A senior teacher at St. Mary’s College in Crosby is becoming increasingly in demand as an expert commentator in TV documentaries.

Head of History Niall Rothnie has just made his latest on-screen appearance in a BBC programme called The Forgotten Blitz about the air raids on Bath during the Second World War.

Niall is a well-known author whose book The Bombing of Bath was updated and reissued last year.

He has written extensively about a number of aspects of life on the home front during World War Two, while his other books have tackled such wide-ranging subjects as the Russian Revolution and National Socialism in Germany.

Niall commented: “I’ve now been the ‘talking head’ expert in around half a dozen TV documentaries and they’re always interesting to do, as well as being a change from the writing and lectures which are the normal role of an historian.

“This latest BBC programme was about a subject particularly close to my heart, because when The Bombing of Bath was originally written I was teaching at King Edward’s School in the city.

“Since moving north I’ve become increasingly interested in the impact of the air raids on Liverpool - the most heavily bombed area of the country outside London - and I’ve now given talks on that subject as well,” added Niall.

St. Mary’s Principal, Mike Kennedy, commented: “Everyone at the school is delighted that’s Niall’s expertise is valued so highly by the makers of programmes of this standard at the BBC.”

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