A History of ScotlandLandmark documentary series presented by Neil Oliver.
The Last of the Free – At the dawn of the first millennia, there was no Scotland or England.
Hammers of the Scots – Oliver charts the 13th century story of the two men who helped transform the Gaelic kingdom of Alba into the Scotland of today.
Bishop makes King – Robert Bruce’s 22-year struggle to secure the Scots’ independence is one of the most important chapters in Scotland’s story.
Language is Power – At one time, Gaelic Scotland – the people and the language – was central to the identity of Scots.
Project Britain – Oliver describes how the ambitions of two of Scotland’s Stuart monarchs were the driving force that united two ancient enemies, and set them on the road to the Great Britain we know today.
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.
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.
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 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.
Project Scotland – As a partner in the British Empire, Scotland began the 20th century with an advanced economy and a world-beating heavy industry.
Despite being hailed by BBC Scotland as “one of its most ambitious projects ever”, the show has not been without controversy. There have been some claims, on the website of the BBC, that the programme made some errors.
Further, the 10-part series has come under fire over claims that it is too “anglocentric”. The failure to front it with a historian (Neil Oliver is an archaeologist) has also been attacked. A couple of Scottish academic advisers also resigned before some programmes were completed.