1: Heroes for All Times | Ian Hislop’s Olden Days

Duration: 59'20''

Synopsis

Documentary series in which Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. Here he examines King Arthur and King Alfred.

Further Information

More clips from Ian Hislop's Olden Days

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'19''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He shows how the Victorians turned to the Middle Ages to...

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'24''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He looks at the rural olden days - Britain's idealised vis...

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'19''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He shows how the Victorians turned to the Middle Ages to...

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'24''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He looks at the rural olden days - Britain's idealised vis...

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'19''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He shows how the Victorians turned to the Middle Ages to...

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'24''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He looks at the rural olden days - Britain's idealised vis...

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'19''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He shows how the Victorians turned to the Middle Ages to...

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

3: Green Imagined Land | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'24''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He looks at the rural olden days - Britain's idealised vis...

More resources about The Anglo-Saxons

1: Alfred of Wessex | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

1: Alfred of Wessex | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 59'04''

Michael Wood tells the story of King Alfred the Great and his children and grandson. Alfred fights a desperate guerril...

2: The Lady of the Mercians | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

2: The Lady of the Mercians | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 58'56''

Michael Wood uncovers the story of Alfred's daughter Aethelflaed, who led armies, campaigned against the Vikin...

3: Aethelstan: The First King of England | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

3: Aethelstan: The First King of England | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 59'00''

Michael Wood tells the tale of King Alfred's grandson Aethelstan, showing how he fulfilled the fa...

A look inside a Neolithic home | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

A look inside a Neolithic home | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

BBC Two | 2000 | 2'17''

Simon Schama investigates a Neolithic home.

Alfred and London | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Alfred and London | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 4'00''

Michael Wood discusses Alfred's biggest urban project, the 886 restoration of London.

Alfred and the Economy | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Alfred and the Economy | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 2'50''

Michael Wood discusses the economy and coinage under King Alfred.

Alfred Flees | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Alfred Flees | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 4'30''

Michael Wood investigates the conflict following Alfred of Wessex becoming King.

Alfred vs The Vikings | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Alfred vs The Vikings | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 3'35''

Michael Wood discusses the brutal battle between King Alfred and the Vikings and the following peace process.

Alfred's Kingdom | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Alfred's Kingdom | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 3'30''

Michael Wood investigates life in Alfred's Kingdom.

An introduction to Iron Age Britain | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

An introduction to Iron Age Britain | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

BBC Two | 2000 | 2'03''

Simon Schama introduces life in Iron Age Britain.

An introduction to Skara Brae | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

An introduction to Skara Brae | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

BBC Two | 2000 | 1'40''

Simon Schama visits the Stone Age cottages of Skara Brae in Orkney.

Anglo-Saxon Britain | Learning Zone

Anglo-Saxon Britain | Learning Zone

BBC Two | 2015 | 5'48''

One of the children is sick, and this is used as a means to explore the different approaches to medicine and medical care in Saxon times.

Britain AD: King Arthur's Britain

Britain AD: King Arthur's Britain

Channel 4 | 2004 | 49'39''

Francis Pryor returns to investigate Dark Ages Britain and find out who the English really are. He will argue that by the time of the Norma...

Early Life | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Early Life | King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

BBC Four | 2013 | 3'26''

Michael Wood discusses the early life of Alfred of Wessex.

Episode 1 | Saints and Sinners: Britain's Millennium of Monasteries

Episode 1 | Saints and Sinners: Britain's Millennium of Monasteries

BBC Four | 2015 | 58'58''

Dr Janina Ramirez begins her series by exploring how monasteries evolved from a cult of isolation and sel...

Episode 1 | Vikings

Episode 1 | Vikings

BBC HD | 2012 | 59'27''

Neil Oliver heads for Scandinavia to reveal the truth behind the legend of the Vikings, exploring the mysterious world of the Vikings' prehistoric ancest...

Episode 2 | Britain AD: King Arthur's Britain

Episode 2 | Britain AD: King Arthur's Britain

Channel 4 | 2004 | 49'27''

Francis Pryor returns to investigate Dark Ages Britain and find out who the English really are. He will argue that by the time ...

Episode 2 | Vikings

Episode 2 | Vikings

BBC HD | 2012 | 59'01''

Neil Oliver reveals the truth behind the legend of the Vikings. He heads out to Russia, Turkey and Ireland to trace the beginnings of a vast trading empire.

Episode 3 | Vikings

Episode 3 | Vikings

BBC HD | 2012 | 58'57''

Neil Oliver uncovers the truth about King Canute and explores how Christian conversions saw the Viking Age finally come to an end and the doors to Europe...

Fabricated speeches and Hadrian's Wall | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

Fabricated speeches and Hadrian's Wall | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

BBC Two | 2000 | 3'32''

Simon Schama explains the history of Hadrian's Wall.

More from Ian Hislop

3: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

3: Sinful Sex and Demon Drink | Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'13''

The perils of booze and sex are the focus for the final episode of Ian Hislop's series about Victorian ref...

Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True History

Ian Hislop's Fake News: A True History

BBC Four | 2019 | 59'31''

Ian Hislop's sharp, provocative take on 200 years of fake news and its consequences - from Victorians on the moon to 21st-century deep...

Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits

Workers or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits

BBC Two | 2016 | 59'07''

Ian Hislop presents an entertaining and provocative look at Victorian attitudes to the poor, exploring the views of five...

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

2: Forward into the Past | Ian Hislop's Olden Days

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'19''

Ian Hislop explores the British trait of obsession with the past. He shows how the Victorians turned to the Middle Ages to...

3: Last Hurrah? | Ian Hislop's Stiff Upper Lip - An Emotional History of Britain

3: Last Hurrah? | Ian Hislop's Stiff Upper Lip - An Emotional History of Britain

BBC HD | 2012 | 59'32''

Ian Hislop investigates Britain's emotional history. He takes a wry and witty look at the up...

Elizabeth Fry | Ian Hislop: When Bankers Were Good

Elizabeth Fry | Ian Hislop: When Bankers Were Good

BBC Two | 2011 | 3'12''

Like so many other Victorian bankers, Samuel Gurney was a Quaker. Banking and its rewards seemed at odds with a faith that...

6: The Men Who Wouldn't Fight | Not Forgotten

6: The Men Who Wouldn't Fight | Not Forgotten

Channel 4 | 2007 | 48'21''

In this special edition of Not Forgotten, Ian Hislop explores the powerful and often overlooked stories of conscientious object...

Power: the Repeal of the Corn Laws, 1846 | A Revolution in Five Acts

Power: the Repeal of the Corn Laws, 1846 | A Revolution in Five Acts

BBC Radio 4 | 2001 | 27'08''

An ear of corn is at the heart of the second programme in the daily series. Ian Hislop charts an Act tha...