Myths and mysteries
The third episode of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland's flagship series A History of Scotland hit our screens last night, moving to Monday nights from its previous Sunday night slot. It's no secret that the series performed very well in its last slot (when the repeat was added to the figures, 840,000 people tuned in to the first episode). I hope that people stick with the series in its new Monday night home; it has inspired lots of debate and raised plenty of questions, not just about Scotland, but about the nature of history.
Paul Adams, one of our producers here in Learning, has been responsible for the website that accompanies the programme. Over time, the website is going to develop into a rich resource for all things related to Scottish history. Already you can take a look and see that there are links with extra archive clips and some notes to support the episodes - handy if you want to use the programmes in class, as I know many people have been doing already. It's certainly keeping Paul busy! One of the most exciting things is the messageboard. The variety of opinion shows that even if we can agree on nothing else, we can agree on the relevance and significance of history. Reading the impassioned comments from people who love () the programmes quashes immediately the idea that history is a dying subject.
I suppose that one of the reasons I'm fascinated by the reaction the show is receiving is that I've always seen history as a selective narrative. Without going too deep into this, I think that it's brilliant to see people pointing out 'gaps' that the programme hasn't been able to cover, or evidence of supposed bias. This is what history is - each person would write their own history of Scotland if asked. What's great is that the programmes have offered only one version of Scotland's history, and not the definitive history, as hopefully the title of the show emphasises. The comments from viewers taking the programme to task allow other histories to be part of the story - so keep them coming.
For a brilliant of example of history as a personal narrative - do visit Donna Dunbar's fictional blog, Lost Penny . Based on an , Donna is appealing for help in solving clues that will lead her to the sister she never knew she had. I've been trying to play the game too - but I have to say that the players out there are beating me to the clues more often than not. Can you solve the next one? Donna is getting more and more highly strung as the quest goes on, and the clues are getting trickier! If you want to join in the game, or if you want to get a pack of Lost Penny badges sent to your class, email lostpenny@bbc.co.uk for details.
I will definitely be sitting with a mug of tea watching the latest part of the story unfold next Monday at 9, with my laptop perched on the arm of my chair reading the comments online and keeping up-to-date with Donna's mystery on Lost Penny. I seem to be lost in history without even noticing it!
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