Rating: 
Summary: Great storyteller; great story;better than a movie
Review: Great story telling; great story. Who needs fiction with such fabulous characters and drama? The visuals are beautifully done. With all due respect to Ken Burns, Schama outclasses him.
If I taught history at any level I would welcome this series, it definitely inspires the desire to learn more.
Rating:
Summary: So, What's Not to Like?
Review: I am neither a history scholar nor a serious history buff, but I suppose that I am an Anglophile (with an especial appreciation for Thomas More, Charles Dickens, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, and, at the moment, Tony Blair). I rushed out to buy this set after hearing Simon Schama give a talk at Brigham Young University earlier this year. Schama is a very charismatic speaker, and I'd be surprised if he didn't end up selling hundreds of BYU students and faculty on his videos that day.When I think of this series, a few of the words that come to mind are "beauty", "authenticity", and "solemnity". Schama's narration is spell-binding, and the cinematography (if that's the right word) is gorgeous. These are documentaries that it looks like took a lot of money to make, not because of the scale of historical re-enactments involved (which is relatively modest) but because of the overall quality of the product. Since Schama can neither be classified as a hagiographer nor an iconoclast, I'd almost include the word "balanced" in my description of his work, but that word might suggest mediocrity or at least moderation, and there's nothing lukewarm about the positions Schama takes. I suppose that there are people out there who might find Schama's dramatic and strongly-opinionated style off-putting. There might even be people who find the British countryside ugly and Britain's historical treasures boring. To the rest of you, I give this set a strong recommendation. As one caveat: there are maybe 2 or 3 spots in the 15 hours of this series in which parental discretion might be advised.
Rating:
Summary: History is gossip that has grown old gracefully.
Review: I believe that Samuel Clemens said that, but I will stand to be corrected.
Mr. Schama's narrative of British history is erudite and graceful. The appeal for me as an American is that this truly is "British" history without being overwhelmingly "Anglo-centric." The Irish, Scots, Welsh and the rest of the world have a hand in the affairs of the realm.
One of the other qualities that I find appealing in his account is Mr. Schama's careful use of irony, which is often appropriate but never heavy-handed.
I hope that we will see more from this gifted historian.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I enjoyed this so much on the History Channel that I had to add it to my collection. It is worth every penny and I highly recommend this. Simon Shama makes you feel that you are there with him. I enjoyed this so much that I went out and bought the books that go with this series. I wish that Shama would do more shows like this.
Rating:
Summary: Great series, and so informative.
Review: I love this series so much. They play it on the History Channel and I've learned a lot. Especially with our school system's "great" history program. Did you know the Brits did more than fight against us in two wars and with us in two more? Yes, it's true. And Simon Schama is a great narrator, with the kind of empathy and fairness that makes history come alive. It translates well for adults and non-ADD-prone teenagers.
Rating: 
Summary: A rather uninteresting and pretentious overview of Britain
Review: I purchased this series with high hopes and I found viewing it to be very disappointing. The host was annoying the images added nothing to the presentation and there was way too much time spent looking at peacocks and flowing streams. I suppose that the history would have been OK if it weren't so scanty. This was very much a quick overview, which often left out key facts that would be vital to understanding the motivation for actions in later parts of the series. I commend the idea behind creating a good series in the history of Britain, but I can only suggest that this one be avoided at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: I rate this as the best historical doco I've seen. It is at times funny, moving, educational but mostly extremely entertaining. And it is unapologetically the Simon Schama show. As he says on the extras disc, it's "A" history of Britain, not "The" history. Whatver he left out or glossed over, the stuff that is in there never seems boring or trivial.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, covers a lot of ground.
Review: I really don't understand the one-star reviews and their complaints about the series. Saying that the series focused on the gory details and sex is a plain exageration. The series leaves a lot of stuff out that's for sure, there is not a lot of coverage on the wars with Spain and France or the overseas expansion, but I am ok with that since I wanted a "quick" overview of the matter. If you want a detailed account you are going to need several thick books.
A must-buy for any amateur historian; informative and very entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: For those who thought History was boring...
Review: I was one of those who throughout my school history lessons (I'm British btw) - yawned, misspelt essays, forgot important dates and mixed-up defining moments of my home country. It was just not for me, science please. After watching this series, I wish they had DVD's a few years ago! As soon as I saw the first episode, I went out, took the risk and bought the set. Fantastic. Divided into nice bite size pieces, Simon Schama takes us through the years, actually giving me an understanding and perspective on what happened so long ago, in an entertaining and informative style. Somehow he seems to get huge amounts of information, without you even realising it. I began to understand Britain's role defining parts of world history, for right or wrong. Boy can he tell a tale and keep you intrigued, it's hard for you not to want to stick the next DVD in, save for not wanting to get through it too soon. But then you do and rapidly get back to the beginning, watching it all again. Simon has his own style of narrative delivery, twitching and jerking his way when on screen. Most amusing but you can't not be endeared to him and be in awe of his knowledge. Respect. Perhaps not for the history boffin? Not at all, my girlfriend is history nut and she loves it. It has pride of place in my collection. Keep up the good work BBC, your're unique, paid for by the people, for the people. And advertising free.
Rating:
Summary: Superficial.
Review: It is not about Britain but about Simon Schama [however the last hour of Volume 5 is interesting]. If you still have some doubts: just compare this documentary with Mark Twain by Ken Burns or Thomas Jefferson also by Ken Burns, and judge by yourself.
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