''Andrew Marr's History of the World'' is a 2012 BBC documentary television series presented by

Andrew Marr Andrew William Stevenson Marr (born 31 July 1959) is a British journalist and broadcaster. Beginning his career as a political commentator, he subsequently edited ''The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to 1998 and was political editor of BBC N ...

that covers 70,000 years of world history from before the beginning of human civilisation, as African nomadic peoples spread out around the world and settled down to become the first farmers, up to the twentieth century, in 1998.BBC official site http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xnr43 retrieved 4 November 2012 The series is noted for its elaborate, Hollywood-like recreations of many of the people and events on which Marr frames his story. Great care was taken in accurate costumes and the use of the original language of those portrayed. To this are added elaborate

digital effects Digital Effects Inc. was an early and innovative computer animation studio at 321 West 44th street in New York City. It was the first computer graphics house in New York City when it opened in 1978, and operated until 1986. It was founded by Ju ...

, such as a recreation of the Palace of Knossos or the diversionary channels dug to control flooding of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

Episodes

Production

Producer Robin Dashwood on the BBC website provides background to how the series was made, beginning with financial limitations on travel which set them seeking one location "which would furnish us the whole world": Dashwood also notes the diversity of actors available: "Luckily Cape Town is a bit of a melting pot: African, Chinese, European, Middle Eastern you name it, they've got it Aborigines.html"_;"title="Aboriginal_Australians.html"_;"title="xcept_Aboriginal_Australians">Aborigines">Aboriginal_Australians.html"_;"title="xcept_Aboriginal_Australians">Aborigines"__Though_crowds_are_often_shown,_this_was_done_with_the_help_of_computers:_"Budgetary_considerations_meant_we_had_to_make_a_limited_number_of_performers_seem_like_many_more_-_a_crowd_of_15_often_had_to_stand_in_for_a_crowd_of_1500._The_magic_of_computer_graphics_often_filled_in_the_missing_1485_–_but_it_was_always_a_challenge."

__Book_

*_Marr,_Andrew_(2014)._
A_History_of_the_World
'._Pan_Macmillan._.

_References

_External_links

* *{{IMDb_title.html" ;"title="Aboriginal_Australians">Aborigines.html" ;"title="Aboriginal_Australians.html" ;"title="xcept Aboriginal Australians">Aborigines">Aboriginal_Australians.html" ;"title="xcept Aboriginal Australians">Aborigines" Though crowds are often shown, this was done with the help of computers: "Budgetary considerations meant we had to make a limited number of performers seem like many more - a crowd of 15 often had to stand in for a crowd of 1500. The magic of computer graphics often filled in the missing 1485 – but it was always a challenge."

Book

* Marr, Andrew (2014).
A History of the World
'. Pan Macmillan. .

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title">2441214 2010s British documentary television series 2012 British television series debuts 2012 British television series endings BBC television documentaries about prehistoric and ancient history BBC television documentaries about history during the 16th and 17th centuries BBC television documentaries about history during the 18th and 19th centuries BBC television documentaries about history during the 20th Century BBC television documentaries about medieval history