BBC iplayer :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...-duke-unmasked
I have watched a bit of this, will watch rest later on Sunday evening.
Incidentally (yesterday now but still feels like today) I went to a local museum to see the Battle of Waterloo exhibition/event they had there. Some guys from a war museum had real stuff from that time ( which we were allowed to handle)- one being a kettle the soldiers had used to boil water for their tea. I picked it up- it was well made. And they had a HUGE musket which I could hardly lift!! and a rifle. It was kind of strange holding guns that British soldiers had seen off a few of Napoleon’s soldiers with. I was talking to one guy for ages ( the one in charge of the guns) about the era, Wellington etc. Fascinating!
The Duke of Wellington was the most famous Briton of the first half of the 19th century. His victory over Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 altered the course of history. The hero of Waterloo became a towering figure in British history for both his achievements and for embodying our notions of Britishness - the stiff upper lip, unfussy straightforwardness and incorruptibility in office - he was the Iron Duke.
This drama documentary looks behind the iron mask to focus on the intriguing complexities of the Duke of Wellington - his character, personality and relationships, told through his own words and the words of those who knew him best. General, politician, lover, outsider - the programme discovers that the hero of Waterloo was far more complex than his public image.
Drawing on his own vast private correspondence, as well as the diaries and memoirs of those around him, the film uses dramatic reconstruction to create an intimate portrait of the Duke of Wellington, played by Richard E Grant (Withnail and I, The Iron Lady, Doctor Who).
This drama documentary looks behind the iron mask to focus on the intriguing complexities of the Duke of Wellington - his character, personality and relationships, told through his own words and the words of those who knew him best. General, politician, lover, outsider - the programme discovers that the hero of Waterloo was far more complex than his public image.
Drawing on his own vast private correspondence, as well as the diaries and memoirs of those around him, the film uses dramatic reconstruction to create an intimate portrait of the Duke of Wellington, played by Richard E Grant (Withnail and I, The Iron Lady, Doctor Who).
I have watched a bit of this, will watch rest later on Sunday evening.
Incidentally (yesterday now but still feels like today) I went to a local museum to see the Battle of Waterloo exhibition/event they had there. Some guys from a war museum had real stuff from that time ( which we were allowed to handle)- one being a kettle the soldiers had used to boil water for their tea. I picked it up- it was well made. And they had a HUGE musket which I could hardly lift!! and a rifle. It was kind of strange holding guns that British soldiers had seen off a few of Napoleon’s soldiers with. I was talking to one guy for ages ( the one in charge of the guns) about the era, Wellington etc. Fascinating!