Britain's Most Historic Towns

Episode 1

Medieval Lincoln

47 mins

Alice explores Lincoln's medieval story, from a cathedral that was once the tallest building in the world to a 1217 battle at Lincoln Castle, she gets to grips with a crossbow and learns why social climbing required a new wardrobe.

Episode 2

Restoration London

47 mins

Alice is in London to try to make sense of the brief but eventful Restoration period, exploring the plague, St Paul's, the story of crown and slavery and the birth of modern science. And in theatreland, women taking to the stage.

Episode 3

Portsmouth - Age of Empire

47 mins

Alice explores some of the maritime history of Portsmouth, delving into Nelson's dark side, the heat of the battle at Trafalgar, the role of the Navy in the British Empire and the lives of the port's sex workers.

Episode 4

Elizabethan Plymouth

47 mins

In Plymouth, Alice explores the story of England's 'Golden Age' during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, from Sir Francis Drake to the Spanish Armada, piracy, theft and some of the local connections to the slave trade.

Episode 5

Glasgow - Age of Steam

Alice Roberts explores Glasgow's age of steam, from lethal diseases and industrial injury to genteel tea rooms, football at Celtic Park, and the beautiful Loch Katrine.

Episode 6

Georgian Edinburgh

Alice Roberts explores Georgian Edinburgh's finest architecture, the origins of 'Auld Reekie', the roots of modern Scottishness, and some dark imperial controversies.

Episode 7

Industrial Revolution Manchester

Professor Alice Roberts explores Manchester's history of protest and revolution during the Industrial Revolution, from Marx to the Suffragettes and the Peterloo massacre.