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The entire 6 part series as seen on ITV Border.
From the early fourteenth century to the end of the sixteenth, the Anglo-Scottish borderlands witnessed one of the most intense periods of warfare and disorder ever seen in modern Europe. As a consequence of near-constant conflict between England and Scotland, Borderers suffered unimaginably at the hands of marauding armies, who
ravaged the land, destroying crops, slaughtering cattle, burning whole settlements and killing indiscriminately. Forced by extreme circumstances, many Borderers took to reiving to ensure the survival of their families and communities. This television series is set in some of the most beautiful and dramatic landscapes in the British Isles. Here in the Borderlands, the names of the fighting families are constant reminders of a turbulent past. If your name is one of these, this is your story.
A book to accompany this series is also available.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
I have just finished watching this series. I bought this as I have some Reiver names in the family tree, I grew up in the area, and sought a decent historical overview of the Reivers.
It's a rather mixed bag frankly. The good stuff? Many fine shots of the region, wonderfully photographed, enthusiastic presenters, some great little historical stories and interesting re-enactment material, indeed overall a level of professionalism which wouldn't have been possible in the bad old days of Border Television. The problem is, the good material here is just too scant, the overall feeling is that this is too light. If you are looking for a more in-depth look at history, with an unfolding historical narrative in the Starkey or Schama vein (this happened then, these were the people, this is why they were important etc etc), you will be rather disappointed. This was what i wanted - and I didn't get it. The limitations of it being a local television production perhaps.
It is a very scattershot approach. As the series progresses, the history starts to takes a back seat, as we have to endure far too many modern day interviews with leathery locals regarding how they are reflecting their ancestry today. We have five minutes of an amusing anecdote about Kilmont Willie, then 10 minutes visiting some modern day toff talking about how they rennovated their Pele Tower. We also get other rather discursive material such as interviews with ex rugby players, local song writers and the like who somehow reflect the reiver spirit...it begins to degenerate into an extended local TV piece.
It's not terrible..probably worth it for the scenery, but not quite the primer on the Reivers I wanted.
It's a rather mixed bag frankly. The good stuff? Many fine shots of the region, wonderfully photographed, enthusiastic presenters, some great little historical stories and interesting re-enactment material, indeed overall a level of professionalism which wouldn't have been possible in the bad old days of Border Television. The problem is, the good material here is just too scant, the overall feeling is that this is too light. If you are looking for a more in-depth look at history, with an unfolding historical narrative in the Starkey or Schama vein (this happened then, these were the people, this is why they were important etc etc), you will be rather disappointed. This was what i wanted - and I didn't get it. The limitations of it being a local television production perhaps.
It is a very scattershot approach. As the series progresses, the history starts to takes a back seat, as we have to endure far too many modern day interviews with leathery locals regarding how they are reflecting their ancestry today. We have five minutes of an amusing anecdote about Kilmont Willie, then 10 minutes visiting some modern day toff talking about how they rennovated their Pele Tower. We also get other rather discursive material such as interviews with ex rugby players, local song writers and the like who somehow reflect the reiver spirit...it begins to degenerate into an extended local TV piece.
It's not terrible..probably worth it for the scenery, but not quite the primer on the Reivers I wanted.
A fantastic programme for a Border Reiver like me. Amazing photography and a decent lenght series for the money. Thanks A Scott
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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Interesting and full of video content that supplements the book, which I read first. Visits some areas of current historical (museum and re-enactment) activity and some well preserved remains.
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