Another Documentary Question.

I usually make a point of watching historical documentaries presented by Neil Oliver because I like his enthusiasm and presentational style. His latest is about the making of ‘Celtic Britain,’ and tonight’s episode focussed on the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. So this is what he told us:

The Bronze Age miners working in the copper mine on the Great Orme near Llandudno chipped their way through the rock using a small, sharp piece of rock. A bit difficult to believe, but maybe. Then they picked out the veins of copper using a piece of antler bone. OK, that sounds plausible enough. Ah, but then comes the best bit.

There was no daylight ‘tens of metres underground,’ and there wasn’t much air either. That meant they couldn’t afford to use lights because they would have burned up what little precious oxygen there was.

So tell me, how did they see to pick out the veins of copper in complete darkness?

Why do the makers of documentaries do this?