Christmas Resources Pt. 2, Historical Farm Series

 

 

 

From Victorian Farm, left to right: archaeologists Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands and historian Ruth Goodman 

Kindly see Christmas Resources Pt. 1.

As I continue to compile my Yuletide resource list, I found it necessary to dedicate an entire post to BBC Two's historical farm series. 

There are five of these series, strictly speaking, plus the related series Victorian Pharmacy and Secrets of the Castle; all were produced by David Upshal.

I have included links to all of the relevant December/Christmas episodes below. 

Now, to my mind, these series together constitute an extraordinary achievement in the history of television. 

Each series features a team of historians and archaeologists meticulously carrying out period activities, sometimes using techniques not seen in the British Isles for hundreds of years, with principal figures like Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langlands appearing in all series; historian Ronald Hutton is a recurring guest, who comes to impart holiday lore. 

In Tales from the Green Valley, for instance, the team recreate a Welsh farm of the Stuart era "for a full calendar year." (This phrase is a memorable feature of the opening.) To that end they bring in many experts in order to plow fields, thatch roofs, prepare food, and more. Each episode documents one month's work.

Naturally, the Christmas episodes are my favorites. In preparation for the coming season, I have re-watched these particular episodes in order. Among other things, these recreations go a long way towards dispelling the notion that there is a modern "Christmas creep" (an ever-expanding holiday season). The episodes show that, on the contrary, there was historically a long feasting season based on the patterns of rural life, and these traditions were dealt a blow by capitalist modernity — namely with the industrial revolution and Protestant Reformation. 

If the Victorians revived Christmas, and consolidated the holiday as we know it, the revival itself speaks to the depth of the traditions, to their seeming irrepressibility. 

In any case, the episodes:  

1. Tales from the Green Valley (2005) Period explored: 1620	Christmas Episode
2. Victorian Farm (2009) Period explored: 1837-1901	Christmas Episode
3. Victorian Pharmacy (2010) Period explored: 1837-1901	N/A
4. Edwardian Farm (2011) Period explored: 1901-1910	Christmas Episode
5. Wartime Farm (2012) Period explored: 1938-1946	Christmas Episode
6. Tudor Monastery Farm (2013) Period explored: 1457–1509	Christmas Episode
7. Secrets of the Castle (2014) Period explored: 13th century	N/A