most Historic Towns – Series 2 (2019) - Kent Film Office p.15 may 2019". Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  4. "BARB Weekly Top 30 programmes". Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  5. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 1 Series 1 - Radio Times". Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  6. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 2 Series 1 - Radio Times". Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  7. ""Channel 4 documentary Britain's Most Historic Towns to air this weekend with Winchester focus" - Hampshire Chronicle" p.20 April 2018".
  8. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 3 Series 1 - Radio Times". Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  9. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 4 Series 1 - Radio Times". Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  10. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 5 Series 1 - Radio Times". Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  11. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Episode 6 Series 1 - Radio Times". Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  12. "BARB 4 screen dashboard". Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  13. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Series 2 Episode 1 - Radio Times". Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  14. "Britain's Most Historic Towns Series 2 Episode 2 - Radio Times". Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  15. "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 2 Episode 3 - Radio Times". Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  16. "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 2 Episode 4 - Radio Times". Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  17. "Britain's Most Historical Towns Series 2 Episode 5 - Radio Times". Retrieved 17 June 2019.
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