LOST rivers, war bunkers and Roman remains are all some of the relatively unknown things that lie just below the surface of London alone.
Cities of the Underworld sets out to reveal these and other treasures lurking under the streets of cities around the world.
This set features the first two seasons of the History Channel’s series including vampires in Bucharest, subterranean streets in Edinburgh and A-bomb shelters in Tokyo.
It contains a wealth of fascinating material, not least an episode on our own capital.
Here, we learn about a mile-long deep level war bunker below Camden and trace the tributaries of the Thames, converted into sewers in the city’s early days.
Another episode focusing on the network of caves which runs below Budapest’s historic Buda district will prove enthralling for anyone who’s visited that incredible city.
But for those of us brought up on British documentaries, the style and tone of these American programmes can be somewhat jarring.
Host Eric Geller is possibly the most excitable man I’ve ever witnessed on television and his wisecracks and over-emoting of every single fact become rather draining.
Confusingly, several episodes in, Geller is replaced by lookalike Don Wildman who manages to tone down his predecessor’s act a little.
This is never explained and I can only assume Geller became so excited on seeing an old dungeon, he yelled too loudly and brought the whole edifice crashing down on his head.
The series also too often features the kind of fast-cutting editing backed by rock music you might expect to see on The World’s Scariest Police Chases.
Arguably, the footage of the places themselves don’t require this kind of gloss and it only really serves to distract you from the matters being discussed.
This is a shame because what is on offer is often incredibly interesting, allowing you to look at well-known places from an entirely different perspective.
The History Channel's Cities of the Underworld: Seasons one and two boxset. Out now. £29.99.
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