About this season
In this unique take on British history, Professor Alice Roberts explores Britain's rich and varied past through the stories of individual towns and cities. In each programme Alice studies one key period in history by delving into the secrets of a historic town that encapsulates the era, providing an accurate impression of what life was really like at key moments in our turbulent past. At the climax of each programme, cutting-edge CGI reveals the entire historic town in all its former glory.
Episodes (6)
1. Wartime Dover
Aired 18 May 2019 • 45 min
Professor Alice Roberts examines Britain in wartime by looking at the coastal town of Dover
2. Georgian Bristol
Aired 25 May 2019 • 45 min
Alice explores the Georgian era in Bristol, from Clifton's architectural gems to the world's first chocolate factory, backstreet gin and the horror of the slave trade
3. Edwardian Cardiff
Aired 1 June 2019 • 45 min
Alice tells the story of Edwardian Britain by visiting Cardiff. She explores the coal trade and Cardiff's pioneering multicultural heritage, and experiences the life of a lady of leisure.
4. Civil War Oxford
Aired 8 June 2019 • 45 min
Alice Roberts explores the history of Oxford during the Civil War, when the city became a power base for the royalist forces and a rival capital for nine years of conflict. Aerial archaeologist Ben Robinson discovers why the city was such a good strategic position, while Alice takes up Charles I's favourite sport and learns to fire a 17th-century musket.
5. Plantagenet Canterbury
Aired 15 June 2019 • 45 min
Alice Roberts visits Canterbury to explore the Plantagenet era, when the powerful house held the throne between 1154 and 1485. She discovers the secrets of the city's cathedral, the lasting impact of the Black Death, and joins a modern-day pilgrimage in medieval garb. Aerial archaeologist Ben Robinson provides a bird's-eye view of how the religious institutions of the era still dominate the city's topography.
6. Stewart Stirling
Aired 22 June 2019 • 45 min
Professor Alice Roberts explores the story of Stewart Britain by visiting Stirling, the seat of the Scottish royal family for 200 years. She joins a team of archaeologists in uncovering remnants of the docks, explores the secret passageways of Stirling Castle, learns how to make medieval ale, and discovers the origins of football. Last in the series.