The Celts (2000 TV series)

The Celts (Welsh: Y Celtiaid[2]) is a 2000 television documentary series produced by Opus Television for the Welsh channel S4C.[3] A book adaptation of the same name by John Davies was published in the same year by Cassell & Co.[4] Also in that year, the programme was sold to the American cable network Celtic Vision.[5]

The Celts
GenreDocumentary series
Narrated byJohn Morgan
Opening theme"The Eternal Knot"[1]
Ending theme"The Eternal Knot"
ComposerKarl Jenkins
Country of originWales, United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producersCenwyn Edwards
John Alick Macpherson
ProducersCaryl Ebenezer
J. Mervyn Williams
EditorGlyn Shakeshaft
Camera setupHaydn Denman
Running time50 minutes (per episode)
Production companiesOpus Television
S4C Rhyngwladol International
Original release
NetworkS4C
Release2000 (2000)

Synopsis

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The series examines who the Celts were, where they came from and what made their culture distinctive from other European peoples; with dramatizations of major historical events and visits to modern Celtic lands. A number of archaeologists and scholars of Celtic studies are featured in the documentary, such as Jörg Biel [de], Peter Connolly, Barry Cunliffe, Markus Egg [de], Michel Egloff, John T. Koch, Barry Raftery, Colin Renfrew, Peter Reynolds, Thomas Stöllner [de], Bryan Sykes, among others.

Episodes

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  1. "In the Beginning": Tracing the origin of the Celts.
  2. "Heroes in Defeat": Examining La Tène era, heyday of the Celtic culture.
  3. "The Sacred Groves": Looking at ancient Celtic religion, especially Druidism.
  4. "From Camelot to Christ": This episode claims that, after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Vortigern, King of the Britons, invited the Anglo-Saxons into Britain to help fight the Picts. Christianity was established during the Anglo-Saxon era.
  5. "Legend and Reality": From the 8th century onwards Celtic lands were invaded by the Vikings and then the Normans. Following the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, Celtic communities in Wales, Ireland and Brittany were marginalized in the push for political and religious unity.
  6. "A Dead Song?": Examining the meaning and threats to the Celtic identity. The struggle to define an identity still continues today.

The series has been released on DVD by Kultur International Films in 2010.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Elliot, Russell W (16 October 2000). "Adiemus IV: The Eternal Knot". musicaldiscoveries.com. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. ^ "The S4C Authority Bulletin" (PDF). s4c.cymru. October 2000. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  3. ^ MacKillop, James (1 June 2006). Myths and Legends of the Celts. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780141941394.
  4. ^ Davies, John (2000). The Celts: Based Upon the S4C Television Series. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 9780304355907.
  5. ^ "S4C exports Opus series The Celts to the US". broadcastnow.co.uk. 12 May 2000. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  6. ^ The Celts (DVD Video). 2010. OCLC 642361754. Retrieved 11 December 2022 – via worldcat.org.
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