Historian Dan Snow says we're lucky to be alive today

4:25pm Friday 11th June 2010

By Melanie Dakin

History buff Dan Snow has already explored the significance of the Magna Carta in his One Show series Five Days That Changed Britain and now he is coming to St Albans to share his thoughts on “one of the most iconic documents in British history” with St Albans Festival audiences as part of the opening Magna Carta weekend.

Son of presenter Sir Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan and great-grandson of First World War general Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow and great great-grandson of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George (on his mother’s side), it is little wonder Dan has a penchant for the rich tapestry of the past.

Dan recalls how family visits to monuments and stately homes in his youth first sparked an interest in history.

“Mum and dad used to take me out every weekend to place like St Albans and Chelmsford and all the wonderful historical sites around London,” says Dan. “They gave me a sense of the wonderful stories and richness of our past.”

Peter and Dan have made several history programmes for the BBC together including Battlefield Britain and 20th Century Battlefields and the two have co-authored books under the same titles. Dan has just published his first solo book Death or Victory: The Battle of Quebec and the Birth of Empire, looking at what might have happened in north America had the British not prevailed. Dan will be signing copies of the book at Waterstone’s, St Albans on Sunday at 3pm.

“The book looks at what happened to the expeditionary forces sent to north America to defeat the French and if the French has dominated it could have given modern history a very different aspect. As it was it was a near defeat and the British managed to snatch victory at last moment, it’s a really important story."

Dan feels the Magna Carta has an equally important tale to tell and he will be exploring the ideas raised in historic charter in An Evening with Dan Snow at The Maltings Arts Theatre at 7pm.

“I’ve always been particularly interested in it as a document. People have often said well, you know it didn’t really help that much but I do think it’s important, how it came to be seen by subsequent generations regarding the rule of kings and how this came to be constrained by the law. It shaped the constitution of the British political class.”

Dan may have been constrained by French beaurocracy on his recent unsuccessful attempt to rescue passengers left stranded on the French coast by the Icelandic volcano, but he says he rather have tried and failed than to have stood by and done nothing.

“We only managed to bring 20 people back which was a disaster in terms of the numbers of those left behind but it was empowering,” says Dan. “It felt good to not just to be victim of ferry companies or airlines and wait in queues but to take matters into your own hands.”

Dan regularly takes matters into his own hands as The One Show’s history hunter, but hopefully not while filming down the London sewers. However, it was among these subterranean tunnels that he has the idea for his next series, which will feature the less than pleasant side of cities during their industrial heyday.

“The series is about London, Paris and New York looking at just how filthy and disgusting they would have been and how this affected their history.

“When society is in meltdown, it is those individuals that showed a bit of initiative and made bold decisions to get out of town that survived. Those who waited for the police or authorities to step in were in for a world of pain. You’ve got to be looking at the broader situation and get ready to take initiative to be happy.”

“It’s taught me no matter how bad a situation is nowerdays, if I’m annoyed by a train that’s late, human life has been incredibly hard. We’re so lucky to be alive today. It teaches you to appreciate the present.”