Jeremy Irons Narrates ‘The British’ on SKY Atlantic

Jeremy Irons is one of the many celebrity narrators on the SKY Atlantic series The British, airing in the autumn of 2012.

From the SKY website:

Combining gripping drama, spectacular CGI and compelling commentary, The British is an ambitious and unmissable new series which tells the history of Britain and Ireland from the Roman invasion to the birth of TV and the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

Spanning two thousand years, the series uncovers the surprising stories of the unsung heroes as well as the well-known icons of history. Some of the UK’s most recognizable names from the worlds of entertainment, politics, sport, science and history – including Jeremy Irons, Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Terry Wogan, Jessie J, Russell Brand, Colin Jackson, Frank Lampard, Lord Robert Winston and Prof. Jeremy Black – share their unique insights on how thousands of years of British history have shaped the people and nation we are today.

Essex-born actor, comedian and writer Russell Brand said: “It’s nice to be able to reach back into the past and feel that you have an identity that’s built on an oceanic, rolling history” while Oscar® winning actress Dame Helen Mirren said of her national identity: “If you wanted to teach someone who knew absolutely nothing about the British people, it would be very good to guide them to Shakespeare – you could see the foolishness, the humour, the brutality; it’s all in almost every play.”

Sky is also running an educational initiative to support the series. Aiming to give pupils an enthralling insight into 2,000 years of the history of Great Britain, the initiative will target pupils from ages 7 – 14 with an educational plan tailored to the series.

As part of this campaign, Sky has produced free, flexible teaching and learning resources for ages 7-11 and 11-14, which will be specifically tailored towards each episode of the seven-part series. Click here to find out more about the educational resources for The British.

Explore episode 1 – Treasure Islands (54BC – AD500)

Explore episode 2 – People Power (1066 – 1415)

Explore episode 3 – Revolution (1541 – 1641)

Explore episode 4 – Dirty Money (1666 – 1820)

Explore episode 5 – Superpower (1770 – 1851)

Explore episode 6 – Tale of Two Cities (1851 – 1891)

Explore episode 7 – War and Peace (1891 – 1953)