History Meets Reality TV

This section features historians living as period people, performing tasks that our ancestors had to do, all the while dressed in period costumes.  Any one of these series would be an excellent addition to the classroom.  Not only do is this historical base reality TV, but several of these series can also be used in a science or agricultural classroom.

Secrets of the Castle - Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 3  Episode 4
Tom Pinfold, Ruth Goodman, and Peter Ginn explore medieval lives and how to build a castle.  This series shows off one of the longest historical experiments in history.  Pinfold, Goodman, and Ginn explore a variety of aspects of castle building.  They kick off the series by establishing their base and then move on doing building projects.  This is a STEM and STEAM-heavy series. *Highly recommend for a middle school and high school history and science classroom.*

Victorian Pharmacy - Episode 1   Episode 2   Episode 3  Episode 4
The Victorian Pharmacy was the place where cures could be found.  It was the place where both the poor and rich could find medical care.  Ruth Goodman, Ruth Barber, and Tom Quick work in a real Victorian Pharmacy, finding alternatives for the popular cures of the day.  They how pharmacists made their medicines, brought people into the business, as well as how the industry became regulated.  *Recommend for a science and history classroom.  Highly recommend independent study and clips for a lecture.*

*Full Steam Ahead: YouTube
Peter Ginn, Alex Langlands, and Ruth Goodman explore the history of British Railways in this series.  They start with how the railroads impact mining and local areas before going into how the railways impact Britain as a nation.  The railroad had as big an impact as the internet had.  Ginn, Langlands, and Goodman demonstrate the changes the railroad brought over the decades.  *Highly recommend for a middle school and high school history classroom.*

Turn Back Time - The Family - Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 3  Episode 4 Episode 5 
This earlier series is where three families discover how families lived over several different periods including the Edwardian Period, Depression, World War II, and the 1960s.  Three houses were transformed throughout the series to reflect the decade they are in.  They lived in each house for a week.  The families are living the lives of their ancestors.  *Highly recommend for a history classroom and a family and consumer classroom.  Good series for independent study students.*

Turn Back Time - The High Street - Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 3  Episode 4  Episode 5  Episode 6
Four families participate in reviving the High Street through different eras: Victorian, Edwardian, 1930's, World War II, 1960's and the 1970's.  They operate a grocer, butcher, blacksmith shop, dressmaker shop, and bakery.  The Chamber of Commerce explores whether or not the High Street can be revived through this experiment.  The participants are selected from locals and they promise to shop in only the period stores.  *Recommend for a history classroom and independent study classroom.*

Farm Series
*Tales From Green Valley: Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 3  Episode 4  Episode 5  Episode 6  Episode 7  Episode 8  Episode 9  Episode 10  Episode 11  Episode 12
A group of historians and archeologists work on a farm that was established during the Jacobean Period.   They make repairs around the farm, raise animals, and live the way farmers lived during the Jacobean Period.  They build a new barn as well as a new privy.  They work the farm during a calendar year, except they do not live on the farm.  At the end of the year, many of the buildings were restored.  *Highly recommend for both history and agricultural classroom.*

*Edwardian Farm: YouTube  Amazon Prime
Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langladas live as farmers during the Edwardian Period.  Goodman, Ginn, and Langladas plant market gardens, raise livestock and keep house using Edwardian methods.  They participate in daily Edwardian life and show how the Edwardian period brought changes to England.  *Recommend for a history classroom, highly recommend for an agricultural classroom.  Excellent series for an independent study student.*

*Victorian Farm: YouTube  Amazon Prime
Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langladas live as farmers during the Victorian Age.  They work on the Acton-Scott estate for this series.  The first restore a Victorian's farm workers cottage, prepare cider, and plant their fields.  They participate in daily Victorian life.  They celebrate the holidays Victorian Style.  Recommend for both history and agricultural classroom.  Highly recommend it for independent study students and clips in a lecture.*

*Tudor Monastery Farm: YouTube Amazon (Region 2 DVD)
Ruth Goodman, Tom Pinford, and Peter Ginn live life as farmers during the Tudor period for a full calendar year.  Monasteries were an important part of Tudor Life and they were the landlords during this period.  They plant a field, raise livestock, and keep house using Tudor methods.  Ruth manages the house and dairy while the boys' Tom and Peter manage the fields.  This playlist includes Tudor Feast at Christmas.  *Recommended for all ages as well as for both a history classroom and agricultural classroom.*

*Wartime Farm:  YouTube
Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langladas as well as new team member Henry live as farmers facing the conditions of World War II.  Goodman, Ginn, and Langladas startup with setting up the farm for war conditions, planting the fields, and trying their hand at recycling.  They deal with rationing.  They also take in war refugees, participate in home defense and welcome the Americans.  *Highly recommended for both middle school and high school history and agricultural classrooms.  Highly recommend it for independent study students and clips.*