Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4495 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-07-09
• Rating: Exempt
• Formats: PAL, Colour
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 360 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Anchored by the impassioned presence of David Dimbleby, How We Built Britain is a terrific documentary series that follows its host on a journey of Britain’s architectural heritage.

Spread across six hours, it’s a diligent, patient journey too, allowing plenty of time and space to tell some of the extraordinary stories that underpin the buildings and work that Dimbleby discovers. How We Built Britain takes in the breadth of the British mainland, and fascinating stories are never far away.

What’s more, How We Built Britain is happy to pose many questions, attempting to uncover the appropriate answers too. What led to the modern day shopping centre, for instance? How, over the last 1000 years, has architecture developed? And has it been of benefit? What defined the look of certain types of buildings? These and many more posers are ably tackled by an intelligent and rewarding piece of television.

Grounded by strong photography, an unwillingness to resort to gimmicks, and a focus on good, honest documentary making, How We Built Britain is a terrific piece of work. Engaging, educational and with a broad appeal, it also boasts welcome rewatch value, and is also likely to ignite a desire to explore what lies beyond your front door. Excellent stuff. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
Travelling through our nation’s countryside, David Dimbleby presents this captivating portrait of Britain’s architecture. Along the way he takes in the splendour of East Anglia’s cathedrals and manor houses and the majestic sights of the mills and mansions of the Victorian North. Each of his tales is illustrated with high definition visuals and stories concerning the inhabitants who had once lived there.

Customer Reviews

A Fantastic Journey Through Britain's Past
In my opinion, as a professional TV producer and director and an avid film buff from 'down under', I can't fault this amazing 6-part series in any way. In a word it's FANTASTIC!

David Dimbleby in his watermelon pink shirt does a sterling job (as usual) with his friendly and informative on-camera-location presentations. The production values are first class with some of the most beautiful camerawork I've ever seen in any English or International TV documentary. Congratulations BBC, the aerial shots are mind-blowing. The music score is excellent too, and one would believe that a mammoth budget was spent on its composition, orchestration, and recording.

The complete series is presented in widescreen 1.85:1 (anamorphic) and is one of the best transfers I have seen in a long, long time, with sharp, clean images and glorious colour. I can heartily recommend this series to anyone who loves Britain and would relish a trip through Britain's past to savour its heritage buildings, its beautiful countryside, and its famous towns and cities. Enjoy!

A splendid journey
My wife and I very much enjoyed David Dimblebys presentation of great British architecture. It is delivered in the most charming manner by the delightful David Dimbleby. We've savoured the six episodes, and we highly recommend it - if it doesn't turn you into an anglophile, nothing will..

SOLID ENTERTAINMENT BUILT ON GOOD FOUNDATIONS
DAVID DIMBLEBY wears a pink shirt. Ruthlessly pink. Remote control, gotta turn down the colour, saturated pink. Do not, not adjust your televison set.

Once over that initial shock, however, recovery comes quickly as we're taken on an excellent and thought-provoking journey around the British Isles to see just what makes us tick via the buildings we built down the ages. It's a fascinating trip taking in many different types of construct, from the lavish: Cathedral, Town Hall, Grand Country Estate, Banking Headquarters...to the humble: Terrace, Bingo Hall, Lido, Prefab - each of these (and others) brought into historical and social context by informed opinion and charming anecdote.

Dimbleby comes across with an unexpected warmth, at ease with his subject though not always at ease with his subjects - the song and dance routine at the Leeds City Varieties, for example, felt slightly awkward leaving me thinking maybe he should just throw off his shirt and go for it. No such luck, although...no, belay that lesser-of-two-evils thought.

It's not difficult to be charmed by his obvious enthusiasm (note: apologies in advance, but please take care reading the following few words if the wrong picture is not to appear in your mind) - be it peering through a ceiling peephole onto rows of pews or navigating the narrow steps leading to a cellar, there's a certain boyishness drawn out by every wow factor he encounters that gives this series its undeniable appeal.

Production values seem to be higher this time round and it's most evident in the photography, which is often striking, capturing many an architecturally beautiful edifice at its best. And, speaking of things photogenic, do I detect an image-building excercise going on here for the Question Time host and his old Land Rover - a uniform(!) approach to future series on different topics, perhaps? Quite likely. Still, that's no bad thing. On a Sunday night - with thoughts of the following day's grind looming - it's rather nice to be driven around the nation's bricks and mortar by the affable Dimbleby...something that even his ever-present pink monstrosity can't spoil.


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