Pirates: Behind the Legends — Season 1
A swashbuckling adventure; the true and untold story of the history of pirates.
About this season
From legendary John Ward, immortalized in fiction as Jack Sparrow, and English explorer Francis Drake; branded Pirates by their enemies but heroes by their comrades, to the notorious Pirates of the Caribbean shrouded in myth.
Episodes (8)
1. Francis Drake - For Queen and Country
7.3Aired 9 June 2024 • 44 min
Circumnavigation is the pinnacle of Drake's career, cementing him in history as the world's most controversial pirate.
2. Grace O’Malley - The Pirate Queen of Ireland
7.3Aired 9 June 2024 • 44 min
Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland. Her rise from wanted pirate to Chieftain is won through a warrior’s sword and a woman’s grit.
3. John Ward - The English Pirate of North Africa
7.3Aired 16 June 2024 • 44 min
The Englishman turned Algerian pirate starts his remarkable ascent from petty pirate to a notorious menace, becoming ruler of the Tunisian empire.
4. Henry Morgan - The Lieutenant Pirate
7.7Aired 16 June 2024 • 44 min
A brilliant strategist, Morgan takes humans, treasure and Spanish colonial towns with no mercy later becoming Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.
5. William Kidd - The Treasure Hunter
6.7Aired 23 June 2024 • 44 min
Captain Kidd, the treasure hunter. When the legitimate prizes of the Red Sea are not to be found, Kidd quickly turns from pirate hunter to pirate.
6. Blackbeard
7.7Aired 23 June 2024 • 44 min
Blackbeard is a terrifying figure with a diverse crew of pirates seeking equality and treasure, aboard the stolen flagship The Queen Anne’s Revenge.
7. Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read: Rebel Spirits
7.7Aired 30 June 2024 • 44 min
The notorious pirate run town of Nassau is soon to be shaken by the English crackdown on lawlessness in the Caribbean. Living off plunder and raiding, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and Mary Read form a troublesome trio who successfully rob ships and live off the spoils of the sea until they are captured by pirate hunters and tried for piracy.
8. Roberts - The Last Great Pirate
7.3Aired 30 June 2024 • 44 min
Bartholomew Roberts aka Black Bart, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age, his fleet amassing 450 stolen ships. From his humble beginnings as a Welsh sailor, Roberts quickly becomes captain of a pirate ship, showing his shrewd captainship he writes down a pirate code. His piracy almost brings West Indies trade to a standstill until he is hunted down by the English crown.