About this season
The stories of History's Ultimate Spies are woven around many notorious plots and infamous characters, and they'll feature in a series that delves into the psyche of the men and women who set up the networks - or destroyed them.
Episodes (6)
1. Thomas Cromwell
Aired 16 October 2015
The wily characters from history who pulled strings in the shadows. Thomas Cromwell's cloak-and-dagger work helped steer Henry VIII through his troubles with Rome and several wives.
2. Sir Francis Walsingham
Aired 23 October 2015
History's scheming spymasters in profile. The six-part series focuses on the remarkable cunning of Francis Walsingham, whose spy network foiled many plots against Queen Elizabeth I.
3. Robert Cecil
Aired 30 October 2015
Robert Cecil was a formidable political operator, whose extraordinary web of informers helped to foil the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
4. Cardinal Richelieu
Aired 6 November 2015
Profiles of the super snoopers who blazed a trail in espionage. As Louis XIII's diabolical chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu was feared and hated thanks to his complex spy network.
5. Zofia Potocka and Mata Hari
Aired 13 November 2015
History's most notorious covert operatives. The astonishing tale of Zofia Potocka, the beautiful lover of Grigory Potemkin who ran a successful spy network in the Russo-Turkish War.
6. Elizabeth Van Leew
Aired 20 November 2015
The early innovators of intelligence. The American Civil War was notable for its female spymasters. Elizabeth van Lew's effective network even smuggled out messages in hollow eggs.