Armchair Britain | What to Watch

Miriam Margolyes Obe Bafta Award Winning Actress Photographed In St.margaret's Bay Near Dover Kent — (Image credit: Mark Large/ANL/REX/Shutterstock)

Miriam Margolyes narrates Armchair Britain, a guide to places of interest around the UK, beginning with an overview of Cornwall's attractions, including Bodmin Moor and the Eden Project

Miriam Margolyes has visited many far-flung destinations but she’s looking closer to home to narrate this 10-part series revealing how we used to live via the TV archives.

‘We are discovering what the small screen can tell us about our green and pleasant land,’ says Miriam, 77, whose adventure starts in Cornwall...

Retro clips show tourists from decades gone by heading for the famous Land’s End signpost, some nifty Cornish pasty making, speculation about the beast of Bodmin Moor and even a rather odd balletic take on King Arthur who is linked to the village of Tintagel.

Armchair Britain with Miriam Margolyes shows tin min in Bottalack, Cornwall — A disused tin mine in Bottallack, Cornwall

As every Poldark fan knows, mining is key to Cornwall’s history, and the episode features extraordinary black-and-white footage of miners at work.

‘The county’s main income was from clay, copper and tin mining,’ says Miriam. ‘Around 100 years ago, half the world’s tin came from Cornwall. But the last mine closed in 1998.’

Meanwhile in Padstow, there’s footage of a colourful May Day festival from days gone by and a very young Rick Stein chatting to Keith Floyd, who unfortunately gets his fellow chef’s name wrong!

A nostalgic treat. Continues daily.

The full feature is from this week's TV Times on sale 2 October.

TV Times rating: ****

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As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.