Britannia Rules!

Introduction

Now you may have heard this sentence before, but it still applies to this DVD!

Which DVD site is so dedicated to bringing you great reviews that they send their DVD reviewers out into the wilds of Britain? Yes, this one. My wife & I have been out and walked in several of the places featured here, particularly Cat Bells in the Lakes, featured at the end of episode one. And the views really are that good. Anyway, on with the DVD...



Nicholas Crane is an explorer, writer and broadcaster. Nicholas Crane has quickly become a TV icon. He has presented 2 series of Map Man (a geographer by trade), followed by Coast (travelling all around Britain along with Neil Oliver, Miranda Krestofnikov and Alice Roberts), and Great British Journeys. He often goes out walking with an umbrella, despite owning a gore-tex jacket like most sensible walkers.

Now he's back with Nicholas Crane's Britannia: The Great Elizabethan Journey. In the series he retraces the journey made when explorer William Camden created the 16th century masterpiece - Britannia. Camden was an English antiquarian and historian. Britannia was the first topographical survey of the island of Great Britain and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England. Camden wanted to "restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britaine to its antiquity." The book gives us a county-by-county description of Great Britain. Rather than a history of the land, Camden wanted to describe Britain at the time, and show how past could be seen in the existing landscape. The resulting work is one of the great achievements of sixteenth century scholarship.



In this three part series, Crane follows in Camden's footsteps and also looks into the making of the book itself.

Video and Audio

Sadly, once again reviewers get a short straw. A single DVD-R with the three episodes on. There's a pretty good 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, as first broadcast. Nothing wrong from a technical point of view and the ideal way to witness some of the stunning scenery that these fair isles have to offer. If watching this doesn't make you want to get out and go walking around the country, nothing will.

We also get a DD2.0 stereo soundtrack, again as first broadcast, and again perfectly fine technically.

Extra Features

A nice selection of extras on offer here.

First there's an interview with Nicholas Crane, in which he talks about everything to do with the show. Very interesting.

Behind the Scenes does exactly what it says on the tin, and gives a good look at the making of the series, including the camera crew in atrocious weather going up Snowdon.

There's also bonus footage, essentially deleted and extended scenes that were filmed but didn't make the final edit. Good to see them here.

Finally, there's a photo gallery.

Conclusion

So this is a DVD of someone walking in the countryside then? Well, essentially that's what it boils down to, but it's really so much more than that. There's a great deal of historical information about the places Crane visits, and lots of fascinating insights into Camden and the Britain that he so carefully catalogued.

Like other DVDs in this genre (and I'm thinking specifically of Wainwright Walks and Railway Walks), it's a great advert for walking in the UK. You'll need to make your own routes this time, but there should be plenty of incentive to do that. Britannia is a fascinating insight into the first book about Britain.



I think that anyone who enjoys walking or history will be interested in this DVD. If you enjoyed the TV series then you might like to watch it again.

Recommended.