A nice email dropped into my inbox today. ‘We’d like you to make a TV documentary for us,’ it said (I paraphrase, but only slightly.) ‘What would you like to do?’
Well, I have lots of ideas. Some big, some small. Some medieval, some modern. What I don’t have is a sense of what you would most like to see.
So this is me asking. What would you watch?
There’s one rule - or maybe two. I can’t/don’t want to make another series of something I’ve already done - so anyone about to type SOGBC3, chill out. And ideally I’d like to make something based in Britain and/or western Europe.
Otherwise, go hog wild. We can talk about the best ideas on the podcast this Friday.
Concept - Each episode focuses on a Viking voyage, raid, exploration. Dan Jones re lives that voyage, or battle and gets a sense of what life they saw, did, etc by walking in their footsteps.
Episode 1 - Vikings in Scandinavia
Episode 2 - Raid on Lindisfarne
Episode 3 - York, Heathen Army possibly
Episode 4 - Siege of Paris
Episode 5 - Iceland and beyond. (New World, med, Byzantium)
Episode 6 - Demise and fall, Stamford bridge.
Why now - Vikings will always capture the imaginations of people, but with big games such as Assassins creed Valhalla, Valheim, God of War, shows such as the last kingdom and the recently released Vikings Valhalla, that interest by be a good time to strike.
Where - Mostly Western Europe and Britain, possible further a field.
Haven't seen gold standard premium tv content about Vikings since around 2010.
*******Happy to be your runner for this one and bring you coffee and beer***********.
There has been so much interest on this channel about kick-ass women of the Middle Ages, why don't you do a documentary around a set of them along the theme of, "You think you're hard, well consider this woman..." I think it would be wonderfully instructive for a wider audience and also fun for everyone. That's my view.
For me, it would have to be a history of Wales. Where they started, under Welsh rule, then under English rule etc. I think it would be very interesting. I would also love a documentary on Vikings!
The delicate dance that history and folklore have upon one another in forming a culture, and how folklore demonstrates a culture's core values. I think that could be fascinating!
Mar 23, 2022·edited Mar 23, 2022Liked by Dan Jones
How about a programme on the universities of Europe and how they were formed by political events, and helped to shape political decision making (think Henry VIII's Great Matter, the end of the Templars, religion/reformation, revolutions, or even as a source of civil servants). Then there are the scientific discoveries led by universities, Also - my personal favourite - the universities' architecture is interesting: how the Oxbridge colleges for instance were designed, or the wonderful other buildings throughout Europe.
You could stretch 'history' to even the 20th century, the role of students in 1968 springs to mind.
It would be nice to include Eastern Europe, Krakow and Warsaw are not that far 😊
BTW I'm late to the party of your British castles series, currently watching it on YouTube. The oubliette is dreadful, how on earth did you dare to crawl into it (camera crew included)....
I would love something on the history of surgery and medicine. You could start with the ancient Greeks all the way to today. Or you could do one on major plagues/pandemics through time. Or even a series on bad monarchs/rulers through time not just Britain but France and Spain etc. Other than that, what would be your dream TV series be about? Can be about anything.
How about unknown folks and lores of Europe? You could draw out the more unusual characters, events, folklores and customs of the past, providing material that (beyond the academic world) is usually unknown and really interesting! This would also make it quite different from other programmes out there :)
Here is something to consider for a TV show. Throughout its history, large swaths of Europe have been controlled or occupied by various empires. So we have:
1. Romans
2. Charlemagne
3. Mongols
4. Turks/Muslims
5. Habsburgs (HRE)
6. Nazi Germany
7. Russia/Communists
In each case, the empire failed. It might be interesting to explore how each empire arose and why it fell. Also, one could point out that the current European "empire," which could be described as NATO or the EU, is under siege to an extent, and ask whether it, too, will fail.
The Anglo Saxons, for sure. I feel that a lot of documentaries tend to kind of skip over this period, ie. "the Romans left, the Anglo Saxons arrived, the Vikings attacked, and finally 1066 happened so we can start our look at English History at this point".
In my mind, the show starts with the Roman withdrawal from Britannia in 410 AD, taking us through the Anglo Saxon conquest of the island, the Viking raids and ending with the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Take us through the accounts of the Venerable Bede and the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. Showing us Lindisfarne, Sutton Hoo, the Mucking cemetery, maybe the Jutish settlements on the Isle of Wight (I admit this is a personal interest as I'm from East Cowes). There are some really big personalities who deserve to be more widely known - Alfred the Great, Emma of Normandy, Cnut, Offa of Mercia, etc. This could be their time to shine!
I vote for Power & Thrones or something on Vikings.
What about the transition/fusion of superstition and magic to scientific discoveries to dispel the term “Dark Ages”? Go into the Islamic Golden Age during Abbasid Dynasty, the polymaths delving into astrology, mathematics, medicine, and science to the more eccentric obsessions like the hunt for the elixir of life, turning metals into gold, speaking to the spiritual world, Leonardo da Vinci, John Dee, Hildegard von Bingen, etc? There was such an overlap with magic and science back then. It would be interesting to compare their theories and beliefs to what we know today.
What about something related to your novel Essex Dogs? Can show the different places (beaches of Normandy), what it was like to be a soldier during this period, etc. would be a great piece for anyone who would want to explore the real story more.
I have a few ideas (one of these is from my son and has asked me to pass it on).
An evolution of the British Royal Family. Who were they? Why were offsrping sometimes not the direct heir? Where did they live? Why did the palaces / castles change.
A TV adaption of Powers and Thrones. Similar to the series you did with Britian's bloody crown and the wars of the roses.
Or further on the rise of Islam - just thinking of the locations for shooting would be amazing.
Finally, do you remember the TV show Treasure Hunt? Racing around the UK in a helicopter solving clues to visit a series of historical sites to find a vase, picture, other historical artifact. You could bring that back
Morning Dan. Could I have 2? The English Civil War. What lead to the war, the war itself, Crowellian rule and the return of Charles II. Second one, the history of piracy, that way you get to return to the Caribbean all expenses paid.....
To go alongside the release of Essex Dogs a series on the Hundred Years War would be good. So many topics/themes to cover over a long period of time. I don't think this subject has been given much attention recently so is not that well known amongst the general population.
I would love to see a tv series on Power and Thrones. Similar to the series you did with Britain’s bloody crown. I would also like to see a series on the vikings raids that will be interesting.
What about the great British medieval pub tour.. few tales about the town, death, murder, crimes rounding it all off in the pub having a drink. Just grasping at straws.. all the good ideas have already been taken. I live the Viking ideas…. Or oh just thought rise of Christianity churches / monasteries - there were some tales to tell…
Something to do with the tribal people of GB, and how Wales, Ireland, and Scotland came to be. I feel like we spend a lot of time recognizing the colonization of America and other countries because it is much more fresh in our puny historical minds, but GB was once colonized too, and I think shining a light on that is important. Not to mention, the Scots and the Picts are simply bad ass.
Maybe a medieval ghost story animation series? The imagery in The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is pretty vivid, and the story itself is pretty compelling and lends itself perfectly to something special.
Time Travelling Detective. A Holmes away from Home. Medieval Marple. A Tour of some of Med-evil geniuses of the past. Something like that. I think since your post about the princes in the tower a while ago I've had a hankering for some more mysteries from the middle ages, and I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, you're the man to solve them. I'd love to see more of those. And hey, if you need someone to write the music...
I would love a good documentary or documentary series on the dark ages or the viking raids and settlement - or preferably both topics! And if the Viking era then not told from the point of view of monks but ordinary people. Having watched the Last Kingdom the Vikings are truly terrifying, eg they hang prisoners from the ceilings and tortue them for entertainment
The University of Exeter study that War Horses were likely the size of pit-ponies is fascinating. That could be your jumping-off point.
Team up with an eminent naturalist and an episodic revolving door of experts and delve into the animals that shaped medievel europe. Some episode ideas.
Ep 1 - War Ponies?
Ep 2 - The medievel tractor - Oxen
Ep 3 - Lord's best friend - hounds
Ep 4 - Viral Varmits - Rats (fleas) etc
Ep 5 - Aristocratic entrees - the animals that were eaten centuries ago, which aren't now - lampreys, swans etc
Ep 6 - Animal apocalypse - Extinct animals - Aurochs, Great Auk, wolves in britain etc
The Vikings idea is very popular, and I’d toss in a vote for that one, along with the marriage between history and folklore (teamed up with Aaron Mehnke, the creator of the podcast ‘Lore’ and his production company Grim & Mild).
BUT, for another possible avenue, how about you essentially putting together a ‘first trip to the UK for a history nerd’. Everything from your favorite sites to visit (both obvious and less well known), to good food, travel tips and tourist traps to avoid, the best time of year to do it, fun things to do along the way, favorite events to see….the best ways to experience and express one’s love for medieval history in our current time.
Truly a selfish request, as my fiancé and I want to honeymoon in the UK, but there’s SO much we want to do it’s overwhelming!
Plus, plugging travel post-COVID may be well received in the production arena too.
Two ideas: Catherine de Valois & Owen Tudor, or the English relationship with the Cherokees (it was a good one). As fate would have it, I could assist with both. Cheers Dan 🙌 Best of luck.
Dam! Ideally 'Britain or Western Europe' in your ask! My bad! Still like the American Civil war at some point but,
The 'shadow queens' of Britain and Europe? We hear about the Kings and some Queens (Eleanor of Aquitaine or Catherine Aragon for instance) but not the others in history. There is little written on them, so bring them out of the shadows? Who was the power behind the throne or even the Barony, so maybe a little wider than Queens?
My current fascination...William Shakespeare. Who was he, why do people think the actor from Stratford was/wasn't the author, who are the leading contenders if the author isn't the actor, etc.
Mysteries of the Middle Ages…other than Princes in the Tower. I’d love to see a historic almost true crime series about pre Bobby Peel England (or other European nations.)
As I have mentioned before, I have a fascination about disputed reigns in the English Monarchy, Matilda, Louis, Jane, etc..
Alternatively, how's about the Hansiatic League?
Or, if it's after the "watershed", The Life and Times of Eliza Gilbert, Grafin von Landsfeld, a.k.a. Lola Montez. Social reformer, high class courtesan and erotic dancer. Several of her husbands and lovers died in strange circumstances and one lost a kingdom. She would be one hell of a dinner guest.
If we can't have a European version of "SOGBC" I would love a series about some of the people behind the regents that made a historic impact. People like William Marshall, John of Gaunt, William Cecil - Lord Burghley, Jasper Tudor...
Good. My annoying emails to BBC worked, perhaps? As I have said may times, a traveling show which follows Powers & Thrones would be spectacular. The book is terrific, so imagine it brought to life... by the author...on-screen! Then, you can go to all the places COVID nixed during the writing of it. Bring in colleagues for a discussion within particular chapters and, of course, use humor. That always breaks up the tension of murder, plague, starvation and mayhem.
All these amazing ideas here (especially the Viking raids!) will put mine to shame. But I’d love to see something to do with trying to find the actual places and stories behind some of our most beloved horror stories. Dracula, Frankenstein and such. Bringing fact and fiction together. Spooky but interesting.
How about what would have happened if it was proven or known that Elizabeth I was not Henry VIII's daughter? Then MQOS would have been Queen. How would history have changed?
There's a huge swathe of people (including me) who are fascinated by ancient earthworks, stone circles and Neolithic architecture. I know Stonehenge has been done to death, but Silbury Hill, Glastonbury Tor, the tombs in Scotland, Ireland and the islands, and maybe further afield, Brittany springs to mind. You could call it 'Monuments and Myths' (or something).
Or how about a tour of the world's Cathedrals, Mosques, Synagogues and Temples?
Because we haven’t heard enough about pandemics recently, how about a series on plague? There must be loads of scope for visiting places to describe the impact from documentary evidence as well as the archaeology of plague. You could try some remedies and potions and give us some insights into what people thought about what was going on. The Black Death of 1348/9 is an obvious focus, but you could have episodes on other outbreaks throughout the period including the Children’s Plague of 1361. Plenty of location work - some deserted medieval villages to visit and places from where to recount the most vivid stories. Could be Europe-wide or just the U.K. Compare the plague to covid and other more recent pandemics, or not!
Exciting news! Something like the definitive history of the 100 years war would be awesome and would also help frame the story around Essex Dogs for those new to the period (and might boost sales from a more selfish viewpoint!). Without blowing smoke, you’ve got great skill distilling complex periods into manageable chunks (see Hollow Crown and associated TV show) so that would be awesome!
I love the day to day stuff, like when you learned about the food, clothing, and pottery in the Roman roads series. Things like fabrication and medicine, building, trading and money. Tradition and superstitions. What still carries through to today?
Well I was gonna say castles in Europe lol. Does that count as SOGBC?
My ideas other then that are:
1. Vikings and their direct effects on Britain. Talk about some of the myths and expose them and talk about the truths. How Danelaw interacted with its neighbors on the daily and politically,as well.
2. The English civil war.
3. Some kind of spin off on your Color of Time. Focusing on a certain time frame or something specific like WWi or ii, but featuring Marina and her work in it as a jump off for each episode.
Hi Dan, while possibly controversial in the current climate, I’d love to see you detail something relating to the Holy Land. Both pre- Christian and Christian, Muslim histories and landmarks, tied in with the Crusades maybe. It would be great to experience that sort of history from a secular perspective
I would love to know something about the use of mind altering substances in medieval times - what did they use anything to fire up those medieval warriors - presumably alcohol, but what else? And also, what about the history of body art - it seems to be something close to your heart - literally...tattoos are ubiquitous now, which would seem to imply there would be a receptive audience.
Viking Voyage's by Dan Jones.
Concept - Each episode focuses on a Viking voyage, raid, exploration. Dan Jones re lives that voyage, or battle and gets a sense of what life they saw, did, etc by walking in their footsteps.
Episode 1 - Vikings in Scandinavia
Episode 2 - Raid on Lindisfarne
Episode 3 - York, Heathen Army possibly
Episode 4 - Siege of Paris
Episode 5 - Iceland and beyond. (New World, med, Byzantium)
Episode 6 - Demise and fall, Stamford bridge.
Why now - Vikings will always capture the imaginations of people, but with big games such as Assassins creed Valhalla, Valheim, God of War, shows such as the last kingdom and the recently released Vikings Valhalla, that interest by be a good time to strike.
Where - Mostly Western Europe and Britain, possible further a field.
Haven't seen gold standard premium tv content about Vikings since around 2010.
*******Happy to be your runner for this one and bring you coffee and beer***********.
Hey Dan,
There has been so much interest on this channel about kick-ass women of the Middle Ages, why don't you do a documentary around a set of them along the theme of, "You think you're hard, well consider this woman..." I think it would be wonderfully instructive for a wider audience and also fun for everyone. That's my view.
Stephen & Matilda - the whole Anarchy period sounds terrifying and complicated!
For me, it would have to be a history of Wales. Where they started, under Welsh rule, then under English rule etc. I think it would be very interesting. I would also love a documentary on Vikings!
The delicate dance that history and folklore have upon one another in forming a culture, and how folklore demonstrates a culture's core values. I think that could be fascinating!
The life of William Marshall.
How about a programme on the universities of Europe and how they were formed by political events, and helped to shape political decision making (think Henry VIII's Great Matter, the end of the Templars, religion/reformation, revolutions, or even as a source of civil servants). Then there are the scientific discoveries led by universities, Also - my personal favourite - the universities' architecture is interesting: how the Oxbridge colleges for instance were designed, or the wonderful other buildings throughout Europe.
You could stretch 'history' to even the 20th century, the role of students in 1968 springs to mind.
It would be nice to include Eastern Europe, Krakow and Warsaw are not that far 😊
BTW I'm late to the party of your British castles series, currently watching it on YouTube. The oubliette is dreadful, how on earth did you dare to crawl into it (camera crew included)....
I would love something on the history of surgery and medicine. You could start with the ancient Greeks all the way to today. Or you could do one on major plagues/pandemics through time. Or even a series on bad monarchs/rulers through time not just Britain but France and Spain etc. Other than that, what would be your dream TV series be about? Can be about anything.
How about unknown folks and lores of Europe? You could draw out the more unusual characters, events, folklores and customs of the past, providing material that (beyond the academic world) is usually unknown and really interesting! This would also make it quite different from other programmes out there :)
Here is something to consider for a TV show. Throughout its history, large swaths of Europe have been controlled or occupied by various empires. So we have:
1. Romans
2. Charlemagne
3. Mongols
4. Turks/Muslims
5. Habsburgs (HRE)
6. Nazi Germany
7. Russia/Communists
In each case, the empire failed. It might be interesting to explore how each empire arose and why it fell. Also, one could point out that the current European "empire," which could be described as NATO or the EU, is under siege to an extent, and ask whether it, too, will fail.
The Anglo Saxons, for sure. I feel that a lot of documentaries tend to kind of skip over this period, ie. "the Romans left, the Anglo Saxons arrived, the Vikings attacked, and finally 1066 happened so we can start our look at English History at this point".
In my mind, the show starts with the Roman withdrawal from Britannia in 410 AD, taking us through the Anglo Saxon conquest of the island, the Viking raids and ending with the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Take us through the accounts of the Venerable Bede and the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. Showing us Lindisfarne, Sutton Hoo, the Mucking cemetery, maybe the Jutish settlements on the Isle of Wight (I admit this is a personal interest as I'm from East Cowes). There are some really big personalities who deserve to be more widely known - Alfred the Great, Emma of Normandy, Cnut, Offa of Mercia, etc. This could be their time to shine!
I vote for Power & Thrones or something on Vikings.
What about the transition/fusion of superstition and magic to scientific discoveries to dispel the term “Dark Ages”? Go into the Islamic Golden Age during Abbasid Dynasty, the polymaths delving into astrology, mathematics, medicine, and science to the more eccentric obsessions like the hunt for the elixir of life, turning metals into gold, speaking to the spiritual world, Leonardo da Vinci, John Dee, Hildegard von Bingen, etc? There was such an overlap with magic and science back then. It would be interesting to compare their theories and beliefs to what we know today.
What about something related to your novel Essex Dogs? Can show the different places (beaches of Normandy), what it was like to be a soldier during this period, etc. would be a great piece for anyone who would want to explore the real story more.
I have a few ideas (one of these is from my son and has asked me to pass it on).
An evolution of the British Royal Family. Who were they? Why were offsrping sometimes not the direct heir? Where did they live? Why did the palaces / castles change.
A TV adaption of Powers and Thrones. Similar to the series you did with Britian's bloody crown and the wars of the roses.
Or further on the rise of Islam - just thinking of the locations for shooting would be amazing.
Finally, do you remember the TV show Treasure Hunt? Racing around the UK in a helicopter solving clues to visit a series of historical sites to find a vase, picture, other historical artifact. You could bring that back
Morning Dan. Could I have 2? The English Civil War. What lead to the war, the war itself, Crowellian rule and the return of Charles II. Second one, the history of piracy, that way you get to return to the Caribbean all expenses paid.....
To go alongside the release of Essex Dogs a series on the Hundred Years War would be good. So many topics/themes to cover over a long period of time. I don't think this subject has been given much attention recently so is not that well known amongst the general population.
I would love to see a tv series on Power and Thrones. Similar to the series you did with Britain’s bloody crown. I would also like to see a series on the vikings raids that will be interesting.
What about the great British medieval pub tour.. few tales about the town, death, murder, crimes rounding it all off in the pub having a drink. Just grasping at straws.. all the good ideas have already been taken. I live the Viking ideas…. Or oh just thought rise of Christianity churches / monasteries - there were some tales to tell…
Something to do with the tribal people of GB, and how Wales, Ireland, and Scotland came to be. I feel like we spend a lot of time recognizing the colonization of America and other countries because it is much more fresh in our puny historical minds, but GB was once colonized too, and I think shining a light on that is important. Not to mention, the Scots and the Picts are simply bad ass.
Maybe a medieval ghost story animation series? The imagery in The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is pretty vivid, and the story itself is pretty compelling and lends itself perfectly to something special.
Time Travelling Detective. A Holmes away from Home. Medieval Marple. A Tour of some of Med-evil geniuses of the past. Something like that. I think since your post about the princes in the tower a while ago I've had a hankering for some more mysteries from the middle ages, and I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, you're the man to solve them. I'd love to see more of those. And hey, if you need someone to write the music...
You already know my answer: Pompeii. 🔥
Maybe a Great British Abbeys. The history behind them etc etc.
I would love a good documentary or documentary series on the dark ages or the viking raids and settlement - or preferably both topics! And if the Viking era then not told from the point of view of monks but ordinary people. Having watched the Last Kingdom the Vikings are truly terrifying, eg they hang prisoners from the ceilings and tortue them for entertainment
Medieval animals?
The University of Exeter study that War Horses were likely the size of pit-ponies is fascinating. That could be your jumping-off point.
Team up with an eminent naturalist and an episodic revolving door of experts and delve into the animals that shaped medievel europe. Some episode ideas.
Ep 1 - War Ponies?
Ep 2 - The medievel tractor - Oxen
Ep 3 - Lord's best friend - hounds
Ep 4 - Viral Varmits - Rats (fleas) etc
Ep 5 - Aristocratic entrees - the animals that were eaten centuries ago, which aren't now - lampreys, swans etc
Ep 6 - Animal apocalypse - Extinct animals - Aurochs, Great Auk, wolves in britain etc
I may be weird... but I'd watch.
The Vikings idea is very popular, and I’d toss in a vote for that one, along with the marriage between history and folklore (teamed up with Aaron Mehnke, the creator of the podcast ‘Lore’ and his production company Grim & Mild).
BUT, for another possible avenue, how about you essentially putting together a ‘first trip to the UK for a history nerd’. Everything from your favorite sites to visit (both obvious and less well known), to good food, travel tips and tourist traps to avoid, the best time of year to do it, fun things to do along the way, favorite events to see….the best ways to experience and express one’s love for medieval history in our current time.
Truly a selfish request, as my fiancé and I want to honeymoon in the UK, but there’s SO much we want to do it’s overwhelming!
Plus, plugging travel post-COVID may be well received in the production arena too.
Two ideas: Catherine de Valois & Owen Tudor, or the English relationship with the Cherokees (it was a good one). As fate would have it, I could assist with both. Cheers Dan 🙌 Best of luck.
Dam! Ideally 'Britain or Western Europe' in your ask! My bad! Still like the American Civil war at some point but,
The 'shadow queens' of Britain and Europe? We hear about the Kings and some Queens (Eleanor of Aquitaine or Catherine Aragon for instance) but not the others in history. There is little written on them, so bring them out of the shadows? Who was the power behind the throne or even the Barony, so maybe a little wider than Queens?
For me the great stories of Genghis Kan but a show about Vikings sounds great too!
My current fascination...William Shakespeare. Who was he, why do people think the actor from Stratford was/wasn't the author, who are the leading contenders if the author isn't the actor, etc.
Mysteries of the Middle Ages…other than Princes in the Tower. I’d love to see a historic almost true crime series about pre Bobby Peel England (or other European nations.)
As I have mentioned before, I have a fascination about disputed reigns in the English Monarchy, Matilda, Louis, Jane, etc..
Alternatively, how's about the Hansiatic League?
Or, if it's after the "watershed", The Life and Times of Eliza Gilbert, Grafin von Landsfeld, a.k.a. Lola Montez. Social reformer, high class courtesan and erotic dancer. Several of her husbands and lovers died in strange circumstances and one lost a kingdom. She would be one hell of a dinner guest.
I would love to learn more on the knights templar and their connection to Malta 🇲🇹.
Dan I would love to see a document on the history of Wales. It is definitely the least known part of the UK here in the states.
If we can't have a European version of "SOGBC" I would love a series about some of the people behind the regents that made a historic impact. People like William Marshall, John of Gaunt, William Cecil - Lord Burghley, Jasper Tudor...
Good. My annoying emails to BBC worked, perhaps? As I have said may times, a traveling show which follows Powers & Thrones would be spectacular. The book is terrific, so imagine it brought to life... by the author...on-screen! Then, you can go to all the places COVID nixed during the writing of it. Bring in colleagues for a discussion within particular chapters and, of course, use humor. That always breaks up the tension of murder, plague, starvation and mayhem.
All these amazing ideas here (especially the Viking raids!) will put mine to shame. But I’d love to see something to do with trying to find the actual places and stories behind some of our most beloved horror stories. Dracula, Frankenstein and such. Bringing fact and fiction together. Spooky but interesting.
How about what would have happened if it was proven or known that Elizabeth I was not Henry VIII's daughter? Then MQOS would have been Queen. How would history have changed?
There's a huge swathe of people (including me) who are fascinated by ancient earthworks, stone circles and Neolithic architecture. I know Stonehenge has been done to death, but Silbury Hill, Glastonbury Tor, the tombs in Scotland, Ireland and the islands, and maybe further afield, Brittany springs to mind. You could call it 'Monuments and Myths' (or something).
Or how about a tour of the world's Cathedrals, Mosques, Synagogues and Temples?
Because we haven’t heard enough about pandemics recently, how about a series on plague? There must be loads of scope for visiting places to describe the impact from documentary evidence as well as the archaeology of plague. You could try some remedies and potions and give us some insights into what people thought about what was going on. The Black Death of 1348/9 is an obvious focus, but you could have episodes on other outbreaks throughout the period including the Children’s Plague of 1361. Plenty of location work - some deserted medieval villages to visit and places from where to recount the most vivid stories. Could be Europe-wide or just the U.K. Compare the plague to covid and other more recent pandemics, or not!
I would love to see you do something of an Italian Renaissance history and art crossover, obvs. (Not a stuck record at all really, am I? 😳)
Exciting news! Something like the definitive history of the 100 years war would be awesome and would also help frame the story around Essex Dogs for those new to the period (and might boost sales from a more selfish viewpoint!). Without blowing smoke, you’ve got great skill distilling complex periods into manageable chunks (see Hollow Crown and associated TV show) so that would be awesome!
Good morning, live in London, Friday heading to Edinburgh
One idea would be
Pirates, Bandits, and Thieves
the Draining of the Fenns
I love the day to day stuff, like when you learned about the food, clothing, and pottery in the Roman roads series. Things like fabrication and medicine, building, trading and money. Tradition and superstitions. What still carries through to today?
Well I was gonna say castles in Europe lol. Does that count as SOGBC?
My ideas other then that are:
1. Vikings and their direct effects on Britain. Talk about some of the myths and expose them and talk about the truths. How Danelaw interacted with its neighbors on the daily and politically,as well.
2. The English civil war.
3. Some kind of spin off on your Color of Time. Focusing on a certain time frame or something specific like WWi or ii, but featuring Marina and her work in it as a jump off for each episode.
Historical beach invasions!
Hi Dan, while possibly controversial in the current climate, I’d love to see you detail something relating to the Holy Land. Both pre- Christian and Christian, Muslim histories and landmarks, tied in with the Crusades maybe. It would be great to experience that sort of history from a secular perspective
I would love to know something about the use of mind altering substances in medieval times - what did they use anything to fire up those medieval warriors - presumably alcohol, but what else? And also, what about the history of body art - it seems to be something close to your heart - literally...tattoos are ubiquitous now, which would seem to imply there would be a receptive audience.
Spanish history... From Arabic rule through Catholic kings to 1936 - 39 war.