Jonathan Ross' Myths and Legends follows the presenter as he takes a road trip around Britain, exploring the local myths and legends of various different areas.
Initially Ross seems like a slightly unusual choice to present this kind of documentary but it's clear from his wide-eyed enthusiasm that he has a deep interest and fascination with the subject matter.
The 'experts' that he meets along his journey are for the most part well informed and entertaining to listen to. It was also a pleasant surprise to see some familiar faces such as actor Michael Sheen, writer Neil Gaiman and artist Brian Froud make appearances to offer their thoughts and interpretations of the myths and legends in question.
The show often uses animated illustrations of mythical creatures which are overlayed over footage of Britain's landscapes. These range from being funny and charming to being somewhat out of place and cheap looking. Fortunately though, most of these animated segments fall into the former category.
Overall while it isn't perfect and could have perhaps used a slightly larger animation budget and one or two more episodes covering parts of Britain that were left out (such as Jonathan's native South East England), the series is an enjoyable watch for anyone interested in mythology, history and everything in-between.
Initially Ross seems like a slightly unusual choice to present this kind of documentary but it's clear from his wide-eyed enthusiasm that he has a deep interest and fascination with the subject matter.
The 'experts' that he meets along his journey are for the most part well informed and entertaining to listen to. It was also a pleasant surprise to see some familiar faces such as actor Michael Sheen, writer Neil Gaiman and artist Brian Froud make appearances to offer their thoughts and interpretations of the myths and legends in question.
The show often uses animated illustrations of mythical creatures which are overlayed over footage of Britain's landscapes. These range from being funny and charming to being somewhat out of place and cheap looking. Fortunately though, most of these animated segments fall into the former category.
Overall while it isn't perfect and could have perhaps used a slightly larger animation budget and one or two more episodes covering parts of Britain that were left out (such as Jonathan's native South East England), the series is an enjoyable watch for anyone interested in mythology, history and everything in-between.
