In Search of the Dark Ages
Michael Wood explores early medieval England through its key figures.
In Search of the Dark Ages is a BBC television documentary series written and presented by historian Michael Wood, first broadcast between 1979 and 1981. The series consists of eight short films across two series, each focusing on a specific figure from English history before the Norman Conquest, a period often called the Dark Ages. A book of the same title, written by Wood to accompany the series, was first published in 1981.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 35–45 minutes
- Creator
- BBC
- Executive producers
- Roger Laughton
- Presenter
- Michael Wood
- Language
- English
- Country
- United Kingdom
- First aired
- 2 January 1979
- Last aired
- 9 April 1981
Facts from the source article.
Overview
Michael Wood, then a lecturer at Manchester University who would later become a history professor, narrated this BBC Manchester production. The series, originally titled simply In Search of... and now often called In Search of... The Dark Ages, contains eight episodes. Apart from the final one, each episode lasted between 35 and 45 minutes. It started with a pilot, In Search of Offa, shot in 1978 and first shown in January 1979. After a good response, three more episodes were filmed later that year. The full series debuted on BBC Two in March 1980, opening with Boadicea and including a repeat of the Offa pilot. Its popularity quickly led to a second series. Every scene was filmed on location, with no studio work, as Wood wanted the production to take place at the actual sites tied to the historical events. The episodes mostly visited battlefields, cathedrals, and other early medieval locations across England. This approach, blending popular appeal with serious history, was gaining traction at the time. Wood often appeared on camera rather than just providing a voice-over, which added a feeling of journalistic immediacy.
Reception
This was the programme that made Michael Wood a household name and set his television career in motion. Its appeal came from two main things: his approachable, unpretentious manner—at the time he was not a professional historian—and the romantic, almost mythical quality of the stories he explored. Wood’s goal was to cut through the legends surrounding each historical figure and find the real person underneath. A critic from The Times observed that Wood always has a vivid comparison ready. In an era when most documentaries were hosted by established academics, Wood’s relative youth, his style, and his obvious excitement were considered the reasons the show connected with viewers. The series was rebroadcast until 1984, but the very first episode, on King Offa, could not be part of those reruns because it had already aired twice—the maximum number of repeats allowed under BBC union rules at the time. Wood stayed an Anglo-Saxon specialist but later moved into other historical areas, making programmes on the Trojan War, Shakespeare, and myths and heroes. He eventually returned to his early interest with projects on Beowulf and on King Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons.
Book
Wood's accompanying book, In Search of The Dark Ages, was published by BBC Books in 1981 to coincide with the broadcast of the second series; the book was released on 19 March 1981, the same day the first programme aired. New editions appeared in 1987, 1994, 2001, 2005, and 2015. The book includes a ninth chapter on the Sutton Hoo man, which was not made into a television episode. A Folio Society edition in 2022 added five further chapters on Penda of Mercia, Harian of Canterbury, Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, Lady Wynflæd, and Eadgyth, Queen of Germany. The TLS described it as a splendid back-up book for A-Level historians. Contemporary reviews included Publishers Weekly noting that Wood's carefully researched foray into early medieval Britain sifts a number of unresolved mysteries. The book's popularity led to four editions between 1981 and 1987. Wood has revised the book to incorporate recent discoveries, and it remains available in the Revised Edition published in 2001.
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