Secrets of Great British Castles (2015, 2016)

Secrets of Great British Castles is a television series written and presented by Dan Jones. Season one (6 episodes) was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2015. Season two (6 episodes) was shown in 2016. Both seasons are available on DVD. Here is some basic information about it:

** Season one directed by Maurice Sweeney
** Season two directed by Sarah Share
** Run time: 2 x ca 270 minutes = ca 540 minutes

As stated above, there are 12 episodes. Each episode covers one location. Here is the list:

# 01. Dover Castle
# 02. Tower of London
# 03. Warwick Castle

# 04. Caernarfon Castle
# 05. Stirling Castle
# 06. Carrickfergus Castle

# 07. Edinburgh Castle
# 08. Cardiff Castle
# 09. York Castle

# 10. Leeds Castle
# 11. Lancaster Castle
# 12. Arundel Castle

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 79 per cent, which corresponds to four stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this rating is too low. Why? Let me explain:

The locations are well-chosen. Seven castles are in England. Two are in Wales: # 4 (Caernarfon) and # 8 (Cardiff). Two are in Scotland: # 5 (Stirling) and # 7 (Edinburgh). And one is in Ireland or, more precisely, in Northern Ireland: # 6 (Carrickfergus).

The presentation is entertaining and informative. Dan Jones has his own style. I like it. He something to say. And something to show. He tells us what happened in each location. And not only that: he also tries to explain why these events happened.

The title of the program is a bit pretentious. Not everything that is said or shown here is a secret. Many facts are already known. But I guess there are a few secrets here and there, so the title is not completely misleading (only a bit pretentious). A title such as Great Castles in the UK would have been more accurate.

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

If you are interested in the history of Europe – in particular the history of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) – then this series is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. Britain’s Bloody Crown - a miniseries in four parts - is a program about the War of the Roses (ca 1450-ca 1500) written and presented by Dan Jones. It was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2015 and released on DVD in 2016.

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