Lucy. Worsley Investigates: Series 1

From DocuWiki

1 General Information
2 Cover
3 Information
4 Screenshots
5 Technical Specs
6 Links

[edit] General Information

History Documentary hosted by Lucy Worsley, published by BBC in 2022 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Lucy Worsley re-investigates some of the most dramatic chapters in British history. She uncovers forgotten witnesses, re-examines old evidence and follows new clues. Who killed the Princes in the tower in 1483? What actually caused the Black Death? Why did a witch craze sweep 16th century Britain? Was George III really mad? These are some of the most enduring and perplexing questions that have baffled academics and fascinated history fans for years - and this series sees historian Lucy Worsley turn sleuth by reopening and completely re-evaluating these infamous mysteries. The factual series unfolds like a thrilling investigation - keeping audiences guessing at every twist and turn. In each episode Worsley takes a deep dive into a single event, mounting a comprehensive reinvestigation by assembling historical and contemporary evidence, following paper trails, re-examining scenes of crimes, tracking down lost records, and calling on the very best experts to help her completely reframe the past. She reveals cutting-edge discoveries that shed new light on the cases. Lucy Worsley Investigates puts a modern lens on the past, exploring if these incidents have been obscured by centuries of historical thinking. Each episode brings a contemporary perspective to hugely topical and complex societal issues asking how changing attitudes to children, gender politics, class, inequality and mental health have obscured the answers to these cases. It uncovers new victims and new victors, challenging our perceptions and providing answers to each renowned mystery. Witch trials. Murdered princes. The Black Death. Uncover the shocking truth behind history's most infamous mysteries and find out what they say about our changing society. Lucy Worsley reinvestigates and reveals new evidence about some of British history's biggest unsolved mysteries. She finds lost records, re-examines crime scenes and calls on experts to reframe each case in this remarkable history documentary. As she digs deeper, new light is shed on history's most notorious moments. A BBC Studios Production for BBC and PBS

[edit] The Witch Hunts

We all think we know what we mean by a witch, but behind the cliches of pointy hats and broomsticks lies a terrifying history that's been largely forgotten. Four hundred years ago, thousands of ordinary people, the vast majority of them women, were hunted down, tortured and killed in witch hunts across Scotland and England. Lucy Worsley investigates what lay behind these horrifying events.
She begins her investigation in North Berwick, a seaside town not far from Edinburgh, where the witch hunting craze began. The story goes that, in 1590, a coven of witches gathered here to cast a spell to try to kill the King of Scotland, James VI. Using an account from the time called Newes from Scotland and other first-hand sources, Lucy uncovers a web of political intrigue that led to a woman called Agnes Sampson, a faith healer and midwife, being investigated. She was accused of witchcraft and interrogated at Holyrood Castle by King James himself before being tortured and executed.
Agnes was caught in a perfect storm: hardline Protestant reformers wanting to make Scotland devout, a king out to prove himself a righteous leader, and a new ideology which claimed the Devil was actively recruiting women as witches. Under torture, Agnes gave the names of her supposed accomplices, some 59 other innocent people, resulting in the first successful large-scale witch hunt in Scotland. Its brutal success made it the model for trials rolled out across Scotland and England for the next hundred years.

[edit] The Black Death

Lucy Worsley examines Britain's deadliest pandemic and explores how its monumental death toll changed the face of the country for ever. The Black Death struck in 1348 killing an astonishing three million people, half of Britain's population at the time. Where did it start, how was it treated and what changes did it inflict on the country? Lucy Worsley examines the latest science and explores how the massive death toll affected religious beliefs, class structure, work and women in this history documentary. For centuries it was uncertain what caused the pestilence of 1348, until a vast plague pit was uncovered in Smithfield, London in the 1980s. The find revealed the bones of hundreds of victims of the 14th century pandemic. Now stored in the basement of the Museum of London, Lucy learns how DNA extracted from the skeletons enabled scientists to finally identify a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis - a pathogen to which the mediaeval population had no immunity. In little more than a year, almost half the population had been wiped out by the Black Death. Lucy investigates what this sudden loss of life meant for the church, landowners and for the those who survived. Exploring the social structure of mediaeval England, made up largely of rural peasants indentured to landowners, Lucy discovers a rare and remarkable set of documents: the Court Rolls of the Suffolk village of Walsham the Willows, providing a perfect microcosm of life across the country before, during and after the pandemic. Lucy discovers how, despite the unfolding apocalypse, rather than shaking people's belief in God, it entrenched their faith. Many went on devotional pilgrimages to sacred sites like Canterbury Cathedral. Despite the devastation, the plague propagated a shake-up of the status quo. Workers were in short supply and could demand higher wages, shifting the balance of power. Women occupied professions and roles that were previously closed to them and acquired an independence and status that would previously have been impossible. How did the Black Death change Britain? Lucy Worsley examines the latest science and explores how the huge death toll affected religious beliefs, class structure, work and women.

[edit] Princes in the Tower

In this series, Lucy Worsley re-investigates some of the most dramatic and brutal chapters in British history, uncovering forgotten witnesses, re-examining old evidence and following new clues. The story of the princes in the tower is as familiar as a fairy tale – two innocent boys murdered in their beds at the behest of their evil uncle Richard so he could seize the throne for himself and be crowned King Richard III. But there is very little evidence about what happened in 1483, and no real proof that the boys were murdered. They simply disappeared from sight – and from known historical record. The two princes, Edward and Richard, lived during the Wars of the Roses, a decades-long fight over the English throne between the house of Lancaster and the house of York. Edward IV, the boy's father, was the first Yorkist King. His eldest son, Edward, was destined to inherit the throne – and this fact entirely shaped his young life. Edward was just 12 when his father died and he succeeded him as King – but his age meant he wasn't considered quite ready to rule. Edward IV had appointed his brother Richard to be the young Kings protector - but not everyone was happy with this arrangement. What followed was a tussle for control between Richard and the Queen's family, the Woodvilles, revealing fascinating ideas about childhood, and the nature of politics and power in medieval England. Uncle Richard had young Edward and Richard installed at the Tower of London 'for their own protection', but when a priest declared that the boys were actually illegitimate, Richard was next in line to the throne, and it was he who was crowned King Richard III. As far as we know, the boys were not seen again. The gaps in the historical record have fuelled 500 years of speculation. Lucy speaks to historian Prof Tim Thornton, who has found evidence that may back up one account of what really happened to them, written by Thomas More a generation after the events. In the light of all the evidence she's had access to, Lucy makes up her own mind about Richard's guilt. But importantly, this story has also revealed much about the lot of a royal child in medieval England. And one thing Lucy is certain about is that the story of the Princes in the Tower shows how interpretations are never fixed, there's always the possibility that new evidence will come to light, and that this story will continue to fascinate us.

[edit] Madness of King George

Madness of King George. George III, an assassination attempt and a tale of mental illness that changed Britain. In 1788, the 50-year-old British king, George III, fell ill. His symptoms included talking for 19 hours at a time, being violently agitated and vivid hallucinations. How did his mental illness change Britain? In this illuminating history documentary, Lucy Worsley uncovers royal papers and explores how an assassination attempt on the King's life by a mentally ill subject changed psychiatry forever. Lucy begins her investigation with the crisis of winter 1788, when the 50 year-old King fell ill, and explores the stresses in George's personal and public life that may have triggered his mental health crisis. At Windsor Castle, in the Royal Archives, Lucy has access to the Georgian Papers and the private diary of Robert Greville, George's equerry, who describes the King as talking for 19 hours at a time, being violently agitated and angry. Doctors were at a loss to understand the Kings illness and the country was on the brink of constitutional crisis. Using a 21st century understanding of George III's condition as bipolar disorder, Lucy follows the clues and accounts of his hallucinations. She hears suggestions that grief over the deaths of his two young sons may have played a part in his illness, alongside ideas of democracy spreading across Europe, making this a challenging time to be a King. One of the innovations of George's reign, the direct petitioning of the King by his subjects, led in 1786 to a woman called Margaret Nicholson attempting to stab him as she presented him with a petition. George, himself only two years away from his own major mental health crisis, declared: "Poor woman, she is mad, do not hurt her" and these words became iconic. The King's own illness was widely rumoured and whispered about, and he and Margaret Nicholson became the most famous 'mad people' of the time, stimulating vital debate about the nature and treatment of mental illness. George's condition in 1788 forced the Royal family to consult a medical outsider: a so called 'mad doctor', or early psychiatrist, called Francis Willis. Willis's papers reveal that he involved the King in a combination of treatments including walking in the grounds of the palace. George recovered - temporarily - and the country celebrated. Margaret Nicholson would remain incarcerated at Bethlem asylum for the rest of her life. An MP friend of the King's, who'd seen his illness at first hand, began a public enquiry into the scandalous conditions at Bethlem, leading to the start of reform in public asylums around the country. How did George's mental illness change Britain? Lucy Worsley uncovers Royal papers and explores how the attempt on his life by a mentally ill subject changed psychiatry forever.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4.2
Video Bitrate: 3 375 kb/s
Video Resolution: 1920x1080
Display Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AAC (LC)
Audio Bitrate: 128 kb/s VBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 59 min
Number Of Parts: 4
Part Size: 1.44 GB
Source: WEB DL (Thanks to PlayWEB)
Encoded by: DocFreak08