Genealogy Press

Seven Ages of Britain

The story of our nation told through its treasures
TX Sunday 31 January, 9pm, BBC ONE

David Dimbleby charts a landmark history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over 2000 years in Seven Ages of Britain (7x60) shot in HD.
Produced in partnership with The Open University, Seven Ages of Britain looks at our extraordinary past through the Arts - both as treasures that have often played a decisive part in events and as marvels of their age.

From painted images and monuments of stone and gold to religious relics, weapons of war, instruments of science and works of art; often they are artefacts of great beauty and craftsmanship, but sometimes they are simple, everyday things which have a powerful story to tell.
Over the seven one hour programmes, David roams far and wide - including Italy, Germany, Turkey, India and America - tracking down astonishing artefacts that both encapsulate events or originate from the UK, and yet ended up leaving our shores.

Jay Hunt Controller of BBC One said: "The Seven Ages of Britain is a hugely ambitious arts series for BBC One. David brings the subject matter alive with journalistic endeavour and a twinkle in his eye."

In Britain or abroad, The Seven Ages of Britain is a journey revealing treasures of great beauty and craftsmanship that tell us who we were and are, and pay testament to the great events that formed our nation.

David Dimbleby added: "Seven Ages of Britain has proved an exhilarating quest. The television camera offers a spectacular view of some of our most precious national treasures. It allows us to see them in ways beyond the reach of the human eye as we tell the story of our country's history over two thousand years through the art we have created in good times and bad."

Dr Rachel Gibbons, Academic Consultant for The Open University, commented: “Seven Ages of Britain is our social and cultural history, telling the story of the nation and its peoples through art and artefacts, through the precious treasures and the everyday objects created in Britain. Each of these objects and artefacts is evidence of the society in which it was produced. They all have value to historians for what they can tell us about our ancestors and how we, as a society, have become who we are now.”

Editor's Notes
Seven Ages of Britain was co-produced by The Open University. The Executive Producer is Basil Comely. BBC Commissioning Executive for The Open University is Catherine McCarthy. The Broadcast Learning Executive for The Open University is Caroline Ogilvie. The Open University academic consultant for the series is Rachel Gibbons.

For your free Open University 'Exploring History' booklet or to discover what artefacts reveal about Britain's history call 0845 366 8012

Media enquiries: Alexandra Heybourne, details right.

How to register and obtain a Replacement Copy of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

This explains how to register and obtain a replacement copy of birth, marriages & death certificates in UK. It also outlines information for people carrying out family history research.

Newly identified genes influence insulin and glucose regulation

(NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) An international research consortium has found 13 new genetic variants that influence blood glucose regulation, insulin resistance, and the function of insulin-secreting beta cells in populations of European descent. Five of the newly discovered variants increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes.

Genetic risk factor identified for Parkinson’s disease

(Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health) An international team of doctors and human geneticists has identified a new genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The institutions involved in the study were the Institute of Human Genetics of Helmholtz Zentrum München and Technische Universitat Munchen, the Neurological Clinic of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munich and the Mitochondrial Research Group of Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

The viruses within — and what keeps them there

(Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) It is known that viral "squatters" comprise nearly half of our genetic code. These genomic invaders inserted their DNA into our own millions of years ago when they infected our ancestors. But just how we keep them quiet and prevent them from attack was more of a mystery until EPFL researchers revived them.

Ancient Hominids Took to the Seas

Tools left behind by these Stone Age seafarers suggest human ancestors really got around.

Finding Your Roots Through Chinese Genealogy

Are you an overseas born non-Chinese-speaking descendants of Chinese immigrants' searching for your Chinese family tree?

Wild Iberian horses contributed to the origin of the current Iberian domestic stock

(Wiley-Blackwell) Some modern horses of Iberian origin are descendants from wild horses from the Early Iberian Neolithic, dated around 6,200 years ago. Ancient lineages are mainly represented in the Lusitano group C, constituted by some modern Lusitano and American horses. This is one of the conclusions obtained by a researchers' team from Spain, Sweden and Denmark and published in Molecular Ecology.

Fossil footprints give land vertebrates a much longer history

(Uppsala University) The discovery of fossil footprints from early backboned land animals in Poland leads to the sensational conclusion that our ancestors left the water at least 18 million years earlier than previously thought. The results of the Polish-Swedish collaboration are published online this week in Nature.

Family History Becomes A Treasure Hunt

New book offers how-to and a history lesson to potential genealogists ms. Miller wishes to inspire readers to find extended family who were always out there, but never known to you.