Neil Oliver shares his love of Great Britain
Neil Oliver, archaeologist, historian, author and presenter of the TV series Coast, is sharing his love of Great Britain on his first ever UK theatre tour. James Rampton asks him a few questions
A: I saw a flyer for Ray Mears’ show. He was going to be playing at the Albert Halls near us in Stirling. My wife said to me, “Why don’t you do a show like that?”
I’ve done lots of book tours and festivals before, and I began to think that the book that had been commissioned from me, The Story of The British Isles in 100 Places, would lend itself particularly well to a tour of Britain.
So I decided to do it, and now I’m really excited about it.
Q: How did you go about selecting those 100 places?
A: Writing is 50% of what I do, and I’m always thinking about the next book. Over the last 20 years, TV has taken me on a very unusual tour of Britain.
As well as iconic places such as the White Cliffs of Dover, Edinburgh and Cardiff, I’ve gone to unexpected, remote places that take quite a lot of getting to.
They are places that people have never heard of. So I’d become aware that an idiosyncratic chronology of the British Isles had formed in my head.
Q: Can you expand on that?
A: I had seen everything from very early human settlements around Happisburgh, where there are footprints from 800,000 years ago, through the Stone and Metal Ages to sites connected to great moments from a more modern era.
I thought I could easily choose 100 places – in fact, I could have chosen 500. I realised there was a story to be told from very early to modern times by introducing people to these places.
Q: Do you have a favourite?
A: That is very hard because there are so many places in the British Isles that I love.
For instance, Iona is somewhere I’ve been a lot over the years, and I love it.
It’s a great centre of Christianity, but beyond that it’s a very spiritual place because of the look of it. It’s a little island with a beautiful shape.
It has turquoise seas, pink rocks and a wonderful abbey that dates back many centuries. It’s a lovely, relaxing place to be.
Q: Do you relish the prospect of meeting your fans face to face?
A: Definitely. People always ask me really interesting questions. They ask me, “What’s your favourite place?
“What period of history would you go back to if you had a time machine?
“And who would you invite to a dinner party?”
But the great thing is, the questions can be about literally anything. I’m not a specialist – I’m not just talking about the six wives of Henry VIII. In the show, I’ll be talking about anything that has happened in the last million years – quite a big subject!
Q: How do you maintain your passion for your subject?
A: I’m always in the position of finding out that I don’t know anything. Every day is a school day.
I’m always realising that however many interesting facts I’ve picked up, I don’t know the half of it. I’m always thinking, “I don’t know enough.” That keeps me fascinated.
Q: Do you view history as a universal subject?
A: Yes. Whether you’re rich or poor, educated or not, everybody is interested in history.
It’s the stuff people talk about. It’s why we are the way we are.
That’s why it’s so important to study history. It such a shame that it’s been downgraded below IT and business studies.
Q: Does history affect popular culture today?
A: Definitely. The stuff that happened in Scotland during the medieval period was every bit as violent as Game of Thrones.
If you think the House of Lannister is bloodthirsty, just take a look at what happened with the Campbells
and MacDonalds!
Q: Were your parents passionate about history?
A: Yes. My dad was a salesman, not a history teacher, but when we were children he loved taking us to historic sites. He is a great lover of the West Highlands.
We went to places like Glencoe and he was the first person to tell me about the Massacre of 1692.
My dad’s enthusiasm for those places was infectious. I now have the same love of the West Highlands, probably absorbed from him.
Q: Was there one thing when you were a boy that influenced your passion for history?
A: Yes. I used to love watching the film Zulu when I was young. The story is so well told. It’s very exciting and dramatic.
It portrays the bravery on both sides. The Zulus come out of it with nobility.
The film inspires a lot of emotions – it’s uplifting, but also violent. That kind of thing is bound to leave a mark on a youngster.
Q: Why are we so fascinated by history?
A: As animals, we’re curious about each other – hence the popularity of gossip magazines. History is part of that.
From a very young age, I was always interested in why things were the way they were.
That same instinct draws to science people who want to know why the grass is green. Science deals with the how; history deals with the why and the who.
As a child, you think, “Why do I live here?” Your parents say, “We moved here because of your dad’s work.”
Or you hear that both your grandfathers survived the First World War, and you ask, “What is the First World War?” Very soon, it starts to become history.
Q: What do you hope audiences will take away from The Story of The British Isles in 100 Places?
A: I hope people will go away with the same passion for history that I have.
History can sometimes feel like a dry and dusty subject you studied at school. But I find it is as thrilling as any Marvel movie!