Making History - Prime Meridian
Phew it is broadcast.
There is something unnerving about being told you are going to present a Flagship show on the BBC. Especially when you are not told that exactly.
Producers are sneaky. I had been a freelance reporter for Making History since 2016. Doing odd little stories about making Woad or Victorian Toilets. In July 2018 they had me come in an guest in the studio. After that I was asked at a meeting if I was keen on being ‘more involved’.
I said yes, because I love the programme, though I had no idea what they meant exactly by ‘more involved’. I thought I might get in on the pitch meetings or get a regular feature….
Fronting the programme alongside Tom Holland (pictured eating a sandwich) was more than I was expecting… and to make the task even more daunting, we only had a few weeks to turn around the first programme. Quite rightly the BBC are very diligent when commissioning and as a result of their late go-ahead, we have been rushing around like a blue arsed flies.
I think the time pressure has actually really helped, we are making some fascinating enriching content, and I spent my Christmas power reading through loads of cool research.
I do hope you like the results. You can listen on BBC Sounds and provide feedback by following this link (click the ‘send feedback’ button). If you have a moment, that would be excellent of you. I’m dead proud to be part of it!
Richard Herring's Book Club Podcast