Napoleonic Newsdesk

Napoleonic TV!

by Ian Castle

I have just had a sneak preview of Channel 4’s new television schedule for the first part of 2002. Napoleonics appear to be the new ‘in thing’.

War Against The French: A series of three major documentaries exploring the complex story of the Napoleonic wars - on land, at sea and within the minds and ideologies of the architects of the conflict.

Countdown to Waterloo: A 90-minute special programme recounts the events leading up to the battle of Waterloo. Detailing the 100 days following Napoleon’s escape from Elba to the bloody climax of the battle, Countdown To Waterloo presents the definitive chronology of one of the most violent episodes in European history.

Nelson’s Trafalgar: The life of Captain Horatio Nelson has passed from history to myth since his death on the gun-deck of the victory. In Nelson’s Trafalgar, the story of the legendary British hero is told from his trans-ocean pursuit and destruction of the French and Spanish fleets to the personality flaws that drove him.

Wellington’s Women: Wellington’s Women tells the story of the four women who shaped the life of Wellington - his wife Kitty Pakenham, his mistress Harriet Wilson, his mature platonic friend Harriet Arbuthnot and his admirer and companion Angela Burdett-Coutts. Through an examination of the lives of Wellington’s female associates, the programme tells the real story of Wellington - his passions, his successes and his failures.

Good God, military history being popular in the mass media - there’s hope for us all !!

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