"We Are History" sets out to spoof both historical popularisers and the TV programmes they make.
In this case we are in the company of David Oxley (B.A.) who obviously fancies himself both as an intellectual and as a communicator. A real 'wannabe' who believes that programmes whose titles end in an exclamation mark are automatically dramatic and interesting, and that by bellowing at the camera he himself is dramatic and interesting. Unfortunately his limited knowledge undermines his intentions: finding a 'Greggs' bakery in modern day Pudding Lane in London he announces "Could this be the *very* bakery where the Great Fire of London actually started?!" (Enters shop, comes out 2 seconds later) "No! It couldn't! Because this shop has only been here for five years!" David is also big on re-enactments to show the 'relevance' of his subject matter. He stages a re-run of the Spanish Armada (the Spanish side wins) and the Fire of London (the fire-brigade has to be called).
If you don't know the originals this might appear very silly, but when you have heard a TV historian describe 9th Century Northumbria as "a sort of Dark Age Vietnam" (I never realised a Communist insurgency was responsible for the downfall of a Viking kingdom), it is pretty well on the money. Very nicely done indeed.
In this case we are in the company of David Oxley (B.A.) who obviously fancies himself both as an intellectual and as a communicator. A real 'wannabe' who believes that programmes whose titles end in an exclamation mark are automatically dramatic and interesting, and that by bellowing at the camera he himself is dramatic and interesting. Unfortunately his limited knowledge undermines his intentions: finding a 'Greggs' bakery in modern day Pudding Lane in London he announces "Could this be the *very* bakery where the Great Fire of London actually started?!" (Enters shop, comes out 2 seconds later) "No! It couldn't! Because this shop has only been here for five years!" David is also big on re-enactments to show the 'relevance' of his subject matter. He stages a re-run of the Spanish Armada (the Spanish side wins) and the Fire of London (the fire-brigade has to be called).
If you don't know the originals this might appear very silly, but when you have heard a TV historian describe 9th Century Northumbria as "a sort of Dark Age Vietnam" (I never realised a Communist insurgency was responsible for the downfall of a Viking kingdom), it is pretty well on the money. Very nicely done indeed.
