Reviews

Fellow historian Tristram Hunt, writing in The Guardian, complimented Marr for his confrontational, argumentative, personalised history, stating that television history, done well, should be more of an ice-bath than a comforting, warm soak.^[6] Gareth McLean congratulated Marr for analysing the times in which he immerses himself, effortlessly communicating his enthusiasm, and hinting at fundamental truths of the human condition, which he stated was the future of factual programming.^[7] He was also impressed that Marr maintained his penetrating scrutiny and level of insight throughout the series.^[8] Lucy Mangan noted that the show shone a light of understanding into hitherto dark and musty corners of ignorance, but criticised the final episode for concentrating too much on Tony Blair's People's Princess speech after Princess Diana's death.^[9]

Complaints

In 2009, Marr's publisher, Macmillan Publishers, was successfully sued for libel by activist Erin Pizzey after his book A History of Modern Britain claimed she had once been part of the militant group Angry Brigade that staged bomb attacks in the 1970s. Pizzey became an opponent of the group and threatened to report their activities to the police when they discussed their intention of bombing Biba, a lively fashion store.^[10][11] The publisher also recalled and destroyed the offending version of the book, and republished it with the error removed.^[12]

A viewer complaint that Marr's comment on the community charge ("Unlike the old rates, it would be payable by everyone, not just homeowners") gave the inaccurate impression that householders who were tenants had not been liable for domestic rates. The BBC Editorial Complaints Unit upheld the complaint and promised the error would be corrected before any re-broadcast.^[13]

Awards