A documentary about Richard the Third was aired on Channel 4 this weekend. It focused on the work of the University of Leicester’s archaeology department and the determination of the Richard the Third society to find him. The two parties were both convinced that the King was residing in an unmarked grave in the region.
When the documentary was aired, the phrase Richard the third trended on Twitter, a relatively unheard thing to happen to subjects related to history and old, nearly forgotten kings. The rise in popularity of history programmes has only happened over the past few years. It seems to have become cool to be more educated. More people also seem to pay more attention if the person who presents is not , look at the people who love the physicist Brian Cox.
It’s not only teenagers and adults who are getting enjoyment out of learning about history, it seems even children can enjoy history without them feeling like they are in a history lesson. Horrible Histories is a popular children’s TV show aired on the BBC which combines history with songs, music and comedy in order to educate children without boring them to death (literally). Horrible Histories has quickly become a programme for the whole family to enjoy.
So, after taking all these programmes into consideration I decided to find out whether history has just become important again, maybe even cool. Okay, maybe not necessarily cool…
