Series synopsis
Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets is a British documentary television series that premiered on PBS on June 21, 2020. It stars Lucy Worsley.
In this 3-part documentary series, Lucy Worsley travels across Britain and Europe visiting the locations where royal history was made. In palaces and castles and on battlefields she investigates how royal history is a mixture of facts, exaggeration, manipulation and mythology.
Premise
In this 3-part documentary series, Lucy Worsley travels across Britain and Europe visiting the locations where royal history was made. In palaces and castles and on battlefields she investigates how royal history is a mixture of facts, exaggeration, manipulation and mythology.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Lucy Worsley as Self - Presenter
Guest cast
- Tori Burgess as Young Elizabeth
- Mat Urey as Feria
- John Williams as King Philip
- Gregor Davidson as Henry VIII
- Stephen Clyde as Thomas Cromwell
- Hannah Young as Anne Boleyn
- Beverly Watson as Catherine of Aragon
- Lynsey-Anne Moffat as Queen Anne
- Natalie Clark as Sarah Churchill
- Kayleigh Taylor as Abigail Masham
- Emma Snellgrove as Marie Antoinette
- Gavin Paul as Robespierre
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 6 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 3 | June 21, 2020 | July 5, 2020 |
| Season 2 | 3 | August 29, 2021 | September 12, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Elizabeth I: The Warrior Queen Join Lucy Worsley for an exploration of how Elizabeth I’s image as a warrior queen, created by a series of myths and secrets about her victory over the Spanish Armada, shaped British national identity for centuries. |
June 21, 2020 |
| 2 |
Queen Anne: The Mother of Great Britain Investigate why Queen Anne’s powerful role in the forging of Great Britain has often been forgotten. Lucy Worsley shares the inside story of the salacious gossip about Anne’s love life that helped destroy her image and legacy. |
June 28, 2020 |
| 3 |
Marie Antoinette: The Doomed Queen Find out why Marie Antoinette is often blamed for causing the French Revolution by saying “let them eat cake” to her starving subjects. Lucy Worsley uncovers the myths and secrets that led the doomed queen to the guillotine. |
July 5, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Reformation Was Henry VIII's desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn the real reason for England's split from Catholic Europe? Or was a secret political agenda at work behind the scenes? |
August 29, 2021 |
| 2 |
George IV and the Regency Lucy Worsley reveals how mental health problems forced King George III to relinquish power to his debauched and extravagant son, George IV. Was this really an era of elegance and regal splendor or an age of radicalism and revolution? How were myths and secrets used to save the British monarchy? |
September 5, 2021 |
| 3 |
The Russian Revolution The October Revolution of 1917 has gone down in history as the only Russian Revolution that really mattered. But Lucy Worsley reveals that the earlier revolution in February 1917 was downplayed in Bolshevik history books and films, despite the fact that it was the truly spontaneous popular uprising that swept the Czar from power. |
September 12, 2021 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | PBS |
|---|---|
| First aired | June 21, 2020 |
| Last aired | September 12, 2021 |
| Runtime | 54 minutes |
| Status | continue |