Guest Author - Pam Lawrence

'The Edwardians-The Birth of Now' is the appropriate title of the biggest undertaking yet by BBC Four. This month, lucky viewers in the UK will be able to enjoy a historical retrospective, unprecedented in scope, on this fascinating period and discover how we are not so different from the Edwardians, although separated from them by a hundred years. In an interview for the Beeb website, Janice Hadlow, the controller for Four, explains her fascination for the period, and how relevant it is for us today. “I am so excited about the whole season; it truly celebrates the richness and excitement of this pioneering and world-changing time.”

What is so unique about the series is its diversity, as the presentations range from drama to documentary to a touch of reality TV. If you are not a history buff, and feel the subject can be dry as dust, just tune in to some of these offerings. It's a guarantee you'll find something very fascinating.

Some big names have been involved in the process, from screenwriting darling Andrew Davies for his adaptation of the classic Diary of a Nobody, to former Eastenders star Jessie Wallace as music hall star Marie Lloyd. It's a real indication of the calibre of all productions.

The series opener (Monday 16 April 9:00-10:00 BBC Four) is a bit of a 'reality' show, as foodie Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins attempt to live for a week on an upper middle class Edwardian diet. Let's just say it's not a diet for the faint hearted, as the title Edwardian Supersize Me should indicate. Not only three multi-course squares a day of course, plus all the goodies in between, the pair finish their week with the grand challenge of munching through a 12 course banquet at the Savoy, based entirely on a real feast prepared there in 1905.Straining in their restrictive collars and stays, and feeling rather full, will the pair make it ?

More on the theme of food continues the series April 18th, as The Edwardian Larder explores the advent of mass packaging of food- as some of the great names still found in the British pantry came to be, including Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Perrier and Typhoo. Oh, and Marmite. Yummy !

No examination of the Edwardian era would be complete without a nod to the cultural phenomenon that was music hall, and one of the highlights of this retrospective will be the 80 minute film starring Jessie Wallace as the outrageous legend Marie Lloyd. Performing the artiste's famous repertoire, and exploring Lloyd's scandalous life and rise to fame was a dream role for Wallace, who, according to Mark Redhead, Executive Producer for Hat Trick, “was born to play her”.

For complete details of this extensive series, and full listings check the BBC website below.