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Product Description
All 12 parts of the television documentary series, taking five experts, including archaeologists and historians, and setting them the challenge of running a farm as it would have been run 400 years ago. Working without modern tools and machinery, the team have to turn their expert knowledge into practical results.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: 2-DVD Set, Alternative Footage, Biographies, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Production Notes, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Travel back through history to a time when King James I ruled the land in this fascinating BBC 2 series... A hidden Welsh border valley provides the ideal setting for a documentative reality-experience as a group of archeology and history experts spend a year immersed in country life as it was 400 years ago, when King James I ruled the land. Each episode will focus on amonth in the life of the farm, following the seasonal tasks that the team endeavour to carry out - from harvesting and building, to the birthing of calves, from salting and smoking meat to sheep shearing and garment making. ...Tales from the Green Valley - Complete Series - 2-DVD Set
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
92 of 92 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This superb series deserves to do well on DVD after the shoddy way it was treated by the BBC TV schedulers, particularly (and surprisingly) BBC Wales. There is much to enjoy especially for allotment holders, permaculture enthusiasts and smallholders. Plenty of green-woodworking projects are demonstrated, albeit briefly. Herbal remedies, traditional food preservation, brewing,harvesting and preparing grain crops, growing medlars, clearing land with the aid of animals, cooking with wood fired ovens, charcoal making and traditional uses of charcoal, drystone walling, hedging, an abundance of long forgotten recipes, and best of all, a reminder that it wasn't all hard graft; festivals and fun are well represented. In a world addicted to cheap oil, fast food and shiny gadgets, we could (re)learn a lot from our resourceful ancestors. They managed admirably without fridges, fossil fuels and supermarkets.
63 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Tales From The Green Valley was the very best 'past living' venture that I have seen.So Refreshing to see the participants getting stuck in and enjoying every minute regardless of the possible struggles... always drives me nuts when people agree to take part and then spend the whole series whining about the things they 'can't live without'. Everyone was so knowledgeable and interested in all areas of Hill Farm living.As someone who is not generally thrilled by cooking, I thought the recipes and food preparation/storage/cooking was particularly good. The information and detail of all aspects was fascinating, and well presented.The series showed both how hard life was,and how rewarding and the importance of pulling together. It was also beautifully filmed.I would LOVE to have had the opportunity to do what the team did. I was disappointed and suprised that a BBC book was not published to go with series,but the DVD will do nicely.
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
This was a delightful television programme which was a highlight of my week for some time during the autumn. I was so pleased when I discovered a DVD was available, especially as I had missed the first episode. The historians' enthusiasm was infectious and it was facinating to witness the importance of seasons back then and the well evolved farming, cooking and building techniques that were used. My only criticism would be the length of the programmes - it seemed that they could easily have filled an hour rather than a half hour.
87 of 90 people found the following review helpful
By Pa Sommer
Format:DVD
It was a great pleasure and honour making this series for the BBC. Unfortunately the BBC has not created a website to accompany the series, but I have posted a couple of articles I have written about the series for various UK magazines to give some background and further information. If you would like to read about how the series was made etc. you can take a look at [...]
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Quirkas
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The best 'reality' series I have seen. No desperate attempts to recreate 21st Century living, no squabbles or ego trips. Just enthusiam for the opportunity to live for a year in the 1640's. I learnt so much that I had always wondered about, how to cook in a bread oven, how to wash clothes, what was grown and eaten and the receipe for wattle and daub. It has previously seemed that people at the time lived squalid, dull, uncomfortable lives this series puts another view. Hugely watchable if only the episodes were an hour long and I am disapointed that there was no accompanying book. Easily watched over and over. Brilliant!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Deb
Format:DVD
This is nothing like the usual "reality" programmes because the people who undertake this experiment are all professionals who are interested in the field and very knowledgeable about it. Hence, despite some of the undoubted hardships, they are all fully engaged with what they're doing. (No conflict or histrionics!) We see them carry out various tasks throughout the year, from farming to building outbuildings to dry stone walling to cooking to cheesemaking, and in each case those involved commentate knowledgeably on the processes they're undertaking. The series also has a wonderful ambience which it's possible to enjoy in itself, and while it's clear that life then was hard work, I also felt a hankering for those much simpler times! I've never liked "kings and queens" type history, but seeing how real people would have lived many years ago is truly fascinating! Highly recommended!
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Dai Dant
Format:DVD
I only heard of this series after becoming enthralled by the Victorian Farm series produced in Shropshire in 2008. This earlier work is similar in style to "Victorian Farm", and several of the team are the same. The differences between the two periods are make interesting contrast.
The whole family have thoroughly enjoyed both series; including teenage daughters who have previously shown little interest in anything outside our modern comfortable way of life.
I feel it is harsh to critcise the proficiency of the farming practices of the participants. Part of the enjoyment is seeing the adaptations the team have to make and imagining how we would cope without the convenience of modern manufacturing and distribution systems.
Although we have no academic historical expertise, the facts presented seem accurate and authoritative. It has left us all wanting to learn more. Some more facts and statistics relating to the period would have been welcome, as would some feeling of Welshness to complement the location, but it really is hard to find much to criticise. Thoroughly recommended to anyone curious about our rural past.
The whole family have thoroughly enjoyed both series; including teenage daughters who have previously shown little interest in anything outside our modern comfortable way of life.
I feel it is harsh to critcise the proficiency of the farming practices of the participants. Part of the enjoyment is seeing the adaptations the team have to make and imagining how we would cope without the convenience of modern manufacturing and distribution systems.
Although we have no academic historical expertise, the facts presented seem accurate and authoritative. It has left us all wanting to learn more. Some more facts and statistics relating to the period would have been welcome, as would some feeling of Welshness to complement the location, but it really is hard to find much to criticise. Thoroughly recommended to anyone curious about our rural past.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvellous
Loved the TV series and bought this to watch again many times as have many of my friends and family
Published 11 days ago by A. McNicol
5.0 out of 5 stars
brillant
I watch this as a tv series which I loved and brought this dvd as a birthdaytreat for myself and very glad that I did
Published 13 days ago by jackie
4.0 out of 5 stars
great
xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxxxxxx xx xxx xxxx xxx x x xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx x x great
Published 2 months ago by kevin pieschke
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Green Valley Tales
A friend had lent us their CD. We loved it so much we bought our own copy. We would recommend them to anyone else interested in historical farming.
Published 2 months ago by I. Gallagher
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best tale of olden way of Farmin
I am a great admirer of the series Farms and this DVD is no exception. The only drawback is, as mentioned in an earlier review, the nonexistent subtitles.
Published 3 months ago by Nemanja Josipovic
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living in the 17th Century
Highly recommended for all Sealed Knot re-enactors, or lovers of this period of history (1620s)
Superb. Read more
Superb. Read more
Published 4 months ago by From the Baggage Train.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Green Valley DVD
I received the item in very good time and was adequately packaged. I would certainly recommend and use this company again
Published 5 months ago by Jon Baldwin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great
I enjoyed all of these series and it was lovely to find the first series to add to my collecting. Good quality.
Published 5 months ago by Annette Bate
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and enjoyable
I learned many things from this series, attention to detail was wonderful. As usual, these three historians have done a remarkable job.
Published 5 months ago by loveshistory
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tales from the Green Valley
I am interested in our history and thought this DVD gave a very good insight into how our ancestors lived.
Published 6 months ago by Maveen Tomlinson
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