History

A History of Scotland episode 9 – This Land Is Our Land: At the start of the 19th century, everything familiar was swept away. People fled from the countryside into the industrial towns of Scotland’s central belt. Rural workers became factory workers – in some of the worst conditions in Europe. This new Scotland became a seedbed of revolution. But it wasn’t just force that kept the Scottish people in their place, it was fantasy. Neil Oliver reveals how Sir Walter Scott created so powerful a myth, it haunts the Scots collective imagination to this day.       Documentary […]

A History of Scotland episode 8 – The Price of Progress: Through the winning and losing of an American empire and the impact of the Scottish Enlightenment, Neil Oliver reveals how in the second half of the 18th century Scotland was transformed from a poor northern backwater with a serious image problem into one of the richest nations on Earth.       This was the dawn of the modern age when Scotland made its mark on the world by exporting its most valuable commodities – people and ideas. Documentary charting the birth and growth of the Scottish nation. Scotland’s

A History of Scotland episode 7 – Let’s Pretend: Bitterly divided by politics and religion for centuries, this is the infamous story of how Scotland and England came together in 1707 to form Great Britain. Over time the Union matured into one of the longest in European history, but it very nearly ended in divorce.       Exploiting the Union’s unpopularity, the exiled Stuarts staged several comebacks, selling themselves as a credible and liberal alternative to the Hanoverian regime. Neil Oliver reveals just how close they came to succeeding. Documentary charting the birth and growth of the Scottish nation.

A History of Scotland episode 6 – God’s Chosen People: Neil Oliver continues his journey through Scotland’s past with the story of the Covenanters, whose profound religious beliefs were declared in the National Covenant of 1638. This document licensed revolution, started the Civil War that cost King Charles I his head, cost tens of thousands of Scots their lives and led to Britain’s first war on terror.       Documentary charting the birth and growth of the Scottish nation. Scotland’s history has been badly served over the years. Defined by its relationship to England, Scotland’s popular history is full