Programming note: The 4 part documentary series, Ways Out of Darkness, on Top History from 29 May at 18:55.

The 4 part documentary series Ways Out of Darkness will start on Top History (TopTV 301) on 29 May at 18:55 looking at what really happened during Europe's Middle Ages.

Whilst The Middles Ages is synonymous with superstition, backwardness, The Devil, blight and Inquisition, the so-called Dark Ages of Europe not only had shadow pages but also glossy pages.

The Middle Ages perhaps gets a bad reputation unfairly, and this four part series looks at some of the usual cliches about the Middle Ages and whether its really true.


Ways Out of Darkness tells the scientific, technical and cultural achievements of the Middle Ages which paved the way for modernity and continue to influence western society to the present day. The film follows four protagonists on their journeys throughout Europe, reviving the medieval world of knights, monks, peasants and burghers.