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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Vision Productions announces one of its biggest Arts series ever to be commissioned for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One. The Seven Ages Of Britain (7x1 hours), co-produced by The Open University, is a landmark history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over 2000 years.

Written and presented by David Dimbleby, the series will air in the second half of 2009.

Seven Ages follows on from the success of David Dimbleby's previous two ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One landmark Arts series, A Picture Of Britain – tracing the history of landscape painting and How We Built Britain, a history of British architecture, one of the first Arts programmes to reach 5 million viewers.

The new series looks at our extraordinary past through the Arts – both as objects that have often played a decisive part in events and as marvels of their age.

Despite dumping his trusty land rover for Seven Ages, David roams further and wider than ever – including Italy, Germany, Turkey, India and America – tracking down astonishing artefacts that both encapsulate events here or were made here, and yet ended up leaving our shores.

In Britain or abroad, this is a journey revealing objects of great beauty and craftsmanship that tell us who we were and are, and pay testament to the great events that formed our nation.

David Dimbleby says: "Seven Ages Of Britain is proving an exhilarating quest. The television camera offers a spectacular view of some of our most precious national treasures.

"It allows us to see them in ways beyond the reach of the human eye as we tell the story of our country's history over two thousand years through the art we have created in good times and bad."

Basil Comely, Executive Producer says: "This series is all about discovery. There are new discoveries and familiar things too, re-discovered. It is the best of British art revealed better than ever before."

"The Seven Ages Of Britain is a hugely ambitious arts series for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One. David brings the subject matter alive with journalistic endeavour and a twinkle in his eye."

Jay Hunt, Controller of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One, says: "The Seven Ages Of Britain is a hugely ambitious arts series for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One. David brings the subject matter alive with journalistic endeavour and a twinkle in his eye."

JF