User reviews

It's craggy, it's rugged and it looks like it was formed from hot volcanic ash around 70,000 years ago. Yes, it's Andrew Marr's face – desperately in need of dental work but as trustworthy and kindly as your favourite teacher at school.

The History of the World was always going to be a ridiculously ambitious project. But Andrew Marr is tackling it with great flair – as fearlessly as Genghis Khan or Julius Caesar or any of the charismatic historical figures he's introduced us to so far.

Of course, the dramatic reconstructions are a little clunky at times, and some of history's greatest figures do look like they've been cast after a quick flick through the actor's directory Spotlight. But I for one don't care. Because I am loving Andrew Marr's History of the World.

Last night I sat down and watched the first four episodes back to back, and when you cram a potted version of world history into such a short time frame quite a lot of things start to make sense. We kicked off with a look at how the earliest humans spread around the world, mainly, it seems, by balancing their way across precarious narrow stone bridges. Then we explored the great empires of Rome and China – two ancient civilisations who, in the absence of long haul air travel, co-existed for thousands of years without ever knowing of each other's existence. How peaceful the world would be today if the United States and the Muslim World were as blissfully unaware of each other.

My favourite episode so far looked at how the Vikings became the Russians. Apparently they couldn't decide which of the world's religions would suit them best, so they invited the heads of all the world's religions to come to Russia and pitch to them, saying they would choose the one they liked best. They immediately turned down Islam because they didn't want to give up drinking, and finally plumped for the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, because they liked the style of the paintings and the big pointy gold domes.

Television like this make me wish I'd paid more attention in history classes at school, and underlines the fact that a subject is generally only as interesting as the person who teaches it to you. Presenters like Professor Brian Cox, Simon Schama and Andrew Marr are bringing science and history to life for a generation who previously thought these subjects were dull and boring.

You can catch up with the whole series of Andrew Marr's History of the World on iPlayer, and I highly recommend that you do.

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A great comprehensive series about our history. Of course it can't tell all, but it's based on the latest findings and discoveries. It reminds me of "Il était une fois..." a series I loved as a child. It also has a lot of facts that have a sort of "QI"-ness about them. Little things you didn't know and big revelations about things we thought we knew. All brought to us by fascinating stories framed with visually beautiful reenactments and everyday imagery If you love history you'll love this show and if you watch this show you will fall in love with history...

So what's not to love? Well, Andrew Marr is no Richard Attenbough and he will put off people rather than attract them. And the previously mentioned reenactments are not all up to par with the Hollywood imagery we're all spoiled with...

Still I enjoyed every episode thus far and encourage every one to watch it!!

I'm a history affectionado and had all but given up on TV programs, but Andrew Marr brought me back to the screen. This is the mostly brilliant, concise presentation of world history and more importantly the history of world culture I have ever come across. Andrew Marrs presents a well balanced collection of pivotal moments in human history, up to date with current historical and archaeological knowledge. And more importantly presents and links those event to the important cultural changes which shape are modern view of the world. Highly recommendable for children and adults alike and even if you know history this might once in while give you a new insight. Effectively a history lecture filmed on location it does, as far as I can see present all historical facts correctly while a global perspective is maintained. The tone is surprisingly intellectual and neutral and Andrew Marr presents Asian, Indian, Arabic and European history in well balanced episodes with only minimal use of drama and suspense owed to the medium.

Watch it, buy it, show to your children (I will once mine are old enough), this will be a classic of humanities education. Teachers, use it in school, there is no school book, which can compare with this program to show the central themes of human history.

Get a 10/10. Surely not comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster in special effects and acting but it 100% achieves its mission, telling human history and culture in context.

When I was a student, I was obsessed with documentaries. This is one of the documentaries I watched back then. Enjoyable to watch.

Thought I would watch episode 4 to see what was served up. Discovered, to my bemusement, that Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was portrayed as an Uzbek. That's news to me - the give away is in his name ak-Khwarizmi - of Khwarezm. He lived during the Abased Caliphate - circa 780 - 850 AD and is famous for al-jibr - better known as algebra. The Uzbeks were still nomadic peoples at this time. Maths had long been studied in places like Babylon and India at this time. Cordoba and Baghdad may have been large by the standards of the petty realms of Europe at that time but that didn't make them the largest cities in the world. In the West Cordoba would have vied with Byzantium for honours, and in Central Asia, several cities could easily have taken the crown - in particular Old Urgench (Konye-Urgench)capital of the Khwazemian Empire. And let's not forget the cities of China (or Song as it was then known). One could go on Misleading in important aspects

The series opens and closes with the Ayoreo tribe from Paraguay. It conveys an outmoded view of tribal peoples straight out of a colonialist's handbook. We are told they live like our ancestors and that history has passed them by. Neither are true and it's dangerous rubbish because it's exactly the same view which has led to the destruction of tribes throughout the world. We are also told that Africa was 'always dangerous' for early man (but the script thankfully fell short of calling it the 'dark continent'). The 're-enactments' of people passing out of Africa and growing crops for the first time are pure Monty Python. Best viewed as comedy. How this was a co-production with the Open University beats me.

A historical documentary, with lots of minor flaws,a narrow window to look at historical events,but not a fair and accurate one.

Not so much the history of the world, this series focuses on the prioritizing religion.

If you are interested in History, have seen other documentaries, you wont get anything new, if not, don't watch, As per the Andrew Marr, China was superpower since Adam's time and Columbus was searching Japan, so would be Vasco de Gama I guess.

Intentionally omitted many things to show balance or orient superpowers yet omitting major Indian inventions, even the trade route fight between Europe for Indian sea route shows how twisted a show can be.

Not worth time to watch, 1 because there is no negative grading for twisting history.

This series is full of wrong conclusions in history and over the top presentation.

It should be classified as alternative communist view history.

The history of the world 🌍 is a history of ideas of people which haven't been presented here.

Lots of historical inaccuracies . The scientific knowledge possessed by Arabs , they acquired it from India ,which was never mentioned . And the atrocities done by Muslim armies to Constantinople was totally neglected .It was if the the director was deliberately trying to simply paint only the good side that came with Islam with mentioning muslim conquests with only the word 'exploding' .Arabs ,even before Mohammad had acquired certain knowledge regarding Mathematics and geometry from their constant trade and relations with India . This being referred to as "Islamic Knowledge" is totally wrong . Even the numbers known as 'Arabic numerals' are not Arabic , they are Indian . Since Europeans got to know of these knowledge with their interaction with Arabs , seems to have thought this belonged to Arabs when it didn't .

Today , when most of us already know the history , i don't understand why BBC is so desperately trying to distort the same and what does it mean by "Islamic Knowledge ". The knowledge arabs/persians got had nothing to do with Islam.

PS: This documentary can be called as world history from a European (leftist) perspective . I am surprised to see that this documentary seems to mention nothing of much importance to Jesus, while it gave Mohammad a lot of mentions.

Its almost comical to me how little they talked about India, and everything related to it. Almost no talk about, Indus Valley civilization, Mohenjo-daro, Somali, or even Hinduism.

Irony was lost on me when, they talked about Belgium's oppression on others or Spanish oppression on others, but no talk about the British Oppression on the world, as if it was not the biggest colonizer in the world.