BBC2 ramps up history content

BBC2 has commissioned a new series of history programmes on the Tudors, including one fronted by Melvyn Bragg, as part of a raft of factual commissions.

The line up includes Time Traveller’s Guide to Tudor England, a three-part series with author Ian Mortimer exploring what everyday life was like in Tudor times.

Melvyn Bragg fronts William Tyndale – The Most Dangerous Man in Tudor England, a 1×60’ BBC Religion production, while Thomas Penn tells the story of Henry VII in another one-hour one-off from Lion Television.

Other history commissions include Lion production Ancient Egypt: Life and Death In The Valley Of The Kings, presented by Dr Joann Fletcher; three-part series Fit to Rule? on the political effects of the health of the monarch; and The Looking Glass War: Britain In The Cold War Years another three-part series presented by Dominic Sandbrook.

All history programmes were commissioned by Martin Davidson, commissioning editor for history and business and BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow. William Tyndale – The Most Dangerous Man In Tudor England was commissioned by Aaqil Ahmed and Hadlow.