Only just seen Treasures of The Anglo Saxons, repeated on BBC 4, and spotted your blog whilst looking for a place to 'arggghhh!' about it..........this seems to be it!
Couldn't agree more about the heels/Garrards/'ooh, listen to me I can read Beowulf'. BUT - the main problem with the programme was the way it misled viewers and made assumptions about pieces. She assumed all the 2009 hoard was 'war booty' (probable, but who will ever know?), picked out things that backed her flimsy theories and ignored other areas that didn't and - from the first sentence showed her ignorance: 'I'm the first person to look at this as an art historian, not a historian or archaeologist.' Really? Then what was the degree course I did over 20 years ago? Celtic &amp; Saxon Art.........I think that pretty much covers her topic in this banal hour......
To investigate pieces from one era you have to look at influences on those pieces, and she managed to completely ignore (or step over in her spikes) all the incredible and influential art of the centuries before the Saxons, and even developments from the same period such as the wooden churches of Scandinavia. Rubbish. 
For real learning and a deep understanding of Celtic and Saxon Art, look for work by Lloyd Laing or Ruth &amp; Vincent Megaw.