Anastasia Giles recently completed her MA in History at Royal Holloway, University of London. For her thesis she investigated women’s interactions with the past in 19th century Britain. She also has a BFA in Film Studies from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. In her future career research she plans to explore historical representation in visual culture. You can find her on twitter @StaziaG and blogging on https://thelamppostonline.com

The emergence of historical television as a form of popular culture has forced historians to confront a brave new world of history as visual entertainment. As the theorist Robert Rosenstone has written, the historical profession cannot be expected to resist ‘the delicious thought of a potentially large audience for the fruits of one’s research, analysis, and writing.’ Because of this, televisual history has the ability to effect a greater number of people’s perception of the past. Within this genre of historical television the…