Sean Willis

'Life In Medieval Britain' is the perfect introduction to everyday life during the Middle Ages. Featuring realistic reconstructions filmed at a working medieval village, this DVD helps explain the habits and customs of a people living during a turbulent period of British history. Dr Martin Lowry, Dr Robert Swanson and Andrew Brown provide expert comment and analysis on a time of great upheaval.

The Victorian era was one of the most remarkable periods of British history; it saw the Industrial Revolution, the birth of an empire and advances in medicine, transport and education. It was also a time when harsh working conditions and desperate poverty blighted the majority of the population, conjuring images of the orphan boy Oliver Twist. This DVD uses dramatised readings, expert analysis and extensive period imagery to present a view of a time when the British Empire was at its zenith but also when conditions for the vast populace were perhaps at their lowest.

George Armstrong Custer is one of military history's most colourful characters, a flamboyant and dashing commander. It is said that 'cometh the hour, cometh the man', and Custer's appearance on the battlefields of America in the mid-1800s fits this saying perfectly. A failure at West Point, he made his name fighting the Federal Cavalry during the American Civil War where he earned his nickname 'the Boy General'. The dashing and ambitious Custer often flouted military convention, placing his trust instead in his famous 'luck' which, unfortunately for him, ran out during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This programme features battle reconstructions, period imagery and 'interviews' with the man himself.

The September of 1513 saw King James IV invade England with the largest and most confident army Scotland has yet seen. But within a few short days, nearly 10,000 of these proud warriors would be laying dead on Flodden Field. Among the hacked corpses would be the body of King James himself. This is the story of the most catastrophic military defeat in Scotland's history. For a turquoise ring and a foolish promise, James IV had risked, and lost, everything. This video includes dramatic and authentic battle re-enactments and the very latest in computer graphics to help tell this chapter in the bloody story of the conflicts between England and Scotland.

The reign of Richard the Lionheart was one of the most eventful and colourful in England's long history. The third son of Henry II, Richard I devoted his life to defending both his faith and his lands in France - only five months of his ten year rule were spent in England. An outstanding and courageous solider Richard I lead his army on a holy quest, a savage and bloody page in the annals of time known to history as the Crusades. Featuring extensive authentic reconstructions and dramatised "eye-witness" reports, this is the story of a born solider and a mighty king of England.

Filmed on location at Houlgate Village near York, a working Anglo-Saxon settlement, this DVD provides incredible insight into a period of which little is known. The Dark Age is shrouded in mystery - Who were the Anglo-Saxons? How did they live? What were their customs and beliefs? With expert commentary from Ian Wood and Dave Thirlwall, and the use of detailed reconstructions, these and many more questions are answered about a relatively unknown era of British history.

It was a time of bitterness and hatred, a war which pitched father against son, brother against brother in the bloody battle for the soul of the nation. It was winner takes all. After seven years of turmoil, even the dramatic execution of King Charles I could not bring peace, more bloodshed still lay ahead. The most tragic and dramatic chapter in English history is recorded in this spectacular and entertaining DVD. It features superb battle re-enactments and reconstructions, dramatised 'eye-witness' accounts and delightful period personalities and the battles of the war. The programme also includes 3D computer graphics and expert analysis from leading historians to tell the story of the English Civil Wars.