Simon Schama’s History Of Now
In his most personal project to date, Simon Schama looks back at the history that has played out in his lifetime.
Born in 1945, on the night of the bombing of Dresden, Simon grew up as part of a generation determined to rebuild the world from the ashes of war. In this episode he reveals the stories of artists and writers who have been at the forefront of the fight for truth and democracy, often at great personal cost.
Simon meets Richard Blair, son of Eric, better known as George Orwell, who fought in the Spanish Civil War and Nadya Tolokonnikova, founding member of the punk collective Pussy Riot, who shares her enduring belief in art’s ability to speak truth to power. Tomorrow, BBC2, 9:15pm