Dan Cruickshank

Writer / Presenter

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Books

Associate Agent : Olivia Martin

Film, TV & Theatre

Associate Agent : Olivia Martin

Presenting

Associate Agent : Olivia Martin

Books

As well as his writings on art and architecture, Dan is known for his television work.

Latest Publication:

SOHO: A STREET GUIDE TO SOHO'S HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE AND PEOPLE

Dan Cruickshank grants us an intimacy with centuries of rich and varied history as he guides us around the Soho of the last five hundred years. 

Photograph: Dan Cruickshank

Non-Fiction

Publication DetailsNotes
2020

Orion

Soho - illicit, glamorous, sordid, louche, poverty-stricken, squalid, exhilarating.

One of Britain's best-loved historians, Dan Cruickshank, grants us an intimacy with centuries of rich and varied history as he guides us around the Soho of the last five hundred years. We learn of its original aspirations towards respectability, how it became London's bohemian quarter and why it was once home to its criminal underworld. The bars, clubs, theatres and their frequenters are described with detail that evokes the heart of the district.

The history of Soho is written in its surviving architecture. Cruickshank points out the streets that were the stamping grounds of criminal dynasties and directs our attention towards the homes of renowned prostitutes, revealing Georgian sexual mores and surprising visitors - amongst them eighteenth-century painter Joshua Reynolds, whose peculiar 'caprice' was simply drawing the girls. Soho has been home to characters as diverse as Mrs Goadby's girls to the Maltese mafia, and Cruikshank draws these threads together with kaleidoscopic verve.

Even as he mourns some of the changes, he pays testament to the district's resilience. He observes how the common denominator over the centuries is that it has always been a destination for immigrants: from French Huguenots to the East European Jewish community and recent Chinese diaspora - and that this is the foundation of its spirit and success.

2019

Random House

'The perfect guide to the hidden history of London's streets.' BBC History Magazine

In Cruickshank's London, Britain's favourite architectural historian describes thirteen walks through one of the greatest cities on earth. From the mysterious Anglo-Saxon origins of Hampstead Heath, via Christopher Wren's magisterial City churches, to the industrial bustle of Victorian Bermondsey, each walk explores a crucial moment in our history - and reveals how it helped forge the modern city. Along the way, Cruickshank peppers the book with vivid photographs, sketches and maps, so you can immediately follow in his footsteps.

Every street in London contains a story. This book invites you to hear them.
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'An inspiringly illustrated guide to walks across London . . . It proves how much we can miss if we don't pay close attention to our surroundings.' Country Life

'All power to Cruickshank and his intrepid and knowledgeable kind. We need them.' Times Literary Supplement

2018

Head of Zeus

Chicago's beautiful Reliance Building, fourteen stories tall, was designed in 1890 by John Root. In its construction it pioneers all the key elements of twentieth-century high-rise architecture, and many of the tenets of Modernism. Cruickshank reflects on the extraordinary architectural, artistic and engineering world of the 1890s and its great figures such as Louis Sullivan, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Otto Wagner.

2016

Random House

Religious strife, civil conflict, waves of immigration, the rise and fall of industry, great prosperity and grinding poverty – the handful of streets that constitute modern Spitalfields have witnessed all this and much more. This is a fascinating evocation of one of London's most distinctive districts. At the same time, it is a history of England in miniature.

2015

Harper Collins

Featuring over 200 photographs, this stunning tells the history of architecture through the stories of 100 iconic buildings

2015

31/12/2015

Brick is a fresh, insightful and surprising look at one of the world's most familiar and popular building materials. From the strange remains of the Ziggurat of Ur dating from 2100 BC, to formidable mills of the industrial revolution, the humble brick has been an architectural staple for centuries.

2011

BBC Books

Tie-in publication to the BBC Television Series

2010

HarperCollins

A personal journey into the world of bridges, from the Roman Empire's Pont du Gard to the incredible Millan Viaduct.

2009

Random House

An insight into Georgian London's profitable and ubiquitous sex industry

2008

Orion

The story of architecture in all its diversity, looking at 48 buildings that have impressed, astonished or delighted us or changed our perception of the world.

2005

Orion

An illustrated celebration of the life and engineering achievements of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Text by Steven Brindle.

2005

Orion

A tie-in to a 10-part TV series presented by the author. " Cruickshank has the air of a schoolboy explorer, fizzing with energy, curiosity and indefatigable enthusiasm ... but beneath the jocular surface lies an entirely serious expertise. The breadth of Cruickshank`s knowledge and the very speed of his journeying enables him to make striking connections ... for anyone schooled in a Eurocentric view of history, the scope of his investigations will be shamefully illuminating. For anyone nervous of travel, his fearlessness ("If I fell, what a place to die!") could prove inspirational." (The Guardian)

1993

BBC WORLDWIDE

A powerful and timely account of Dan Cruickshank and David Vincent's search for lost treasures in some of the world's most dangerous and contested hotspots. The quest begins in Afghanistan in March 2003, a few months after the fall of the Taliban, and progresses through Iraq, Israel and the Occupied territories. This riveting story provides a unique insight into countries in extremis and helps us to develop a deeper understanding of the role history and culture play in defining a people's sense of identity.

Other

Publication DetailsNotes

TREASURE ISLAND

ORION

An exploration and celebration of the cultural, engineering and natural wonders of England, Scotland and Wales. It will discover and discuss the treasures that make this land special and that give it a distinct character

Film, TV & Theatre

Dan Cruickshank is a regular presenter on the BBC, best known for his popular series AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TREASURES and accompanying book.  His series, ADVENTURES IN ARCHITECTURE, for which he wrote the accompanying book, was broadcast on BBC2 in 2008.  (For details about all his publications, see his literary CV).  He has also presented numerous single documentaries, including THE ART OF DYING, and BRITAIN'S PARK STORY.

He has travelled extensively, filming in troubled regions including Afghanistan in 2002 (for the BBC Omnibus series to discover what cultural treasures remained after years of civil war and bloodshed) and Iraq (for UNDER FIRE, reporting on the scale of looting of Iraqi treasures).

He is an Honorary Fellow of RIBA with a BA in Art, Design and Architecture. For three years he was also a visiting professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Sheffield. Dan is an active member of the Georgian Group and a member of the Architectural Panel of the National Trust.

MOST RECENT SERIES

Warsaw: Resurrecting History

Civilization Under Attack

Radio

ProductionCompanyNotes

JACK LONDON'S PEOPLE OF THE ABYSS

2012

Pier Productions / Radio 4

THE LONDON NOBODY KNOWS

2010

BBC / BBC Radio 4

2 x 15'. Off the beaten track haunts in London.

Television

ProductionCompanyNotes

THE ROAD TO PALMYRA

2017

BBC 4

1 x 60" with Don McCullin

Documentary which follows historian Dan Cruickshank and photographer Don McCullin into the heart of war-torn Syria, on a dangerous mission to document the cultural destruction wrought by so-called Islamic State, and understand what it means to the people of the nation.

HOME FROM HOME

2016

Oxford Film and TV/BBC 4

3 X 60"
Programmes on British domestic architecture.

WARSAW: RESURRECTING HISTORY

2015

BBC 4

1 x 60"
Dan Cruickshank returns to his childhood home of Warsaw for the first time in almost 60 years. In a personal and moving film, he recalls his boyhood memories to explore the memories of the city and the memories of its people. No city in Europe suffered so much destruction in the Second World War, no city rose up so heroically from the ashes. The Nazis had razed Warsaw to the ground, but after the war the people fought hard to bring their city back from the dead in one of the greatest reconstruction jobs in history. As a boy, Cruickshank lived in the rebuilt old town and it inspired his love of architecture and made him the man he is today.

CIVILIZATION UNDERATTACK

2015

BBC 4

1 X 60"
Islamic State has declared war on the most important and romantic ancient architectural sites in the world. Jihadi fighters seek the total destruction of the wonders of the ancient world that gave us writing, the wheel and the first cities. Dan Cruickshank charts the likely course of Islamic State's destructive advance and asks how this can be happening and what we can do to stop them.

THE FAIRYTALE CASTLES OF KING LUDWIG II

2013

BBC / BBC4

An exploration of the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein the iconic fairytale castle, to the rich Baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee.

MAJESTY AND MORTAR: BRITAIN'S GREAT PALACES

2014

BBC / BBC4

A history of 1000 years of palace building in the United Kingdom

BRITAIN'S LOST TREASURES RETURNED

2013

BBC / BBC4

The story of how the first British prime minister Robert Walpole's art collection, one of the finest in the 18th century western world, was sold to Russia in the 1770s and how, for the first time, it is returning to Britain for the summer of 2013 to hang in its original home of Houghton Hall in Norfolk.

WRITTEN IN STONE

2013

Double Bank Films / BBC1

6 x 30'

A journey to explore some of Ulster's most remarkable buildings and discover what they tell us about the people who have lived there

THE BRIDGES THAT BUILT LONDON

2012

Tern TV / BBC Four

1 x 60'

Uncovers stories of bronze-age relics emerging from the Vauxhall shore, of why London Bridge was falling down, of midnight corpses splashing beneath Waterloo Bridge, and above all, of the sublime ambition of London's bridge builders themselves

METALWORKS! THE GOLDEN AGE IN SILVER

2012

BBC / BBC4

1 x 60'

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

2012

Wide-Eyed Entertainment / BBC 4

Following in the footsteps of John Stow and John Strype, two of London's greatest chroniclers, to explore the 17th century, one of the most dramatic centuries in the history of London

BRICK BY BRICK: REBUILDING OUR PAST

2012

Darlow Smithson / BBC2

3 x 60'

Dan Cruickshank and Charlie Luxton uncover the incredible hidden stories behind historic buildings as they are dismantled brick by brick, and meticulously resurrected in new locations.

THE COUNTRY HOUSE REVEALED

2011

Oxford TV/BBC2

8 x 60'

BRITAIN'S PARK STORY

2010

Objective North / BBC 4

1 x 60'

THE GREAT BRITISH HOME MOVIE ROADSHOW

2010

Diverse / BBC2

GREAT RAILWAY JOURNEYS

2010

ITV / Five

3 x 45'

THE ART OF DYING

2009

BBC Television / BBC4

In an intimate and moving documentary, art historian Dan Cruickshank confronts the unavoidable issue of his own certain death, whether soon or far in the future. His mission, in this largely secular age, is to see if art can offer either comfort or explanation in the face of the greatest unknown of all.

CRUICKSHANK ON KEW: THE GARDEN THE CHANGED THE WORLD

2009

BBC Television / BBC 2

A look at the gardens, to celebrate their 250th anniversary.

GLOBAL ADVENTURES IN ARCHITECTURE

2008

BBC Television / BBC2

8 X 60′ documentary series

PRINCES OF THE EAST END

2007

BBC Television

1 x 30′. In the 18th century, Britain produced a heroic brand of businessmen – men who cared as much about beauty as they did about commerce. On the streets of Spitalfields, some of the houses created by these merchant princes stand today. Dan goes in search of the legacy of these visionaries; he finds out how they made their money, where they spent it and why so many of their architectural wonders have been destroyed over the centuries.

BETJEMAN AND ME

2006

Oxford Film and Television / BBC1

1 x 50′. Dan journeys to the places and buildings that were important to Betjeman, from St Pancras Station in London to Magdalen College, Oxford – things he campaigned for or wrote about. This is a very personal film for Dan who worked alongside Betjeman at the Architectural Review and who campaigned with him to save the Georgian houses in Spitalfields – Dan now lives in one of the houses.

MARVELS OF THE MODERN AGE

2006

BBC Television

4 x 60′. One hundred years ago, a new movement shocked culture to its core. It began as the aesthetic ideal of a few artists and idealists but became a way of life for millions of people. This landmark series, written and presented by Dan Cruickshank, traces the roots of Modernism and focuses on the movement’s leading lights, such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, and the century’s most seismic political events including the rise of Nazi Germany. The series coincides with a major exhibition at London’s Victoria And Albert Museum and is accompanied by programming on BBC FOUR.

THE LOST WORLD OF TIBET

2006

BBC Television

Documentary detailing the history of TIbet before 1950.

THE LOST WORLD OF FRIESE-GREENE

2006

BBC Television

3 x 60′. Claude Freise-Greene’s amazing colour footage of Britain’s beauty spots in the 1920s brings to life the epic car journey made by the pioneering filmmaker from the tip of Cornwall to John O’Groats. In this follow-up to THE LOST WORLD OF MITCHELL AND KENYON, Dan retraces Friese-Greene’s route.

"Exactly what I pay my TV licence for – beautifully crafted, inspiring and informative … left me gagging for more." (The Guardian)
"It is the visual equivalent of a slice of warm buttered toast on a chilly winter’s afternoon." (The Times)

THE LOST WORLD OF MITCHELL AND KENYON

2005

BFI / BBC2

A local film historian made an amazing discovery while rummaging in a shop basement in Lancashire: 800 films dating from before the First World War in sealed barrels which give an unparalleled visual record of Edwardian British life. Highlights include the first-ever footage of Manchester United, a Crimewatch-style reconstruction from 1901 and a silent interview with the last soldier to receive the Victoria Cross from Queen Victoria herself. Dan brings the archive alive by interviewing the descendants of the people captured on film.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TREASURES

2005

BBC

10 x 60′. From the Taj Mahal to the Kremlin, through to the Parthenon and the Great Wall of China, Dan journeys non-stop across the globe in search of the most significant man-made treasures on the planet. He charts the rise and fall of many of the world’s greatest civilisations to create a unique picture of humankind through history, travelling to 44 countries in just five months.

WHAT THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION DID FOR US

2003

BBC

BRITAIN'S BEST BUILDINGS

2002

BBC

IRAQ AFTER THE WAR

2002

BBC

THE LOST TOWER

2003

BBC Television

Presenting

Dan Cruickshank is a regular presenter on the BBC, best known for his popular series AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 TREASURES and accompanying book. His most recent series, ADVENTURES IN ARCHITECTURE, for which he wrote the accompanying book, was broadcast on BBC2 in 2008. (For details about all his publications, see his literary CV.)  He has also presented numerous single documentaries, including THE ART OF DYING, and BRITAIN'S PARK STORY.

He has travelled extensively, filming in troubled regions including Afghanistan in 2002 (for the BBC Omnibus series to discover what cultural treasures remained after years of civil war and bloodshed) and Iraq (for UNDER FIRE, reporting on the scale of looting of Iraqi treasures).

He is an Honorary Fellow of RIBA with a BA in Art, Design and Architecture. For three years he was also a visiting professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Sheffield. As a leading expert on architecture and historic buildings, he is a frequent contributor to The Architects' Journal and The Architectural Review.
Dan is an active member of the Georgian Group and a member of the Architectural Panel of the National Trust.

For Dan's presenting credits, please refer to his Film, TV and Theatre profile