Michael Wood's Story of England [DVD]

When I watched this series when it was first broadcast in 2010, I was not terribly impressed. I thought it too rambling, too lacking in cohesiveness, too full of ... well too full of people! Now I have watched it twice on DVD - and read Michael Wood's book on the subject - I am certainly more generous in my praise.This is largely because I have now been able to concentrate on the story of this village-cum-town in Leicestershire without the diversions of family and chores, and I have therefore become more appreciative of the immense detail contained within the series - and how Wood has managed quietly to slip in some profound observations amid all the jollity and junketing. It is still a ramble, but Michael Wood keeps it within a cohesive frame, spending much of the time alone with the viewer as he expands and elaborates his theories on the origins and development of Englishness.Wood is at pains to stress the normality of Kibworth, that (as he puts it), "In this one place you can tell the whole story of the nation." To a degree, the same could be said of anywhere in England. But, as I wrote in my review of the book, the argument would be more over what's missing from the Kibworth story rather than what it is in it. For instance, there was no local landowning abbey, so immediately there is a difference from the story of most other medieval settlements in England. Moreover, Kibworth is close to Bosworth and Lutterworth with all that that implies; it experienced late enclosure of its open fields; it had no local mines or quarries; and - perhaps, most importantly - it is so far from the sea. All of these (and more) make the juxtaposition of the Kibworth story and the English story problematical.But that is not to detract from the inherent value in the story of Kibworth, even if only for its own sake. With the assistance of such well-known national expert academics as Carenza Lewis, David Carpenter, Christopher Dyer, and Nicholas Orme, this series is a community history of the history of a community, a history from below. Shot at all times of the year in the streets of the town, in the pub, in the church, in the school, in gardens and homes, cafes and workplaces, and in the fields that surround the settlement. And, of course, shot in the local record offices and in Kew, as well as in Leicester and at Merton College, Oxford. Along the way Wood also takes us to Laxton in Nottinghamshire, Repton in Derbyshire, Lewes in Sussex, Evesham in Worcestershire, Coventry's Guildhall, and Lincoln Cathedral, for all are part of Kibworth's tale.The search for England and Englishness has long been one of Wood's pet projects, and his belief that much of it lies in the Middle Ages is borne out by the time taken to explore this period in greater detail. Thus episode one covers the thousand years from the Romans to the Normans, but episode two ostensibly concentrates on the 130 years of its title, `Domesday to Magna Carta.' But in fact this episode takes us to the year 1270 and the sale of Kibworth to Walter de Merton. Episode three does a similar trick: whilst titled `The Great Famine & the Black Death', it actually takes us to the final demise of feudalism in Kibworth in the 1430s and 1440s. Then Wood in the next episode (`The Peasants' Revolt to the Tudors') retreats a little to explore medieval education.This is the crux, really, of his argument. He looks at the effects of how a good local education combined with upwardly-mobile peasants produced an independence of mind. This combination of three essences of Englishness, he argues, will lead to Protestantism, capitalism, and the Industrial Revolution. So, with a thousand years in the first episode; and only five hundred in episodes two, three, and four; the final five hundred years has to be squeezed into episodes five and six.It was disappointing that no DNA analysis seems to have been carried out. There is a passing reference with a brief appearance of Turi King, but no more, and I wondered why this was so. The series could also have done with more and better modern relief maps to place subjects such as place-names in context. And am I being too critical in betraying my irritation about Wood's faux enthusiasm: his almost default employment of words such as "amazing", "absolutely incredible", "absolutely terrific", "great stuff", "tremendous", "fantastic", and one "mesmerizingly fantastic"? I appreciate he has to galvanise us all (well, most of us) with his enthusiasm, but it grates. And then there is the historian's cop out that Wood uses on more than one occasion: "we'll never know." Well, how DO you know that?But these minor carps are just that: minor. This series is enjoyable to watch and is packed full of detail, showing how national political and economic events and trends impacted on a small community. Often we see important historical research being carried out `live' on screen. The series, then, is valuable in so many ways and for so many areas of study.Alas, the DVD set has no extras.

An absolutely wonderful series of case studies across time where the view from the village intersects with developments in national history, and using an expression also used by William Blake, it particularises - it does not generalise. The involvement of the community and schools in this enterprise is a paradigm which should be adopted everywhere, not just in England. A gripping series of documentary films. Excellent.

At first..i didn't like this documentary's format ..as it was different than what i had expected. I did not realise when purchased this DVD set that it would be centered on one town..Kibworth, England. However...as i watched it..i began to appreciate how it centered on one town mostly and was actually quite enjoying it half way through. It is very interesting . I rate it 4 stars instead of 5..as i think it would have been better if was longer and included more towns/cities than just one. I would have liked to have seen same format used for London, Newcastle,Brisol included with a small town too, such as Kibworth.

A wonderful journey through English history as it affected one community. We can see how the lives of normal people changed through the centuries, and how the echoes of the past still survive today.

Michael Woods books and documentary films are always beautifully made and with great knowledge and feeling.This book which accompanies the television series doesn’t disappoint.A great historian and anything by him comes highly recommended. More please.

I've just finished watching this wonderful series. It exemplifies all I so admire about the English. There was a tear in my eye at the end. Kudos to Michael Wood and his team for being superb storytellers. And Hurrah! to the people of Kibworth for being the wonderful people you are.I've been telling frienda about this ingenious series that chronicles a history of England by looking at one village. THat last part always generates an "ahh" from those I tell. I certainly hope that one day I can visit Kibworth, to express my admiration.

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Really good value for money with over 6 hours viewing time.Delivery was really late being nearly two weeks but that can't be helped with the current situation