Dramatizing the exploits of the notorious pirate (James Purefoy). “For a time, we had the world at our mercy,” says crewmate Israel Hand (Mark Noble), who narrates the story, which begins in 1702, when Blackbeard, a.k.a. Edward Teach, was a British privateer in the War of Spanish Succession. After the war, he kept at it, infuriating British officials. He was finally stopped in 1718, but not before achieving his oft-stated goal: “I just want to be remembered.”