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Secret Knowledge

  • 2013-2016
  • 1 season
  • Documentary

In a series of authored films, some of our most engaging experts reveal their favourite hidden objects, forgotten places and artistic passions.

Season 1 Episode Guide

16 Episodes 2013 - 2016

Episode 1

The Kimbolton Cabinet

Antiques dealer and "Antiques Roadshow" appraiser John Bly leads a tour of the Kimbolton Cabinet, the magnificent pierce of furniture designed by the architect and designer Robert Adam for the Duke and Duchess of Manchester.

Episode 2

The Art of the Vikings

British art historian, Dr Janina Ramirez, showcases the Scottish exhibition dedicated to viking culture, and explains the historical complexities of their life, religion and art.

Secret Knowledge Season 1 The Art of the Vikings

Episode 3

Bolsover Castle & the Playboy Cavalier

Historian, author and curator Lucy Worsley shares her love of Bolsover Castle, a quirky and unique great house in Derbyshire, England, and its infamously hedonistic owner duke William Cavendish's attempt to impress Charles I with a party.

Secret Knowledge Season 1 Bolsover Castle & the Playboy Cavalier
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Episode 4

Abbotsford House: Walter Scott's Castle

Episode 5

Stradivarius and Me

Episode 6

The King's Lost Bed

Episode 8

The Art of Witchcraft

30 mins

Artist Lachlan Goudie presents a highly personal documentary, inspired by his father, in which he investigates why witches have cast such a powerful spell over generations of artists.

Episode 9

Castiglione - Rogue Genius of the Baroque

Secret Knowledge Season 1 Castiglione - Rogue Genius of the Baroque

Episode 10

Hogarth: One Man and His Pug

To mark 250 years since William Hogarth's death, ceramics expert and self-confessed Hogarth fanatic Lars Tharp is determined to solve a mystery that has consumed his personal and professional life - the case of Hogarth's lost pug. In this unique shaggy dog story, Tharp explains Hogarth's obsession with this most characterful of breeds and the pivotal role it played in his life and his work. A canine odyssey that only examines one of his most iconic works of art, but leads us into a world of satire, salaciousness and secrets. From harlots and rakes to the shadowy machinations of the freemasons, Tharp's ultimate goal is to lead an appeal to the nation to help him recover a rare piece of long-lost Hogarth memorabilia - a precious terracotta sculpture of his beloved pet pug. For Tharp, this is the perfect moment in which to pay tribute to a man whom he regards as our greatest and most influential artist - and what better way to explore a man famed for his wit and humour than on the trail of his most iconic and idiosyncratic four-legged companion.

Episode 11

The Russian Revolutionary: Zaha Hadid on Kazimir Malevich

Episode 12

The Living Mountain: A Cairngorms Journey

Secret Knowledge Season 1 The Living Mountain: A Cairngorms Journey

Episode 13

In Search of Rory McEwen

Jools Holland presents an appreciation of a man he never met, his father-in-law, the aristocrat, artist, folk singer, and TV presenter, Rory McEwen, the man credited with bringing the blues to Britain.

Episode 14

Wondrous Obsessions: The Cabinet of Curiosities

Professor Nandini Das reveals the story behind the Cabinet of Curiosities - the original collecting craze that began in Renaissance Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Episode 15

The Private Life of a Doll's House

Lauren explores the history of dolls' houses from some of the earliest examples to their modern incarnations, speaks to craftspeople who create perfect miniatures and meets ardent collectors willing to pay big money for tiny objects of desire. She's been working on her own dolls' house for the past 30 years and her lifelong obsession continues to inspire her ideas and shape her work. But why do these interior worlds have the power to cast a spell beyond childhood?

Episode 19

Jacobi on Garrick: Godfather of the British Stage

The actor Derek Jacobi presents a personal appreciation of the great eighteenth century performer, manager and showman, who dominated the stage with a new kind of naturalistic performance style.

Secret Knowledge Season 1 Jacobi on Garrick: Godfather of the British Stage

Episode 20

A Very British Pornographer: The Jack Kahane Story

29 mins

The story of Englishman, Jack Kahane, who from his base in Paris, would form Obelisk Press. In the 1920 and 30s.he would publish everything from low-grade smut up to James Joyce, DH Lawrence, Anais Nin, Lawrence Durrell and Henry Miller.

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