When it comes to Anzac Day ceremonies, Bathurst is the place to be. 

That’s the sentiment of legendary British actor, comedian, historian and television host Sir Tony Robinson, who was in Bathurst this week filming Tony Robinson’s Tour of Duty, a 10-part series filmed across regional Australia and New Zealand revealing astonishing World War I stories and the tales that lie behind many war memorials.

Filming in Machattie Park yesterday, Sir Tony told the crowd the city’s Anzac Day ceremony took him by surprise.

“Forget the big memorials like Sydney, Canberra or Melbourne,“ he said.

“There was so much dignity, but it was laid back.

“It was it real but matey.

“It glorified the people who died in the war but didn’t glorify war itself.

“It was the real nature of Australia right here,“ he said.

While filming for his series, Sir Tony said he was pleased with the crowds that had turned up to be part of the show, both in Bathurst and other cities where they have filmed.

“There have invariably been large crowds,” he said.

“You would have thought by now everything there is to know about World War I would be known, but that’s just not the case.

“An awful lot of World War I stories have stayed in families. And the stories I’ve heard are wonderful,” he said.

Sir Tony said the idea behind his series was to get close to ordinary people and hear the tales which have been passed down through families, which is one of the reasons Bathurst was chosen.

“I wanted it as widespread as possible, I wanted ordinary Australian country towns, not places people have immediately heard of,” he said.

Just before filming began Sir Tony told the crowd he didn’t want to pontificate about British history, but rather “wanted to find out about your history”.

He said Australia had performed an extraordinary miracle, developing from a “highly dysfunctional convict colony to transform into one of the most successful capital economies in the whole world”.

The new series of Tour of Duty will air on Foxtel in January 2015.