Britain's Most Historic Towns - Episode Guide

In Chester, Britain's most Roman city, Alice enjoys a Roman feast, checks out an extraordinary archaeological find deep underground and explores a radical theory on the Romans' plans for the city

Alice tells the story of Viking England by studying the history of York, Britain's most Viking city. She takes part in a Viking battle, meets the metal detectorists behind one of the UK's greatest archaeological finds and gets her hands on an almost 1000-year-old Viking poo.

Alice tells the story of Norman England by studying the history of Winchester, Britain's most Norman city. Alice attempts to storm a castle in chain mail, investigates the origins of modern surgery and tucks into an appetising eel pie.

In this unique take on British history, Professor Alice Roberts explores Britain's rich and varied past through the stories of individual towns and cities. In each programme Alice studies one key period in history by delving into the secrets of a historic town that encapsulates the era, providing an accurate impression of what life was really like at key moments in our turbulent past. Alice tells the story of Tudor England by studying the history of Norwich, Britain's most Tudor city. Alice learns the harsh reality of religious intolerance, uncovers the origins of Norwich City FC's iconic canary and experiences humiliating Tudor justice.

Alice Roberts explores Britain's rich and varied past through the stories of individual towns and cities. In each programme Alice studies one key period in history by delving into the secrets of a historic town that encapsulates the era, providing an accurate impression of what life was really like at key moments in our turbulent past. Alice tells the story of the Regency period by studying the history of Cheltenham, Britain's most Regency town. Alice attends a period society ball, investigates the rigid social hierarchy of the age and explores the Regency fondness for enemas.

Alice reveals the history of Belfast, the UK's most Victorian city. She visits the shipyards that built the Titanic, gets locked up in the notorious Crumlin Road gaol and takes a crash course in 19th-century female etiquette.

This episode takes in wartime Britain by studying the history of Dover, the town that found itself on the frontline in the struggle against Nazi Germany.? To fully appreciate the role played by the people of Dover, Alice ventures beneath the famous white cliffs to visit the subterranean nerve centre where the Dunkirk evacuation was planned. She also meets a 90-year-old local who experienced the horror of the German onslaught, and experiences what life would have been like in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Battle of Britain. From the sky, archaeologist Ben Robinson takes an aerial vantage point across the Channel to survey the incredible challenges faced by the Navy.

This episode reveals the secrets of the Georgian era through the story of Alice's home town, Bristol. Donning a frock and silk stockings, Alice goes on a horse-drawn carriage tour of the architectural gems of Clifton, while aerial archaeologist Ben Robinson provides a bird's-eye view of how 18th-century wealth transformed the city. With the industrial revolution on the horizon, Alice uncovers the stories of ingenuity that produced, among other things, the world's first chocolate factory, and samples the backstreet gin that flourished in Bristol and threatened to destabilise Georgian society. Darker still is the origin of much of the Georgian wealth and Bristol's status as the country's busiest slave port. Delving into the archives, Alice looks at some of the historical records that illustrate the horror of the slave trade.

Alice tells the story of Edwardian Britain by visiting Cardiff. She explores the coal trade and Cardiff's pioneering multicultural heritage, and experiences the life of a lady of leisure.

This episode takes in the English Civil War through the history of Oxford, the city at the heart of a vicious battle between an autocratic king and his rebellious parliament. With the nation divided, Oxford became the powerbase for Charles I and his royalist supporters - a rival capital during a conflict that played out for nine years. Alice looks inside Christ Church College, chosen as the King's court for its stunning architecture and refined grounds.

Alice visits Canterbury to tell the story of Plantagenet England, from the secrets of the city's iconic cathedral to the horror of the Black Death

Alice explores the story of Stewart Britain by visiting Stirling, the home of the Scottish royal dynasty who eventually took the English throne and created Great Britain.

Alice is in Lincoln, getting to grips with life in medieval England. She visits the magnificent cathedral that was once the tallest building in the world and re-lives the battle at Lincoln Castle.

Alice Roberts explores London's Restoration history, including the founding of the Royal Society and the violent dark side behind Charles II's carefully crafted public image. She visits St Paul's Cathedral, reveals how women performed on stage for the first time during this period, and uncovers shocking details of the slave trade at the National Maritime Museum. Plus, a look at parallels between the plague that struck London during the 1660s and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Alice Roberts visits Portsmouth to investigate the history of the Royal Navy, uncovering some uncomfortable truths behind the myth surrounding Lord Horatio Nelson and getting first-hand experience of what life would have been like in the heat of battle at Trafalgar. She also visits an archaeological dig on Burrow Island and a lantern show at the New Theatre Royal, and discovers the brutal punishments doled out for even minor offences by the Victorian penal system.

Alice Roberts visits Elizabethan Plymouth, exploring the story of England's `Golden Age', from Sir Francis Drake to the Spanish Armada, piracy, theft, and the slave trade.

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

On a visit to Georgian Edinburgh, Alice Roberts explores the city's finest architecture, 'Auld Reekie', the roots of modern Scottishness, and some dark imperial controversies

Alice explores Manchester's rich history of working-class protest and revolution during the Industrial Revolution, from the Peterloo massacre, to Marx, and onwards to the suffragettes