Beyond Stonehenge ...

... there is an extraordinary wealth of prehistoric monuments in Great Britain & Ireland, yet the extent of this heritage has never been fully explored on television, film or DVD.

UNTIL NOW.

Two years in the making, this DVD is the work of two men with a passion for the heritage left by our ancient ancestors.

My name is Michael Bott and it has been my privilege to partner writer/presenter Rupert Soskin on the making of this film, as Producer, Director, Cameraman - and pretty much everything else! Neither of us is an academic - or even an expert - but our mission in making this film has been to share our enthusiasm and knowledge and to convey something of the thrill of standing with these ancient stones - stones whose purpose and meaning is tantalisingly beyond our reach, lost forever in time.

Ask most people about ancient monuments in Britain and they'll know of just one - Stonehenge. Some will mention the big stone circle at Avebury. Others will tell of the stone circle or long barrow down the road from where they live. But few, very few, will be able to name more than a few of the thousands and thousands of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments which litter the length and breadth of the British Isles.

You might think there would be little to say about inert, immutable stones. Yet as we got into the workflow of researching, writing, planning, travelling and shooting, with schedules evolving to account for weather, breakdowns and the unexpected, we found that the 'unexpected' mostly came from the Stones themselves. However much research we did and no matter how sure we were of the words Rupert was going to say to camera, being there – standing with the stones – kept turning our preconceptions and our plans on their head. This was a joy and a wonder. The stones taught us to go with the flow. What astonished us, and what we hope will astonish you too, is the sheer variety and richness of landscape and story that they present to us.

This film has been more than two years in the making. Our little convoy of camper van and Land-Rover has zig-zagged its way up through England, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, the Western Isles and eventually to Orkney. We have visited well over 100 sites and between us travelled at least 12,000 miles. At last, after 8 months in the cutting room, we are finally able to share with you the fruits of our adventure.

We loved making it.

We hope you love watching it.

"... it is a triumph ... I wanted to watch the whole thing through again. It is so beautiful - the images keep coming back to me.
PH - Shipston-on-Stour

"... very impressed with what I have seen, my husband who is not interested in history of any subject was amazed at what he was watching"
SG - Milton Keynes

"... thankyou very much. It's terrific - very rich. Lots of information, great pictures - I especially liked the animated re-creations. Congratulations to you and Rupert, and all concerned".
BG - Cootamunda - AUS

"... put on the DVD that night, intending to watch about an hour, but my wife was so fascinated we watched the whole thing; it was excellent".
NR - Coventry

"Just to say I've watched the pre-release DVD you sent and was very impressed by the quality of the filming, and the friendly presentation".
DR - Isle of Man.