Clips
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A History of Ancient Britain: Orkney's Stone Age Temple Duration: 01:06 Orkney's Stone Age Temple
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Neil Oliver talks about glass making. Duration: 01:07 Series 2, Age of Romans
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Neil visits Walmer Beach in Kent Duration: 02:32 Series 2, Age of Invasion
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Episode 3 Trail - Age of Invasion Duration: 02:10 Series 2, Age of Invasion
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A History of Celtic Britain - Age of Romans Duration: 01:52 Series 2, Age of Romans
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Episode 2 Trail - Age of Warriors Duration: 02:00 Series 2, Age of Warriors
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About the Programme
A History Of Ancient Britain will turn the spotlight onto the very beginning of Britain’s story. From the last retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago, until the departure of the Roman Empire in the Fifth Century AD this epic series will reveal how and why these islands and nations of ours developed as they did and why we have become the people we are today. The first series transmits in early 2011 and the following series A History of Celtic Britain in April 2011.
Series 1 of A History of Ancient Britain -
Find out more about our presenter Neil Oliver
As well as being a presenter, Neil is also an archaeologist, historian and author. He began his television career in 2002 with the BBC2 series ‘Two Men in a Trench’. This battlefield archaeology series explored iconic British battle sites, focusing on human stories, tragedies and drama.
Neil Oliver's official website
Neil became a familiar face on television thanks to the hugely popular, award winning programme, ‘Coast’, in which the landscapes, history, geography and people of the British Isles are given centre stage in a continuing voyage of discovery, remembrance and reminiscence.
Neil also presented ‘A History of Scotland’ on BBC 1 and BBC2. In this series he revealed how the story of his native Scotland is instrumental to the history of, not only Britain, but also Europe and much of the wider world. -
Watch the series 1 trail
Neil Oliver takes us on an epic journey exploring how Britain and its people came to be.
Watch the trail here -
Episode 1 Clip
Neil Oliver talks about the discovery of the oldest human remains found in Britain
Watch the Clip Now -
BBC TV Blog
Presenter Neil Oliver on what A History Of Ancient Britain meant to him personally: "To come so close to the way some individual, man or woman, was thinking all those millennia ago, while the Ice Age waxed and waned, was very moving for me."
Read Neil's post at the BBC TV blog -
Visit ancient Britain with Hands on History
Create a stone circle, make a cave painting or use our guide to evoke the sights and sounds of ancient Britain.
Try out our activities with your family -
Hands on History days out
Visit the BBC Things to Do site to find history activities around Britain and Northern Ireland.
Find things to do in your area -
Hands on History animations
What would life have been like in prehistoric times? Watch our animation.
A Day in the Life...Of A 10-Year-Old in Ancient Britain -
Ancient British History in-depth
Before the arrival of the Romans, Britain was home to a wide array of sophisticated and thriving cultures. Find out more about them now.
Visit the British Prehistory page on BBC History
