The series represents especially England as a great inspiration for Peter the a Great. The Dutch, however, are seem to be marginalised. Make no mistake: Saint-Petersburg is inspired by Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as the tsar lived there for some time. Not that either of them states should be trumpeting about it, because tsar Peter did horrible things, as we all know by now. However, it does feel a little wobbly, and uneven; it's only the English (not even British) angle one gets to see. More information about it all would be brilliant.
Also, this 'documentary' can't seem to find its way between being serious or funny. So it mashed up both. Most BBC series are one or the other, and they usually shine in their own way. I can name millions of documentaries from both BBC or foreign broadcasters that grabs you from the moment you start watching; so intriguing, so exciting, so brilliant to watch! However, this is mismatched, and one can't understand whether to take this seriously or as some sort of satire.
Make no mistake: this could've been a brilliant documentary, with a significant impact on how to see Russia today compared to how it was with the Romanovs. But it just doesn't bring it home. It stays between the lines of 'interesting' and 'funny'. It doesn't do anyone or anybody any favour; there's much more to tell. In the best case, it might bring people to get inspired to do research about this dynasty (and the Russia before and after that). But other than that, it's pretty much the same of how Discovery Channel or NGC are making their documentaries right now. Easy on the facts, much more action or, as in this case, humour. And that's a pity, because how many moments are there to investigate this all?
All and all: rather pleasant to watch, but not a 'must see'.
