Series synopsis
The Great Plague is a British documentary television series that premiered on 5 on November 17, 2020. It ended on November 19, 2020. It was created by Eddie Richey, Jamie Simpson. It stars Raksha Dave, Xand van Tulleken and John Sergeant.
Xand van Tulleken, Raksha Dave and John Sergeant trace the spread of the Great Plague of 1665 week by week and discover parallels with the coronavirus.
Premise
Xand van Tulleken, Raksha Dave and John Sergeant trace the spread of the Great Plague of 1665 week by week and discover parallels with the coronavirus.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Raksha Dave as Presenter
- Xand van Tulleken as Presenter
- John Sergeant as Presenter
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 3 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 3 | November 17, 2020 | November 19, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Outbreak In the first episode, the epidemic is traced back to its source in the parish of St Giles in the Fields, now at the heart of London's theatre district. The programme also examines the symptoms of the disease and uncovers new research into the plague bacteria that could overthrow accepted ideas about how the infection was spread. |
November 17, 2020 |
| 2 |
Decimation In the second episode, Xand heads to St Barts hospital to look back at historical records which show that nursing staff stayed behind and risked their lives to help the sick. Elsewhere, John investigates why infection rates were so different between the rich and poor, examining clothes typical for each group in the 17th century. |
November 18, 2020 |
| 3 |
Aftermath Xand van Tulleken visits Samuel Pepys' parish church and discovers the sad tale of the Poole family, who within 11 days lost all five of their children. He also heads to Eyam in Derbyshire, revealing the heroic story of self-sacrifice that saw all 700 villagers lock themselves in to try to stop the disease spreading to surrounding areas. Raksha Dave trials 17th-century disinfection methods and reveals a surprising substitute that can be just effective as modern antibacterial cleaners. |
November 19, 2020 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | 5 |
|---|---|
| First aired | November 17, 2020 |
| Last aired | November 19, 2020 |
| Runtime | 45 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 21:00:00 |