By Simon Timblick
Murderers are on the loose, muggers lurk in the shadows and hooligans are destroying out cities every day - our papers and screens are filled with the woes of our violent ,out-of-control society.
But was there ever a time when our country was filled with law-abiding citizens,who happily left their front doors unlocked and popped next door to borrow sugar?
Rik Mayall doesn't think so. In a new investigative series, Violent Nation, he shatters our beliefs about the life in the 'good old days'.
"If you could step back to the 13th Century, you'd realise you have very little to worry about in the 21st Century, Professor David Carpenter tells comedian Rik.
Indeed, from the axe wielding Anglo-Saxons, who were fond of murder and grievous bodily harm, to medieval Oxford where you were 27 times more likely to be killed than today, Britain has always been a violent place. And in the days before a modern police force and criminal justice system, people regularly got away with murder.
Rik chats to historians who believe most of us are suffering from 'historical amnesia'. They argue that today's headlines make it seem as if muggings and football hooligans are a modern invention, contrary to the evidence,.The media also suggests that young people didn’t socialise in gangs before, despite previous decades witnessing the likes of teddy boys, mods and skinheads.
Today, the media plays a big part in feeding our fears," says Rik, "partly because we have an appetite for these stories. We're fascinated by violence, but unless we stop frightening ourselves rigid with horror stories, we will end up as prisoners in our own homes."