Romans, Vikings, Peasants: Who Had The Worst Job In History? | Timeline

Tony Robinson presents a series examining some of history's least pleasant employment opportunities. He begins in the first millennium, trying his hand at everyday tasks including back-breaking mining by ancient Roman methods, and Saxon ploughing using wooden implements and oxen. He also enters the world of the Viking egg collector, which involved scaling cliff faces in search of guillemot eggs.
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[@joble6665]

Can you add actual facts to future documentaries please......

[@bbrenddon]

British historian dirty jobs

[@s.o.s.exploration2412]

Proud of you Tony. I could tell it wasn't easy. I love rock climbing but I do understand what you are going through when I go over sketchy areas.

[@Impailer67]

educational and entertaining , well done . my wife and i ,live in a very rural area ,and spent our youth ,replicating the traditional homesteading ways of the southern USA . this show may encourage suitable people and discourage others from attempting to recreate history . i will definitely be sharing this wonderful production with ,like minded friends ..

[@Mercurychyld1]

Sadly it said this app is not a available here in the U.S. 😢😞

[@wessexfox5197]

I’ve watched them a thousand times but I always come back to these Tony Robinsons documentaries. His enthusiasm is just marvellous, he’s truly a national treasure.

[@saralexi1420]

I just love how he's so down to get dirty and do all kinds of different things

[@rebeccacamacho-sobczak4282]

As well as a terrific wit!!

[@maryvalentine9090]

LOVE “Baldrich’s” energy 😂

[@jrmckim]

Could you imagine Sir Tony Robinson and Sir David Attenborough making a documentary together? I'D 🫠

[@mick7even]

I love how he is willing to do the jobs, but still wears his scarf and stuff 🤣

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

Imagine telling a treadmill worker that people in the future would do it because they ate too much. He would think you'r mental . 😅

[@roostertattoos7482]

In the future, they will look at us today and think the same.

[@kiobio7311]

@@roostertattoos7482 i truly hope so

[@WisdomThumbs]

“Seems like a good problem to have,” might be their response.

[@Hehe-oz2ib]

@@WisdomThumbsyour comment is so underrated

[@grahampawson1502]

🤙🤣😂👏👏👏

[@YochevedDesigns]

Tony is the history teacher we all wish we had in high school. We'd have paid better attention, and all gotten better grades.

[@mariekatherine5238]

I was one of the lucky ones! Not high school, but in Jr. High, both grades 7 and 8, my history teachers loved role plays, field trips to living museums where we participated in activities like operating a bellows for a blacksmith, actually studying for six hors in a one room country school, daubing a hut with mud and manure, etc.

[@ethanpatrick]

Kudos to all the people keeping this history alive as well! They’re the real heroes of this documentary.

[@UnderAlog572]

The real heroes are the one's that didn't smack Toby across the back of his Head

[@oligould8575]

I'd take any one of these jobs over an amazon warehouse haha

[@mick7even]

@@oligould8575😂

[@bierdlll]

4:18 Q: How do you get the stuff out? A: You use a pick. Q: Pretty difficult to swing in here. A: It's a small pick Q: How do you use it? A: You just chip away. A nice and informative exchange!

[@andrewchard2488]

Good old British understatements

[@racheallange2056]

LOL

[@TheKaiTetley]

A toothpick?

[@amyaaron7141]

The prisonors of Stalin's salt mines in Siberia sometimes had to use spoons in the underground mines hunched over scraping salt.

[@mathew85]

Was expecting him to give him a tooth brush sized pick 😄

[@RyllenKriel]

Modern day: "Don't play with fire kids!" Dark Ages: "Tend the fire or we'll die kids!"

[@CraftQueenJr]

RyllenKriel well, they still wouldn’t _play_ with it...

[@rebekahlikesmusic2723]

Lmao

[@fuzzaybunnay8532]

@@CraftQueenJr says you. Fire tenders always tends to play with it a bit. Source: Boy Scouts, then drinking out in the suburban woods with other kids.

[@joble6665]

Yeah, play and tend are two completely different words so......

[@joble6665]

@@fuzzaybunnay8532 Then they are doing two different things...... open a dictionary please

[@user-cm9sf7vs5h]

Can't beat a good old Tony Robinson documentary, his historic enthusiasm is great!

[@Simp_Zone]

Agreed he's great to watch :)

[@captain_context9991]

The word ACRE was actually an old Norwegian word that came over with the vikings. We still call it ÅKER. Which is indeed the amount of land one person would be expected to plow a day.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

And if you've ever just walked around an acre, much less plowed the whole thing, you know that's a full day's work for sure.

[@captain_context9991]

@@dogslobbergardens6606 Its also the standard amount of land you get when you buy a bit of land to build a house on in Norway. So as a kid... You quickly find out how long it takes to mow the lawn.

[@redwaldcuthberting7195]

Acre isn't a Norse loan into English, you should brush up on your etymologies. Acre in English predates the Vikings and it's from old English aecer thus It is cognate to Norse akr not a loanword from it both being from *akraz. Middle English acre, aker, from Old English æcer (“field where crops are grown”), from Proto-West Germanic *ak(k)r, from Proto-Germanic *akraz (“field”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵros (“field”). Cognate with Scots acre, aker, acker (“acre, field, arable land”), North Frisian ecir (“field, a measure of land”), West Frisian eker (“field”), Dutch akker (“field”), German Acker (“field, acre”), Norwegian åker (“field”) and Swedish åker (“field”), Icelandic akur (“field”), Latin ager (“land, field, acre, countryside”), Ancient Greek ἀγρός (agrós, “field”), Sanskrit अज्र (ájra, “field, plain”).

[@moosemaimer]

"Who's that?" "Must be a king." "How do you know?" "He hasn't got s#!t all over him."

[@davidgessin-mccully3919]

See the violence inherited in the system help, help I'm being repressed

[@christianheichel]

We are the knights that say neet

[@whenthemusicsover6028]

+David Gessin-McCully Bloody peasant!

[@matyasgerloczy8523]

@@christianheichel But we are the knights that say "IT"

[@citycrusher9308]

@Life in K-Town. No, you can't stand to hear that word! It's a terrible word! Oh, I said IT! Oh I said IT again!

[@NorthTexasEagle1989]

I keep imagining that guy in every era that says "Yeah it's not so bad!"

[@susanmaggiora4800]

Fish Sandwich That’s me. Except today I’m complaining about how cold it is....

[@EagleOneM1953]

If you ever feel like complaining about something you're struggling with in life or having a bad day look at one of Tony's videos and praise yourself lucky you don't have to try to survive in those days.... As a history buff I just love Tony's videos and the enthusiasm with which he dives into it... How did we ever get to where we are, having put a man on the moon and flying around the world in metal tubes in less than a day... It took months for them to travel half the distance... We can't thank you enough Mr. Robinson for this look into history. I often wonder who were my ancestors in the Middle Ages and before that, all the way to the time of the Roman Empire and where they were living. Being from Belgium I wonder if they were part of the tribe of Ambiorix, the famous Gaul who fought Julius Caesar. I was very surprised to learn there was gold in the region there and that was what the Romans came to look for when they invaded England. How did they found out there was gold to find there? So much we still don't know...

[@RPcropland]

Also to be honest easy is a matter of perspective and I don't think a saxon would find sitting in a stuffy cubicle office with a 100 people squawking on the phone fighting acid reflux and cramps from sitting all day and smashing mouth with food as quickly as possible as a good life. You'd be surprised what the body is made for if you really put it to use.

[@19smkl91]

When he's complaining how much work there is to do and time it takes I can't help not to think all those times customers demand something to be in stock even if its are tailored by hand for you. I think back then people knew the value of things, now it's only about money.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

No kidding. I used to make quite a few handmade knives. I loved the work itself, but I got out of the business for several reasons. A major factor was that it takes up SO much time responding to emails and calls and dms from people wanting custom work for factory prices, and customers asking, "Is it done yet? I want to change something halfway through! I know you shipped it and gave me the tracking number but it's not here yet" etc etc. People are really spoiled by the convenience of just making a few clicks on their phone and having stuff show up on their doorstep in a couple days.

[@derealized797]

These days no matter how easy people have it, they'll still cry and whine saying it "isn't fair", and demand that they deserve more just for existing. They also claim to literally have "PTSD" from the slightest breeze, everything is offensive and traumatizing. And unfortunately it's because of this. That eventually we will eventually have tough times all over again, whether it's natural disaster or whatever, if people don't have their chicken tendies and social media then they won't get by. Only the blue collar survivalist types stand a chance, when it's back to survival of the fittest. Natural selection needs to make a come back some day.

[@Rover200Power]

@@dogslobbergardens6606 people think everything should be like Amazon Prime. Expecting custom made items to arrive the day after they are ordered is very irritating.

[@the1flym459]

"Why wouldn't they steal even a little silver?" *Punishment is castration* "That makes sense"

[@chrissmith2921]

They wouldn't get my balls. I'm big and strong

[@corbeau-_-]

meh. Medieval times have taught us that it's usually about politics - punishments that is; totally random. The death penalty doesn't stop people, the guillotine didn't, nor castrating. It'll make you think twice, but desperate times call for desperate measures is a proverb for a reason.

[@joeysplats3209]

@@chrissmith2921, your haven't dropped so it's not a problem.

[@Preussengeneral]

@FooBar Maximus Haha. One could argue that this punishment is always there and never stops. If you steel again, they bring in some hot wenches and laugh at you :)

[@NightShade1161]

corbeau M

[@GeneralKenobiSIYE]

I do love when those presenting history seem to be genuinely excited and passionate about history and teaching others said history. I love history.

[@dbarker7794]

Have you seen the Mitchell & Webb skit about a history presenter who can't stop waving his arms?

[@obiwankenobi661]

greetings from your future self.

[@TheQuantumPotato]

Tony Robinson is a national treasure. Not only is he a great history presenter, he was also in Blackadder.

[@HollyWatson99]

@@TheQuantumPotato hes a worldy treasure! black adder was my favourite show growing up. merry christmas from australia!

[@eddiesroom1868]

@@HollyWatson99 back at cha, California

[@mynamesjudge]

4:45 That chipping with no eye protection really brought the safety manager out in me.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Right? I have to think that back in the day there must have been a helluva lot of people walking around missing an eye or a finger or a couple toes...

[@robotnik77]

My Great-Granduncle was killed around the turn of the century when he was using an ox-drawn hand plow. It hit a large stone, and flipped, and he was struck on the head. Milnor, North Dakota.

[@angr3819]

I read that wasn't so unusual. Sad.

[@tranurse]

My granny was helping her daddy plow, instead of going to school (she was the oldest and had to help), and her foot was stomped on by an ox. It was 1920 something, they didn’t take her to the hospital. They just bound her foot up. She limped for the rest of her life, she died in 1994. The really sad part was,her ‘good’ foot developed arthritis from favoring it, and ended up worse than the broken up one.

[@khartog01]

Baldrick, get back to work.

[@edmundfletcher3483]

Exactly 😂😂 spot on

[@Marc1996L]

“Always treat your women like you treat kite, get in her 5 times a day and take her to heaven and back” Lord Flashheart

[@Russtopia]

Gods, I thought he looked familiar!

[@mercywalschek2695]

😂😂😂

[@stevenwebb3634]

I have a cunning plan

[@owaissaaltheadickey5336]

Whenever I read history books about Presidents, wars,Emperors and Kings I would always wondered what life was like for everyone else.They have never had a voice until now & I love this "Living History" documentary series that features all of those extraordinary ordinary folks. I love that Tony Robinson is doing this series.. I have always loved his work. It was the common man and woman that created civilizations and history.

[@levity90]

Owaissa Althea Dickey precisely. I love learning about the everyday lives of common folk.

[@cdreid99999]

it's annoying that historians worship power and war so much. They give guys who were basicall mafia dons/terrorists credit for what the people they victimised accomplished.

[@eskimberly7424]

Owaissa Althea Dickey, I have, for most of my life, wanted to know about the ordinary people of any era I was learning about. In college I took a British history class that ended up being all about the battles and politics and money and power, etc.. the only woman mentioned in the course was Queen Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada. That was the only part of the course that interested me at all. I was so disappointed. This type of show is giving me the information I wanted so badly when I was a student.

[@OrontesRM]

It is, in part, contemporary Historiography. I think you might like it.

[@frank6842]

@venswim if you're interested in american history check out "A peoples history of the United States" by Howard Zinn. Tells it from the peoples perspective

[@tnekkc]

"The horse collar, which came into general use in Europe during the 12th century, was one of the most important inventions of the Middle Ages."

[@keithnichols7926]

It's great to learn history from someone who actually lived during medieval times !

[@schechter01]

Ummm....the maximum human lifespan, at this time, is around 120 years. Most people (particularly men) never reach it. _The medieval era was centuries ago._ What the f*** are you smoking?

[@paulh2282]

@@schechter01 The guy makes an old man joke and you come back with that? You must be fun at parties.

[@lassevillumsen6103]

@@schechter01 = Fun stopper.

[@olejorgensen1964]

@@paulh2282 Or perhaps a Blackadder reference :-)

[@upsidedahead]

🤣 up ya codpiece Balders

[@chrissoiya7990]

"It's getting mixed up with me scarf" -Tony as he pulls mud out of the ground with scarf around neck

[@rachelfreeders356]

With his watch on lol

[@AGMundy]

Tony Robinson has been wonderful at bringing history to life either in this series or in Time Team. He successfully takes the role of the viewer and brings a sense of curiosity, amusement and disgust whilst maintaining the general quality of the stories told and without trivialising or without sensationalising.

[@beverlystewart1096]

I have loved Sir Tony since he made Baldrick an endearing character. He makes everything better.

[@offwiththefairiesforever2373]

I don't know how he does it, or people do it...still do it

[@adampalamara]

Yeah but he gotta get to the gym tho. Work on those lifting and climbing skills

[@MossyMozart]

@AGMundy - I do not know about that. I am agog when the Time Team people and others find amazing Bronze Age or Stone Age archeology, but not this man. He always seems to be disappointed (from the episodes I have seen) if the site doesn't yield ROMAN! - ROMAN! - ROMAN!

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@MossyMozart he sometimes seems a bit star-struck by later royalty/nobility as well. Which strikes me as a bit odd, because obviously he knows that a LOT of people suffered terribly and died to make those royals and nobles fabulously wealthy. But overall I enjoy his blend of enthusiasm and disgust as the OP described.

[@lanecountybigfooters5716]

Absolutely fantastic content. I've just discovered your channel and I LOVE it. I salute your courage, Mr. Robinson!

[@johnbee7729]

One of the best 'reality shows around. Thank you Tony. This is a brilliant series.

[@Raz.C]

re: 2:48 "Yeah, but apart from the aquaduct, sanitation, the roads, irrigation, medicine, education, wine, public baths and public order, what have the Romans ever done for us!!??" - The Life Of Brian

[@whenthemusicsover6028]

Brought peace?

[@Raz.C]

@@whenthemusicsover6028 Let's face it, they're the only ones who could, in a place like this...

[@javsnow6044]

They killed Jesus... That's what they did for us...

[@malinm1615]

@@javsnow6044 But God wanted him to die

[@dsloop3907]

The best part of that movie was the end, where the screen goes black.

[@golddoommarine]

"Oooo... there some lovely filth down here." Little did I ever know that a small joke from Monty Python was about people looking for building material or iron ore.

[@cronoschild]

"Someone had planted eggs for me to find" I like that honesty...SEE THAT BEAR GRYLLS!

[@loganjohnson3589]

I cannot imagine anyone else but our intrepid Tony Robertson doing this series of history only he can bring it to life as no other can .Informative and entertaining at the same time.

[@Khaz8969]

i guess i know why the vikings just stole everythimg

[@theapterousbird]

Cuz they didnt want to make it themselves? Hahahaha

[@andreysavin1931]

This is a good one 🙂

[@watovit]

👌😭

[@sandpiperr]

Yeah, I can imagine that after weeks sailing in those conditions...I can better understand being in a pilaging mood!

[@koriw1701]

This was great. I just love Tony Robinson, the faces he makes are priceless, and I nearly fell off my chair when he was looking down the cliff face. Now THAT'S a dedicated presenter! Poor Tony looking down at the surf!

[@misskim2058]

Ya, and poor Tony needs a better safety man. Someone who knows you rig a second line in case your main one fails.

[@lindapark5421]

Tony needs to take his watch off when he's slinging dung on a house!City boy!

[@maaan8494]

This guy has such passion for history its contagious.

[@melissalove2463]

I’ve never been so grateful to be born in this day & age ! 😮‍💨

[@vickypedias]

If you’re ever depressed or upset about your lot in life you should watch this cause our lives are soooooo much better than the lives of our ancestors. This has totally imbued me with so much gratitude.

[@MegaLivingIt]

Yes, the bad old days!

[@tukamadafuka]

I dont think they're my ancestors to be honest.

[@illailla5813]

They couldn’t lay around and not leave the house for months . I feel like for me, isolation gets me and back then you couldn’t really isolate or lay around so less were depressed. Just a guesss

[@lethaldream50]

34:30 ah yes, smooth jazzy freestyle music. this is exactly what i hear when i think of the vikings.

[@crazydragy4233]

The farmer part especially wasn't that surprising as in our education we spend a good couple years on our own early civilisation history, and I'm the first generation of my family to not have lived or worked on a farm. Even then, while it's not exactly the same, I remember my grandma with uncle and grandpa ploughing a field for potatoes with a metal plough by themselves - the men pulled it forward and she pushed it down keeping it straight. It's really interesting how quickly you become disconnected from that life. In modern life we're completely dependent on other people and not in the best way. Back then people also had to work together for survival but they actually had (life) skills. It can be argued that many (if not most) people today can't really do anything that good or productive, especially for themselves, and there's probably less cooperation today as everything is about competition. Can there really be any freedom if you need a mechanic when your sink clogs or to have any meal at all? At least we have far more recourses to learn these "lost" skills (and many more) today.

[@josephbowditch9160]

Mate...you completely get it

[@drshlotzkin]

Putting the cart before the horse. We're lucky now that we don't HAVE to learn those other types of "skills" just to survive and we can utilize economies of scale and actually spend time pursuing some self interests instead of always being on the brink of starvation/etc. You're being brainwashed into thinking its "competition" that's the problem. Without competition, or resistance, or whatever you want to call it. We would have never progressed past that point in the past you're looking at nostalgically. Anyone from that time, let me rephrase, EVERYONE from that time would instantly trade lives with you without question. And wonder what kind of insane person would even think that way. The best part of today? You COULD still go live like that but next to no one does.

[@owfan4134]

@@drshlotzkin I appreciate your (mostly) respectful disagreement and contrary argument, and agree with most of your points. No one who is starving or naked would think too much about the option of being clothed and fed, it’s just a no-brainer. We are extremely lucky, and many, many, MANY places on earth are still living in similarly destitute situations where even what little culture and society they have is stripped and a corporate-brand freedom-themed surrogate is forcibly lurched into place by basic power dynamics in economy and trade. We really have so much to be grateful for, and it could all be taken away at any time, by one simple turn of fate that leaves you homeless or bereft of the luxury we all take for granted. This, however, is the point OP is trying to reinforce. You might see these things as savage and barbaric, relics of a previous time where mankind lived in huts and lacked education of any kind, bound hand and foot in servile disposition to Mother Nature and her immiscible whims, but it was also a time of incredible opportunity to be of service to others. The hand lent in aid to someone suffering such mindless drudgery is so much more valuable than the one offered to someone who is wealthy beyond measure. We learn and grow as a species through our interactions with each other, and by relying so directly and immediately on one another, our species developed incredible union that in today’s fractured, independence obsessed society simply is incapable of expressing. You will never know what it’s like to be starving and have to share your meal with the neighbor whose crops perished in a drought. You won’t ever be able to reach out and inspire your fellow man to keep living despite such complete and total suffering, at least not in that way. We have become distant and each man has built a castle for himself and his brood, shutting away outsiders and our shared past as rugged survivalists struggling to bring food to the table every night. My point isn’t to disprove either of you, but refine OP’s sentiments and illustrate the bigger picture here. There is value in all suffering, so long as we don’t intend to suffer alone. As to your point about competition, yes, in a sense it is our competitive nature that has led us to never be satiated with the present and always look to the future, but call to your awareness the last time you saw a discovery made by someone who was lauded as the lead and head of their field. Where are the champions that supposedly pioneered our advanced society and heralded an age of reason and knowledge? You are most likely conjuring images of businessmen and engineers, I’d guess. These people had their place and were innovators in their own right, but most of their competition was with themselves over prestige and ownership of more and more complex forms of wealth. The scientists and seers that sowed the seeds for these things, such as Pythagoras, Euler, Newton, Kepler, Tesla, or Einstein all worked for their own inquiry and exploration of curiosity. They labored from a place of passion and love for discovery, not to beat another or become the top of their field. True geniuses simply find their way there naturally. Ironically, most great scientists were mocked and derided by their peers for the theories they put forth. Their fields denied them competition at face value, because what they offered would overturn the accepted norm and challenge the authority of established elites. Maxwell once said, “science progresses one funeral at a time.” Science, in its purest form, is no different than any expression of the Humanities, and is deeply dependent on the development of the individual human being to reach their full potential. This is most efficiently done through cooperation and education as a means of collaborative sharing of knowledge; the library of Alexandria was built as a repository of human learning, meant not as a means for divisive politics but union through deepened awareness. I hope these things were interesting to read, thank you for taking your time to do so.

[@653j521]

Go online and watch a video on it and diy.

[@scotishjohn]

@@owfan4134 ah what you mean

[@BillThompson1955]

Scaling a cliffside for the first time in his life? Risking his life to teach people about history? And doing it with a sense of humor? Sir Tony Robinson is the definition of badass.

[@johannesbrantedal549]

And he is realy, REALY, afraid of hights.

[@Debbie-henri]

​@@johannesbrantedal549It showed... I've never seen him look so unhappy on any show.

[@barrybathingsuit2987]

18:15 "Oooh, it's getting mixed up in me scarf…" Yes, your average Saxon will feel your pain my man hahaha

[@foamlabusa6073]

modern world problems lol

[@danieljeyn9847]

"We have to repel down cliffs to get seabird eggs 'cuz chickens are considered sacred." - Greatest Dark Ages prank that actually stuck

[@maxdecphoenix]

i've read/watched a LOT of history. I've never once heard about a period of time in the british isles where people held chickens sacred.

[@D33Lux]

I would have counted that, the life of my family and I are more sacred than some stinky chickens. Crazy how they would repel and hold with one hand and risk their lives, all for the preservation of the life of a chicken.

[@SergeantExtreme]

@@D33Lux They tied the rope around their waist, so it wasn't as dangerous as you think. But yeah, it was still fairly crazy.

[@tonyg25]

@@D33Lux I mean, we live in a time where people refuse a vaccine for a worldwide pandemic because some dude on the internet told them it was full of 5g. Not like anything's really changed

[@SonOfAdolf]

@@tonyg25 No, people refuse it because it simply doesn't work. And no one knows the long term effects, so a wise person chooses not to risk it.

[@Scrapper.]

I love Sir Baldrick's history documentaries. Always fascinating, with some humour thrown in. Never fails to deliver. Respect from Ireland.

[@Paranid_Pum]

I love watching tony. He tells the story so well, and asks all the best questions.

[@warrion02]

I love that baldrik is the one talking about worst jobs in the dark ages

[@CharlesBernth]

"Dennis! There's some lovely filth over here!" - M.Python and the HG.

[@God4445]

Told my wife the same thing!

[@teebosaurusyou]

I didn't vote for yah!

[@sabrinafelber]

Good one!

[@jayg1438]

Help! Help! I'm being repressed. Witness the violence inherent in the system!

[@davidmeyer6908]

@@jayg1438 BLOODY PEASANT!

[@lockeender]

Tony Robinson just invented a new sport: extreme Easter Egg hunting.

[@Msmargret1]

Tony Robinson Rocks! (In and out of the bog.) Always a wonderful learning experience. Thank you!

[@tphvictims5101]

Tony is a great host, we seem not to have decent programming here in the states. Love the series. Loved Tony in Black Adder. I think we all identify with the underdog.

[@cBearTV-]

Yep Baldrick and Tony are both heroes here in UK but for differing reasons. 👍

[@blatherskite3009]

Ironically, in real life, Baldrick was knighted in 2013 while Slackbladder had to make do with a (comparatively) common-or-garden OBE, several ranks below Baldrick :)

[@user-qb1lq9xf1d]

What are you talking about. There are just as great docus in the US

[@Senbonza]

@@user-qb1lq9xf1d ....which is?

[@feldgraufox4927]

@@user-qb1lq9xf1d lol nope. Your TV is dreadful

[@GriswoldCain]

The audio on these Tony Robinson videos is so wacky. Why is the ambient background track always so crazy loud and constant? I love these videos, man, and I'm not a legit sound guy, but something isn't right lol. Thanks for the content though, I'm just trying to help. I very much appreciate them regardless. Peace!

[@lozpopo]

Its probably to avoid a copyright takedown notice

[@hepphepps8356]

Most probably a 5:1 auto down mix somewhere in distribution. Those mix down matrixes are a bit non-standard, and very often the Center/dialog-channel suffers, when the rest is summed. That is probably what happened here. It surely sounds like it!

[@petenielsen6683]

Compression for the internet messes up sound big time unless the uploader seriously does it for a living and has spent a good amount of money on equipment. Your average streamer typically would barely get a passing grade if it were a college course.

[@traviskingful]

actually there were parts where i couldnt understand what he was saying because of the music being louder than the talking, so ... no i couldnt

[@stephd479]

I find this to be an issue with other BBC shows, specifically Timeline series.

[@WayfarerTechnologies]

Way to go Tony! That was amazing! You are the man, bro!

[@myrtlebeachtv]

Outstanding video. Thanks so much for all of your efforts!

[@desijrichert]

They actually used bags made of seal skins slung over their shoulders to collect the Guillemot eggs. That kept their hands free.

[@misskim2058]

That’s what I was thinking. You’d just sling a bag over your shoulder. You wouldn’t carry a bucket in hand. You could use a few and gently sling ‘em behind you when one got full, and fill another, or send them up on a line. And he needed a backup line, not one rope. He’d have felt much safer, and it’s proper procedure. Then it could have been fun once he got used to it. They should have done that, used the normal rappelling technique, with a backup belay, so he’d have control of the descent, then he could tie off and still have the belay, as it should be. I wouldn’t go over a cliff without a backup belay.

[@Toneloke-3000]

@@misskim2058 I would have refused to go over that cliff without a 5-point harness. If he were to flip over he would slide right out of the harness wrapped around his legs😬

[@schechter01]

@@misskim2058 But that wouldn't have been period correct at all. His safety harness & helmet were already a lame departure from historical accuracy.

[@653j521]

@@schechter01 Lame, as in keeping the star alive? Harsh.

[@zombiedoggie2732]

@@schechter01 they had to do it for safety measures.

[@paulskillman7595]

I once went into a mine in Cornwall just to see what it was like. I could hear the waves of the ocean crashing on the shores above me. It must have impressed me because I still thank of it today. There was lead in those mines. Also tin. The Romans came to get that lead and tin. All three are gone now. No more lead. No more tin. No more Romans to mine them. Only wind blowing through the the mine.

[@greylynnjr]

My neighbor is from Cornwall

[@ClMiD]

There's Lithium in Cornwall. Mines reopening.

[@philipr1567]

@@greylynnjr My ancestors were tin miners in and around Gwennap for at least 300 years.

[@Rover200Power]

There is still tin in some of the larger mines, but the price is too low to make it economically viable to mine.

[@paulskillman7595]

@@Rover200Power Can the use of plastic replace the use of tin?

[@lou8809]

that was a brilliant program. Thank you

[@EliasJQuinteros]

Mucho trabajo bien hecho en relatar lo que era la vida de estas personas comunes! Muchas gracias por mostrarlo !!

[@cobaltcoywolf]

This would be a much better documentary without the overwhelming background music - or should I say foreground music...

[@Gorvinhagen]

I didn't even notice the music until i read your comment.

[@whotfstolemyusernamewhtalo5949]

Lmaoo

[@AdmiralBison]

you don't like some documentary with your music?

[@mackhaddock5376]

Yeah let's pull up the old employee roster, that is more than and a decade old by the way, and fire the person or team accountable for it. Good plan mate. 😐

[@chrisspere4836]

I agree. They are using music in all genre's now, the American series are good but I have trouble hearing some of the speech due to the music being too loud.

[@gera2066]

Wow. I have finally heard the word 'higgledy-piggledy' actually being used for the first time in almost 20 years since finding it in the dictionary in middle school. I can now die peacefully. Thank you.

[@pamlaw5959]

Wow no way would i want to live in any time but my own. I can't believe he did some of these jobs. I think Tony is one of the bravest men ever and so are all those who showed him how to do it

[@angr3819]

Neil Oliver, Lucy Worsley and Ruth Goodman are another three I could listen to for hours. Imagine if the four of them made a few documentaries together? I wish but of course it is unlikely.

[@lizzy66125]

try the farmseries with Ruth Goodman.Tudor/ victorian/ww2 farm

[@yallevereatenbeans2723]

I don't know how much the sound guy got paid, but it was too much

[@Zman888]

should've been paid in dung

[@noyoureahooker]

Jimmy Savile was the Master Audio Engineer and they paid him a salary of orphan children.

[@christopherlastname7638]

I think your cheap device is to blame because my jvc headphones sound awesome!

[@bensons999]

Oh! I just commented the same thing then saw this.

[@nicolar6461]

LOOOOOOOOL

[@deathwrenchcustom]

I really wish that people would comment about the background music. I'm very curious to know what everyone thinks.

[@shayb8203]

😂

[@bobbycatkitkat3122]

they are...

[@deathwrenchcustom]

@@bobbycatkitkat3122 - I bet you're fun at parties.

[@rebekahfreeman4657]

I’m sorry I can’t hear you over the background music

[@wulfgar88-10]

I dont mind it at all, honestly.

[@IamHollyBellebuono]

I admire your courage (and your humor!!) Tony!

[@cinnamon9390]

I really wish you'd do a series of lectures for The Great Courses! (like "The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World," I was so excited but couldn't stand). You'd be fabulous

[@TheHomelessDreamer]

I hope Baldrick got a really nice big turnip for his efforts

[@HYPERMASCULINE]

Tony Robinson is really good. His enthusiasm is infectious

[@TheLesserWeevil]

I'm a simple man. I see Tony Robinson, I upvote. Jack of all trades. Master of none.

[@michelleduplooymalherbe2837]

what a lovely friendly man and he makes history so interesting, i can litterary watch him for hours

[@Gameboy-Unboxings]

*literally

[@madsvigan2898]

I like this kind of history. Its always about Alexander the great, or kings Or queens. But its more intersting seeing how they used to live vs now.

[@jaakkopontinen]

Yes! The general populus' life gives such color and depth to what is present... It feels as if us and them are not the same species. They had almost nothing. We have all but everything.

[@denisbu7055]

Tony Robinson is remarkable, he seems to be having quite fun in the predicaments he is brought into, I loved his appearances in Blackadder and he pretty much points out the side of life which never was or is the bright one, great content!

[@AliceInPantera]

Very interesting stuff! Cheers and a big thank you from New York

[@homer1268]

swear down - the tunes in these documentaries are always so good!

[@ieuanhunt552]

I really don't think charcoal makers would stay awake for 100 hours. They would probably have a shift system set up. Maybe 12 hours each between 4 people.

[@terrygray9788]

My guy I think you just answered your own question. Or were you being satirical

[@derekbeck1982]

Yea, go watch a chaps channel called primitive technology, he makes charcoal by himself. He doesn't show how long it takes, but I'm certain it's not 100 hours. He also uses mud/clay mix, which probably makes a big difference from soft moist dirt and leaves.

[@astorniit9317]

I get what you mean, but the Primitive Tech guy only made a small batch for his own use, so it only took a few hours, but these medieval burners had massive piles like the one shown! It would take far more time for that pile to smolder through.

[@Tsumami__]

Ieuan Hunt surely they worked in shifts, but probably a good bit longer than 12 hours

[@thecrowcook]

and would likely be making and tending multiple piles

[@plainidiot7864]

"Oh my shoes come off." 😂😂😂

[@1stepcl0ser]

you can see how passionate he is, i love it! hes so funny too

[@johnran6015]

That is the absolute worst most ineffective plow I have ever seen, I do believe someone even back then could make a far better one.

[@CellGames2006]

I think the spike should be straight down the ground, not sideways...

[@lesleyhawes6895]

Imagine the ground you are ploughing is covered with pasture, it would only be "turned" once every three or four years, so you'd need a plough share that would get under the roots and turning it to one side, hence the "side ways"'plough.

[@goldensloth7]

interesting how wattle and daub became lath and plaster, and now lumber and drywall

[@goldensloth7]

@@reallyhappenings5597 i am multitalented

[@sc0tte1-416]

@@reallyhappenings5597 lmao I came from the right thread to understand that. And I like the OPs attitude towards it

[@reallyhappenings5597]

@@sc0tte1-416 I need a prostitute carpenter in my life

[@ILovHelloKitty13]

This is THE most underrated channel.

[@TheBurninghedge]

Cheers Tone. Great vid! Ta mate!

[@Juliet_Capulet]

OMG this was delightful. I loved every minute of if. What a sport this guy is.

[@woutervanlent5181]

Yes , he is so enthousiastic ! I love to see how the ordinary medieval lived

[@vikinghistory4246]

Never thought i would see Baldrick slap Hardians wall. Life more or less complete.

[@bibtebo]

Funny cause I grew up with his history programmes before discovering blackadder later on

[@macbuff81]

more people should watch this. It's a great documentary. Entertaining and informative

[@hayleychang9484]

I think people were a lot stronger those days.

[@macbuff81]

Hayley Chang well they also didn't live as long, but I think it's always good to learn about how people survived in the past

[@Halfdanr_H]

Charzey absolutely, they're really pushing their political ideological agenda. It's perhaps not altogether surprising given that the BBC is the state broadcasting corporation, but it's so sad to see none the less.

[@sinfulways1492]

If they could make it to around 5 i read they were pretty strong but life was expected to be around 55 on the high end lol. Who knows but with all that work that had to be done just to live i bet no kids said not now i am on level 5 of my new game lmao.

[@christacoffen7871]

More people should watch documentaries, in general! (lol) Less video gaming, more KNOWLEDGE :) . A little game play is okay, and CAN be intellectual too, but NOTHING like this!

[@sophiee.h]

sir tony robinson is unbeatable , he has a lifelong passion for history

[@breebw]

19:50 Given the significant of the flour and bread making, this process should have got a lot more extended focus.

[@judydoyle1124]

I wonder if he does a focus on women’s work show. Certainly as onerous as all these male jobs

[@breebw]

@@judydoyle1124 Yes, agreed. I am not happy the flour grinding and bread making got such flippant focus. I suppose there are limitations in TV, and things have to be condensed. But given the topic of the series, flour grinding and bread making should be its own focus. I was not happy about the mud and thatch building either. Its a serious life or death matter, yet the flippant attitude is just not conducive.

[@90sNickNostalgia]

"Cattle are much stronger than horses. They're beefier." YOU DON'T SAY!?

[@o.milonova9664]

pun MUCH intended!

[@lilyflower91]

Its an English slang term for "bigger", idiot.

[@notacanadian278]

@@lilyflower91 It's a joke, idiot.

[@sarahadair7320]

Ok, I'm sorry but I just love them!! But then I have English mastiffs and they so remind me of my boys. 😊

[@widowrumstrypze9705]

@@lilyflower91 Americans say it too, lol.

[@ash12181987]

Thank you So Much for putting these up online in one place. This is by and far my favorite series of documentaries I've ever watched.

[@screamingjimmy]

So glad I stumbledupon this channel. I never would have known. Thank you

[@Talk-Hub]

here in Romania we call dorb "chirpici". Now beside the fact that it's bio, it's amazingly good at heat retention and it's hardly flamable. A really good building material

[@crankyanker2682]

I really love how he DID it, not just watching and/or learning

[@woulve6669]

Really like this series, finally a reporter willing to get his hands dirty for demonstration

[@CharlesBernth]

Yes, he musty have noticed Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs in the US. Also, the fellow seems much too well-mannered to be a "reporter".

[@stevenewton4110]

It's Baldric from the Blackadder series -- these are the kinds of jobs he would've had to do

[@kevinmcfarlane2545]

he was also Knighted in 2013 by Queen Elizabeth II so he's Sir Tony Robinson

[@maesterkeimo5723]

hands dirty literally lol

[@rockinbobokkin7831]

Check out Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe from the US. It's pretty funny. I'm digging this UK spin on the idea.

[@TheInstinctWithinV2]

18:45 ... So I was listening to this while playing my game, and this put quite the image in my mind between the two grunting men accentuated by splattering noises.

[@swedichboy1000]

Watching the entire series is like being on a time travelling adventure with Tony Robinson.

[@o.osuq-madiq2008]

Tony Robinson is a GREAT host. Loved the "Catastrophe" series. Hope to see more of him.

[@iamjustamomdoingthebestica6999]

I'm so pleased to see there are folk out there keeping these practices alive. There could come a time when we will need to use them again.

[@bibtebo]

@Klaus Ebner Yeah, we won't need it. We will all be dead. The people who know it already will survive.

[@maesterkeimo5723]

sooner than most people think

[@DjGlenJon]

grand solar minimum.....get prepping....only reason im here is its a natural cycle of our sun causing the bigger picture problem.

[@hughiepeel9383]

@@DjGlenJon What?

[@HomoLegalMedic]

@@DjGlenJon Are you talking about man-made global warming?

[@mercedezlucke-benedict1122]

I love this documentary! I shared!

[@peekaboohidenseeken5722]

I am so excited to watch this!

[@jackdarbyshire5888]

Really love this series or any others with Tony Robinson,when you think you know it all there's always something new so your always learning about little known facts not taught in schools

[@PM-ht9uc]

I was just thinking 'that looks kinda fun' at the bit where they were smearing the daub mixture on the wall when Tony said "you'd have to be pretty messed up to find this theraputic". Oh well!

[@gromosawsmiay3000]

I experienced few of presented profession mostly on farming, and it was in end of XX century in central europe, so I can say that modern life is really easy life.

[@Javaman92]

OMG TONY! My hat is off to you sir. Nothing would make me hang off that cliff! Definitely not for eggs, love or money.

[@kaisersose5549]

Eggs naturally have a protective coating that prevents bacterial infiltration and regulates moisture loss. Unwashed eggs will easily keep without refrigeration for a couple of weeks.

[@bassbuckmaster]

Good stuff, what I learned about working back then was different jobs were family secrets. Like blacksmiths for example taught his children the trade, but it would have been a secret how hot the fire would have to be and hammering the metal to make it stronger etc. So important jobs were to people they used it for their last name, and just to survive of course.

[@jamesmueller1921]

Grand-pa started out life, working for his dad. As a blacksmith. Thus the German Mueller...

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

It’s interesting how that tradition manifests today. For example, people who work behind the scenes making movies. I used to live near a guy who was a lighting technician like his father and grandfather, going back to the silent films of the 1920’s. He worked on Jurassic Park, Jim Carrey films, etc. He told me it’s next to impossible to get into that work without a legacy, or at least a very strong personal connection.

[@googiegress7459]

To put it another way, most opportunities you'll find that are controlled by someone else are only going to be yours through networking. And family is the tightest form of networking that exists. If you don't like networking, you'll end up seizing lower-quality opportunities, or be forced to create your own (which is a lot more effort).

[@ritasjourney]

@@googiegress7459 this would have been very useful information when I was younger. We are all taught we live in a democracy and a meritocracy but it's not really true

[@OmmerSyssel]

@@jamesmueller1921 except for the fact your German 'Müller', means 'Miller'. Deriving from a man who is working at, or owner of a Mill driven by wind or water ...

[@hexxon77]

I love Tony. His passion is infectious. Great programs. And he has this face of Dark Age peasant. 🤣