Dimbleby begins his journey in the romantic north of England, an area that has attracted many a renowned painter and scribe. As little as 250 years ago, the Lake District was viewed as an ugly and inhospitable wilderness. Since then, its beauty and diversity has inspired some of our most revered artists. David learns that Wordsworth spent his most productive years at Grasmere, composing such legendary works as Daffodils. The natural beauty of the area also moved JMW Turner to create such fine works as Morning On The Coniston Fells. Of course, no trip to this part of the world would be complete without a visit to Yorkshire and in particular Haworth Moor, the rugged landscape which provided the dramatic backdrop to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

An area that has attracted many a renowned painter and scribe. As little as 250 years ago, the Lake District was viewed as an ugly and inhospitable wilderness. Since then, its beauty and diversity has inspired some of our most revered artists.

Martin Clunes embarks on an epic journey to search for island paradise, travelling from the most northern tip of Britain to the southerly seas, to visit some of the 1000 or so islands off our shores. In the three-part series the actor explores hidden Britain – the stunning, wild, curious and culturally diverse islands around our coast, and listens to the fascinating stories of what life is like away from the mainland from the people who live there.

David Dimbleby explores the flattest areas of eastern England, beginning in Suffolk where John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough grew up and painted their most romantic landscapes. He moves on to examine the work of horse painter George Stubbs at Newmarket, finds out about John Crome and John Sell Cotman in the Norfolk Broads, and ends up on the east coast. Here the remorseless sea, which eats away at the vulnerable coast, has provided inspiration for composers like Benjamin Britten and artists throughout the centuries – from the contemporary artist Maggi Hambling right back to the greatest sea painter of all time, JMW Turner.

Richard takes the wheel of Ford Zodiac to drive the circular route from Caernarfon that loops through some of Snowdonia’s most sensational scenery.

David Dimbleby investigates the inspiring landscapes of the West. He begins by chronicling the pictorial battle between Constable and Turner over Stonehenge in Wiltshire, then travels to south Wales to consider Dylan Thomas’s work. Journeying through the south-west’s bleak landscape, which inspired gothic novels such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles and Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, he ends in St Ives where sculptress Barbara Hepworth’s artistic community worked in the 1930s.

David Dimbleby investigates areas in the South East that have proved influential for artists, beginning with a visit to the hills which are said to have inspired William Blake’s famous poem Jerusalem. He tours Brighton’s seashore, visits Arundel Castle, which has been immortalised by the likes of Constable and Turner, and finds out what stirred Kipling’s creativity in East Sussex. With the mighty white cliffs of Dover as a backdrop, David meets Dame Vera Lynn to discuss her song, White Cliffs of Dover, the tune that in Britain’s darkest hour during the Second World War became a beacon of hope across the world

David Dimbleby seeks out the most inspiring sites in England’s heartland, beginning with the industrial areas of Manchester painted by LS Lowry. He travels through the Peak District to Shropshire, passing the 18th-century Ironbridge on the way, and arrives at Dudley Castle to see the smithies immortalised by Dickens in his novel The Old Curiosity Shop. Last stop is the Malverns, the 20 peaks that rise up out of the Worcestershire plain, which is forever associated with the name of Edward Elgar, Britain’s first great composer of romantic music.

Actor Richard Wilson takes a journey into the past, following routes raved about in motoring guides of 50 years ago.Richard struggles to get to grips with a retro VW camper van as he drives the coast road from St Ives to Lands End.

Actor Richard Wilson takes a journey into the past, following routes raved about in motoring guides of 50 years ago

Francesco da Mosto sets off to travel the length and breadth of Italy in a classic Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider. In the opening episode, he gets romantic in Juliet's home town of Verona; witnesses the birth of Western art; has a fashion makeover from Giorgio Armani; is invited into a closed convent to see the tomb of the most notorious woman in European history; and goes deep-sea diving in pursuit of a childhood dream.

In the second programme in the series, explorer Paul Rose, marine biologist Tooni Mahto and maritime journalist Frank Pope explore the wild seas around Scotland. The team travel to Bass Rock, one of the largest gannet colonies in the world. They are there to try and find out why when most British seabird populations are in decline, the northern gannet is bucking the trend. Tooni helps scientists who are using GPS trackers to discover the extraordinary distances gannets can fly in the search for food. Paul goes beneath the waves to witness the amazing diving ability of Britain's largest seabird.

“Why, of course, the people don’t want war. why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.”

Narrator Jeremy Siepmann
Amidst a background of wars and revolution, the nineteenth century produced many of the world s best-loved composers. Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin and Tchaikovsky are just some of the many familiar names whose music was shaped by the events of period: Discover Music of the Romantic Era charts the course of music through these turbulent but exhilarating times. Light-hearted but authoritative, it tells the fascinating, often scandalous life-stories of the nineteenth century s greatest composers and describes how they created musical history. Their many different styles are illustrated by hours of carefully chosen music.
The book is peppered with quotations, pictures and helpful tips on what to listen for.

This highly illustrated, information-packed volume explores British history from Neolithic times right up to New Labour. Every double-page spread focuses on a different topic, making it a pleasure to dip into and easy to look up any subject that interests you, be it Boudicca's Rebellion, the wars against Napoleon or the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

In the first of a six-part series, Andrew Marr revisits Britain at the dawn of the 20th century. He finds the country mourning the death of Queen Victoria; fighting an intractable war against the Boers in South Africa; enjoying the bawdy pleasures of music hall; and worrying about the physical and moral strength of the working class.

Zest Media London publish local luxury lifestyle magazines that target the wealthiest residents in London. Each of our titles captivate its audiences by utilising stylish and cutting edge design coupled with high volumes of local content . From the latest fashion trends to local art exhibition listings, interior news to motoring, Zest Media publications are your essential guide to luxe living in London.

In the summer of 1940, history hung in the balance. Hitler's armies had conquered Poland, Norway, Holland and Belgium in quick succession. Next, the Nazi blitzkrieg overwhelmed France and the British Army were forced to retreat from Dunkirk. Now Adolf Hitler stood, just as Napoleon had stood, more than one hundred years before and looked across the English Channel to the one fighting obstacle that stood between him and world domination: a tiny island. Great Britain. The preliminaries were over. It was time for the main event.