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Thursday 28 August 2014

Stonehenge Empire


I flagged up this multinational co-production about a year ago, and it looks as if it is now made, and is probably in the final stages of editing.  There will be two 60-minute parts -- probably on BBC2 this autumn.  Not yet in the schedules, as far as I can see.......

Interestingly, this doesn't seem to involve National Geographic -- but Smithsonian is in there, and I think I am right in saying that in the past the Smithsonian has generally sponsored the work by the Darvill / Wainwright tribe rather than the MPP tribe.  So it will be interesting to see which "international team of experts" has been involved in putting this latest extravaganza together.

I see no sign of a new Nat Geog Channel documentary on Stonehenge -- and the last one, a few years back, which based the whole programme on MPP's theories, was heavily panned on the basis that there was virtually no evidence in there, but a great deal of fantasy.  Maybe Nat Geog Channel has had its fingers burned, and is waiting for something more reliable before starting advance publicity for a new documentary?

If there is any gossip from the big wide world about all of this, let us know.....

7 comments:

Jon Morris said...

A little bit more:

http://www.sarsen.org/2014/08/the-missing-stones-did-they-look-like.html

Follow link at top to get to Tim's input

BRIAN JOHN said...

Thanks Jon, for drawing attention to Tim's work here. The October Films project looks as if it WILL include some interesting stuff -- Tim's web site explores the "missing sarsen stones" dilemma and refers to the patch marks revealed during the dry spell of 2013. Will do another post on this.....

BRIAN JOHN said...

Sorry -- that should have been "parch marks"........

TonyH said...

Executive Producer Bullmore has been involved in Stonehenge TV productions in recent years, from memory.
I wonder if, this time, this programme will at least MENTION the Open University's massive Mesolithic discoveries at the spring site near Amesbury within the later Vespasian's Camp, only 2 miles from Stonehenge [similar distance to Durrington Walls/ Woodhenge]; something MPP chose to ignore in his 2012 book, presumably because David Jaques' team's excavations were not part of his all - singing, all - dancing, bells and whistles Stonehenge Riverside Project. Well done The Open University!

TonyH said...

"Neolithic - looking extras finding work".

Amusing article in Western Daily Press of 24 January 2014, about the October films project. Will put website details on next comment.

TonyH said...

Go to:-

www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Neolithic-looking-extras-finding-work/

BRIAN JOHN said...

Yes, I saw that quite a while ago! I think they were really looking for Neanderthals, not Neolithics. But I hope they found the lads and lasses they wanted. I can make my brow look very heavy, if I try hard. Blast -- it's probably too late to sign up now -- there goes a promising film career......