The Film
Title – Secrets of the Tower of London
Aired – 27 October 2013
Series – Secrets of Britain
Duration – 55:11 minutes
Producer – Vicky Matthews
Produced by – Pioneer Productions for PBS
Clip available here (link no longer works on YouTube)
Or here on PBS website (also no longer available)
Or purchase via PBS
Review
Trying to cram 1000 years of history into a 55 minute show is a bit of a challenge, but this show gives a good overview of the history of the Tower of London. Naturally, certain aspects of Tower history are glossed over, and some are simply omitted. There is no mention of the role that the Tower played during World War I and the execution of German spies. On the other hand, the show does devote two minutes to covering the story of Josef Jakobs, the last person executed in the Tower (31:00 to 33:12 on the YouTube video). Necessarily brief, the segment is fairly accurate. The show also touches on the history of Tower Bridge (26:00 to 31:00) and provides a rather fascinating look into the Victorian mechanism that opens and closes the bridge.
Review Score
4.5 out of 5 – enjoyable and informative