Product Description

Tim Pigott-Smith presents an audio snapshot of the history of the Twentieth Century. Released in ten volumes, Eyewitness provides a rare opportunity to hear the history of the 20th century described by those who were actually there. Tim Pigott-Smith weaves together fascinating reminiscences taken from the BBC archives ? many previously unbroadcast ? with an insightful commentary written by Joanna Bourke, Professor of History at Birkbeck College. The century began with British troops at war in South Africa, and majors, colonels and privates recall their part in the action. The death of Queen Victoria led to the streets of London being lined with funeral spectators, and the subsequent coronation of Edward VII in 1902 lent the nation a mood of ?lightheartedness, sparkle and glamour?. Meanwhile theatregoers and music hall audiences were being entertained by Henry Irving and Marie Lloyd. A multitude of vox pops offer insights into life in the 1900s ? the manners, fashion, discipline, religion, alcohol and sport. Voices of ordinary people are mixed with those whose names still resonate today: writer Compton Mackenzie, playwright Ben Travers, Marconi the radio pioneer, suffragette?s daughter Sylvia Pankhurst, and Violet Bonham-Carter.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #516717 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-05
• Released on: 2004-04-05
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 3
• Binding: Audio CD

The Times
"…mines the BBC’s sound archives to produce what will surely become the greatest oral history series…

The Observer
"Eyewitness is a treasure trove of lost accents and cadences…"

The Independent
"A wonderful idea and excellently executed ..best possible use of the medium and a great narrator"

Customer Reviews

Excellent, compulsive unique listening...
I listen to a lot of audiobooks, mostly they are my entertainment in the car and I drive a lot of work. When I discovered this new series from the BBC I thought that it looked interesting, and what an understatment that is. This is audio at its very best, and congratulations to the BBC for having the vision to create such a series and use the medium to such fine effect. What you get is the real history as recorded by the people who were at events, and it is told as a story. I will most certainly buy the whole series as they come out. This really shows what an original audio can do when specifically made for listening rather than a reading of a book.