The series has been described as ground-breaking in terms of its length and subject matter but also in terms of its presentation, with two presenters representing opposing points of view, Williams being a Marxist historian and Vaughan-Thomas a journalist associated with the establishment. Gwyn Alf Williams' presentational style was described as "the most passionate and the most articulate about the importance of the past in understanding the present and anticipating the future". In his entry on Williams in the Dictionary of Welsh Biography, Geraint H. Jenkins wrote that "the fiery Marxist historian ran rings around his affable Whiggish co-presenter".
