Poet Simon Armitage traces the evolution of the Arthurian legend through the literature of the medieval age and reveals that King Arthur is not the great national hero he is usually considered to be. He's a fickle and transitory character who was appropriated by the Normans to justify their conquest, he was cuckolded when French writers began adapting the story and it took Thomas Malory's masterpiece of English literature, Le Mort d'Arthur, to restore dignity and reclaim him as the national hero we know today.
Historian Dr Micheál Ó Siochrú presents award-winning director Maurice Sweeney’s gripping docudrama, which re-evaluates the role and character of England’s most influential democrat. Cromwell: God’s Executioner has drama, excitement and action, combined with a poignant reflection on the horrors of war. If you thought you knew Cromwell, think again.
In the late 16th century Europe was in the grip of a ferocious witch hunt, where thousands were tortured and burnt at the stake. The church was fully behind this terrifying crusade against the imaginary enemies of Christianity. In France and Germany alone up to 40,000 people may have been killed as witches. But England and Scotland were almost untouched by witch persecutions until King James himself decided to launch his own, personal war on witchcraft.
In 1597 King James VI of Scotland published 'Daemonology', a handbook on how to recognise and destroy, witches. The book explored the threat that 'those Detestable slaves of the Devil', posed to James himself. It fuelled waves of witch hunting throughout Britain.
The legacy of James' 'Daemonology' continued throughout the 17th century, and led to the torture and execution of hundreds of women in a series of infamous witch trials. No-one knows exactly how many men and women died in these trials, such as the Pendle trial of 1612, or how many others were killed in cases that never came to court. The documentary reveals the purges in many areas of Britain drew directly on King James' book. Also for the first time, remarkable new archaeological evidence from Cornwall, suggests that witchcraft was actively practiced for centuries, even during the most intense periods of witch-hunting. Experimental archaeologist Jacqui Wood has excavated strange pits lined with swan's feathers, and filled with animal skins and human remains. She believes the pits were ritual offerings inspired by witchcraft beliefs.
We take our liberties for granted. They seem absolute and untouchable. But they are the result of a series of violent struggles fought over 800 years that, at times, have threatened to tear our society apart. On the frontline was a document originally inked on animal skin – Magna Carta. Distinguished constitutional historian David Starkey looks at the origins of the Great Charter in 1215 to check the abuses of King John - and how it nearly died at birth. He explores its subsequent deployment, its contribution to making everyone – even the monarch – subject to the rule of law, and how this quintessentially English document migrated to the North American colonies and eventually became the foundation of the US constitution. Magna Carta has become a universal symbol of individual freedom against the tyranny of the state, but with ever-tightening government control on our lives, is it time to resurrect it?
A special follow-up to the programme that broadcast exclusive access to the research into the remains of Richard III found underneath a Leicester car park. The research confirmed that the remains were his, and helped build a picture of what he looked like. Using unseen footage of the dig and tests, and fresh interviews with the lead scientists, this programme reveals multiple new dimensions to the hunt for England's long-lost king. The project involved dozens of specialists, in the fields of archaeology, osteology, history, forensic pathology, genealogy and DNA analysis. The programme pieces together the critical steps in the archaeological excavation, explaining how the Greyfriars Church was uncovered and detailing the painstaking exhumation of Richard's grave from the first indications of human remains to the exposure of the body's twisted spine. In the university's labs, the programme follows the scientists as they examine the skeleton to unlock the lost king's story, revealing its clues to his diet and social status, and to the diseases he endured. The film reveals how the DNA match with Richard III was made. Perhaps the most harrowing stage of the project was the minute forensic examination of the cause of death. Piecing together CT scans and microscopic analysis, the team identified the major injuries that Richard suffered in the last moments of his life and shortly afterwards.
Documentary that reveals the secret story behind one of the greatest intellectual feats of World War II, a feat that gave birth to the digital age. In 1943, a 24-year-old maths student and a GPO engineer combined to hack into Hitler's personal super-code machine - not Enigma but an even tougher system, which he called his 'secrets writer'. Their break turned the Battle of Kursk, powered the D-day landings and orchestrated the end of the conflict in Europe. But it was also to be used during the Cold War - which meant both men's achievements were hushed up and never officially recognised.
The kids are back for Season Six of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, which debuts with a special two-hour premiere Friday, March 2 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, and makes its time period premiere on Friday, March 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Former MASTERCHEF and MASTERCHEF JUNIOR judge and award-winning restaurateur Joe Bastianich will return as a permanent judge on the show. The hit culinary competition series gives talented kids between the ages of 8 and 13 the chance to showcase their culinary abilities and passion for food through a series of delicious challenges.