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

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.

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

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

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.

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.