''We Are History'' is a British

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

series broadcast on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. It ran for two series of six ten-minute episodes. The series was a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

of historical and archaeological

documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...

, especially those of the ''

Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...

'', '' Meet the Ancestors'' and

Simon Schama Sir Simon Michael Schama ( ; born 13 February 1945) is an English historian and television presenter. He specialises in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a professor of history and art history at Columbia Uni ...

Marcus Brigstocke Marcus Alexander Brigstocke (born 8 May 1973) is a British comedian and actor. He has worked in stand-up comedy, television, radio and musical theatre. He has appeared on many BBC television and radio shows. Early life Brigstocke is the son of N ...

played dubious historian David Oxley, who would attempt to 'recreate' a number of historical events in a modern setting. In one episode, he recreated the

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

invasion of Britain in "the last bastion of Viking control" – an

IKEA IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...

store. In another, he recreated the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

in a swimming pool with children throwing foam balls at one another. Much of the humour derived from Oxley's singular incompetence and stupidity. He seemed totally unaware of the facts of history and often made things up as he went along. Each episode had a general theme that offered a view of history totally at odds with the known facts – such as

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

being buried underneath

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

or the Norman invasion being a bunch of French visitors who overstayed their welcome and got carried away. In every episode, Oxley talked of "new evidence unearthed by local enthusiasts".

Episodes

Season 1, Episode 1: "Boadicea: Myth or Missus?" Original Air Date: 3 April 2000 Season 1, Episode 2: "King Arthur: Myth or Legend?" Original Air Date: 4 April 2000 Season 1, Episode 3: "Our Friends in the Norse" Original Air Date: 10 April 2000 Season 1, Episode 4: "Hunchback!" Original Air Date: 12 April 2000 Season 1, Episode 5: "Armada!" Original Air Date: 14 April 2000 Season 1, Episode 6: "Oliver's Army" Original Air Date: 17 April 2000 Season 2, Episode 1: "Conquered!" Original Air Date: 25 September 2001 Season 2, Episode 2: "The Real Robin Hood" Original Air Date: 2 October 2001 Season 2, Episode 3: "Fire" Original Air Date: 9 October 2001 Season 2, Episode 4: "Bonnie Prince Charlie: Too Scot to Handle?" Original Air Date: 16 October 2001 Season 2, Episode 5: "The Industrial Revolution: Factory or Friction?" Original Air Date: 23 October 2001 Season 2, Episode 6: "Any Old Iron Age?" Original Air Date: 30 October 2001

External links

* {{BBC programme *
We Are History
' at the former BBC Guide to Comedy 2000 British television series debuts 2001 British television series endings 2000s British comedy television series BBC television comedy British parody television series British English-language television shows British mockumentary television series