Tony Robinson's History of Britain

1485 to 1603 We find out how clothes were made and food prepared, a look at life during the reign of Tudor king Henry VIII.

1714 to 1837 We follow the tail of a sailor attempting to leave behind his scurvy existence for a Tahitian girl and a gin entrepreneur who fell foul of the law.

Tony takes us back nearly 2000 years to a time when Britain was under the Roman Empire. He tells the story of an African Roman soldier who gets posted to its most northerly outpost at Hadrian’s Wall. The young recruit spends most of his time building roads, including some that we still use today. Unfortunately, our Roman soldier eventually comes unstuck, not in a battle, but due to a chance meeting with the Roman Emperor, when he tries to play a practical joke on him.

Tony takes us back to the 1950s. Fondly remembered today as an optimistic period of social and economic regeneration. A period that was tough but rewarding for many. Tony begins with the story of Irish woman, Mary Powell, who joins the NHS, following her childhood dream of becoming a nurse, despite militaristic matrons, curmudgeonly consultants and patients with distressing conditions. Mary manages to escape her nursing accommodation for nights out and even marries her boyfriend against her parents’ wishes.