It was good to watch a programme dealing intelligently with the subject of historiography (the writing of history) last night on BBC2. Ian Hislop investigated how King Arthur and Alfred the Great have been viewed during different periods of British history. Whereas Arthur has always been a semi-mythological character, Alfred has generally been seen as the founder of key British institutions. Hislop's programme clearly showed how the prominence of both characters has ebbed and flowed from epoch to epoch, according to the demands of the time. It will be interesting to see how the series progresses. Next week's programme will examine the Victorian era's re-imagining of Medieval times.
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