In Search of Myths and Heroes – Arthur the Once and Future King

Today on Far Future Horizons we join acclaimed BBC journalist Michael Wood in the fourth and final installment of his documentary series “In Search of Myths and Heroes” as we go in search of Britain's legendary King Arthur.

In this episode of the series, Wood explores the greatest British myth: the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Travelling round the Celtic world from Cornwall to Wales, Brittany, Ireland and Scotland, Wood uncovers the extraordinary story of how a shadowy Welsh freedom fighter — a Dark Age Che Guevara — became a medieval superman, and finally the model of a Christian hero.

In Search of the Queen of Sheba

Raphael’s Queen of Sheba and Solomon

Today on Far Future Horizons we join acclaimed BBC historian Michael Wood in the third instalment of his documentary series “In Search of Myths and Heroes” as we go in search of the legendary Queen of Sheba.

The story of the Queen of Sheba appears in religious texts sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Described in the Bible as simply a Queen of the East, modern scholars believe she came from the Kingdom of Axum in Ethiopia, the Kingdom of Saba in Yemen, or both. Their main clue is that she brought bales of incense with her as a gift; frankincense only grows in these two areas. Both countries claim her as theirs. Given that they are separated by only 25 kilometers of water, both could be right. 

In Search of Myths and Heroes – Jason and the Golden Fleece

One of the most ancient and enduring of myths is that of the hero’s quest. Today on Far Future Horizons we present the second installment of Michael Wood’s acclaimed television series In Search of Myths and Heroes.

In this episode we follow in the wake of the sailing ship Argo and follow Jason and the Argonauts on an intrepid odyssey that will take them to the ends of the known world of classical antiquity.

The Search for Shangri-La

The dream of an earthly paradise immune to the squalid wickedness of the world and the ravages of time comes to us from the depths of antiquity. One such place was - Shangri-La.

In the novel “Lost Horizon” published in 1933, James Hilton takes us on an odyssey to the earthly paradise Shangri-La hidden in a valley somewhere in the Himalayas between Tibet and India. Of all of James Hilton’s works, this was always my most favourite.

But, is the legend of Shangri-La rooted in some, very real, earthly reality? Did such a place really exist? Today on Far Future Horizons we are going on an epic voyage in search of the real Shangri-La with renowned historian Michael Wood in his awe inspiring documentary series “In Search of Myths and Heroes.”

We are also going to teleport ourselves to Shangri-La through the power of cinematic magic and the vision of legendary film director Frank Capra in his film masterpiece that brought James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon to life on the silver screen.