Yesterday, I talked about the concept of diving headfirst into a new subject of your choosing and just going for the learning ride. This is something I’ve struggled with before, and particularly when it comes to history. I didn’t enjoy history that much at school, but have since found a fondness for finding out how the world has come to be in the position it is in today. The trouble with history is it is a HUGE SUBJECT.

I found this article on The Guardian very interesting. It talks about some of the elements that have been lost in advertising nowadays, compared to some of the classic adverts from yester-year. Although some of the points are contentious - like cigarette advertising, and seemingly promoting sexism - it does seem very true that adverts of the moment do not capture the imagination in the same way. I quickly browsed YouTube for three adverts that I know I enjoy, and none of them are current ones.

My only knowledge of Robin Hood comes from three places: that film with Kevin Costner, the film by Mel Brooks, and the current BBC TV series. I know that all three are a pile of tosh, there for pure entertainment value rather than anything historical or mythical. Therefore, I’ve started looking into the legend of Robin Hood and would like to share some of my findings with you. Naturally, no one knows whether Robin Hood was a real person or not, but he has certainly been given plenty of attention in words and pictures throughout the years.

I’m often told that if I’m going to watch television so much, I should take the time to watch educational programmes instead of Emmerdale and ER and such. I’m all for learning about stuff. I thought Journey Of Life was excellent, although some might think that a TV vet should probably stick to what he knows best and not try to be a presenter. I also started to really enjoy Adam Hart Davis and his What The [insert particular era here, ie, Romans] Taught Us, but that finished a few weeks ago.

I’m really annoyed because I’ve been driving up and down so much and working all day and stuff I haven’t had time to learn anything or I’ve been too tired to read any of my books. We just finished watching Time Commanders and I really love it. We’ve discovered a passion for educational TV and at least it’s not mindless soap like Emmerdale. But TC is really good because they have all the computer battles going on and the historians are really passionate while the presenter is really funny.