The Crown

The Crown 2016

8.22

The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.

2016

Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall 2015

7.50

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the King dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope and most of Europe oppose him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer, and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

2015

The Bastard Executioner

The Bastard Executioner 2015

5.77

A blood-soaked, medieval epic that tells the story of Wilkin Brattle, a 14th century warrior, whose life is forever changed when a divine messenger beseeches him to lay down his sword and lead the life of another man: a journeyman executioner. Set in northern Wales during a time rife with rebellion and political upheaval, Wilkin must walk a tight rope between protecting his true identity while also serving a mysterious destiny. Guided by Annora, a mystical healer whose seeming omniscience keeps Wilkin under her sway; manipulated by Milus Corbett, a devious Chamberlain with grand political aspirations; and driven by a deepening connection with the Baroness Lady Love, Wilkin struggles to navigate political, emotional and supernal pitfalls in his quest to understand his greater purpose.

2015

Spitting Image

Spitting Image 1984

7.10

Spitting Image is an award winning British satirical puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. The series was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV from 1984 to 1996. The series was nominated and won numerous awards during its run including 10 BAFTA Awards, including one for editing in 1989, and even won two Emmy Awards in 1985 and 1986 in the Popular Arts Category. The series featured puppet caricatures of celebrities famous during the 1980s and 1990s, including British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and fellow Tory politicians, American president Ronald Reagan, and the British Royal Family. The Series was the first to caricature the Queen mother.

1984

Elizabeth R

Elizabeth R 1971

7.40

This historical mini-series documents the reign of Elizabeth I with each episode focusing on one dramatic period in the lengthy reign of the Virgin Queen, including her ascension to the throne, her various marital intrigues, her problems with her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, and the threatened invasion of the Spanish Armada.

1971

Henry VIII

Henry VIII 2003

6.50

The life of Henry VIII of England from the disintegration of his first marriage to an aging Spanish princess until his death following a stroke in 1547, by which time he had married for the sixth time.

2003

The Virgin Queen

The Virgin Queen 2006

6.20

The Virgin Queen explores the full sweep of Elizabeth's life: from her days of fear as a potential victim of her sister's terror; through her great love affair with Robert Dudley; into her years of triumph over the Armada; and finally her old age and her last, enigmatic relationship with her young protégé, the Earl of Essex.

2006

To Play the King

To Play the King 1993

8.10

Francis Urquhart's survival at the top is threatened by the new king's populist agenda.

1993

Queen of Oz

Queen of Oz 2023

7.90

Princess Georgiana is the black sheep of a fictional British Royal Family. A PR disaster, she's spent her spoilt, party-girl life plastered over the tabloids. On the back of her latest scandal her mother, the Queen, makes the unprecedented move of abdicating her Australian throne in favour of her daughter. It is hoped that giving her some real responsibility will finally be the making of her – and if it isn't, at least shipping her off keeps her 10,000 miles away from London.

2023

The Queen

The Queen 2009

7.00

The Queen was a 2009 British drama-documentary showing Queen Elizabeth II at different points during her life. Broadcast on Channel 4 over five consecutive nights from 29 November 2009, the Queen was portrayed by a different actress in each episode. The Queen was portrayed by Emilia Fox, Samantha Bond, Susan Jameson, Barbara Flynn and Diana Quick. Katie McGrath played Princess Margaret in the first episode and Lesley Manville played Margaret Thatcher in the third episode. The series was co-funded by the American Broadcasting Company, the network which aired the series in the US. This reunited Emilia Fox and Katie McGrath who had played sisters in BBC One's Merlin.

2009

Harry & Meghan

Harry & Meghan 2022

6.20

From their courtship to their exit from royal life, Harry and Meghan share their complex journey in their own words in this docuseries.

2022

An Age of Kings

An Age of Kings 1960

4.70

A linking together of Shakespeare's history plays chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the 86 years between Richard II and Richard III.

1960

The Prince

The Prince 2021

6.60

In this biting animated satire, seven-year-old Prince George – youngest heir to the British throne – spills all the royal “tea” on Buckingham Palace’s residents and staff.

2021

The Story of Diana

The Story of Diana 2017

8.20

Princess Diana's life and legacy is explored through interviews with those who knew her best, as well as the world's leading experts on her.

2017

The Royal House of Windsor

The Royal House of Windsor 2017

7.70

Drawing on newly available evidence, this epic series explores the Windsor dynasty's gripping family saga, providing fresh insights into how our royal family have survived four generations of crisis.

2017

The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family

The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family 2021

8.00

Part documentary, part historical drama, this series follows the fortunes of the different members of the Boleyn family, ultimately made notorious for daughter Anne’s marriage to Henry VIII and execution.

2021

Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley 2020

10.00

Historian Lucy Worsley debunks popular myths and royal as well as anti-royal propaganda about key events from British royal history including the English Reformation, the attack of the Spanish Armada and Queen Anne's forgotten legacy.

2020

Victoria Regina

Victoria Regina 1964

1

Patricia Routledge gives a career-best performance as Queen Victoria in this 1964 series of plays based on the celebrated collection of dramas by playwright Laurence Housman. Self-willed, obstinate, imperious and passionate... a now-familiar description of one of history's longest-serving female monarchs – but Housman's satirical tribute marked a decisive break with the tradition of the uncritical historical portrait. A Broadway hit deemed too disrespectful for public performance in Britain until the late 1930s, Victoria Regina is a frank portrayal of an extraordinarily complex woman, tracing her development from royal teenager to inconsolable widow at the helm of a vast empire, with all her contradictions, prejudices and unconstitutional behavior.

1964

Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty

Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty 2014

7.80

Acclaimed historian Dan Jones tells the story of the dynasty who ruled England and much of France during the Middle Ages. More shocking, brutal and exhilarating than Game of Thrones, these events actually happened.

2014

The Devil's Crown

The Devil's Crown 1978

7.50

The Devil's Crown was a BBC limited series which dramatised the reigns of three medieval Kings of England: Henry II and his sons Richard the Lionheart and John.

1978