Britain's Outlaws

Britain's Outlaws (2015)

EndedDocumentary showHistory

Few figures in British history have captured the popular imagination as much as the outlaw. From gentleman highwaymen, via swashbuckling pirates to elusive urban thieves and rogues, the brazen escapades and the flamboyance of the outlaw made them the antihero of their time - feared by the rich, admired by the poor and celebrated by writers and artists.

In this three-part series, historian Dr. Sam Willis travels the open roads, the high seas and urban alleyways to explore Britain's 17th- and 18th-century underworld of highwaymen, pirates and rogues, bringing the great age of the British outlaw vividly to life.

Sam shows that, far from being 'outsiders', outlaws were very much a product of their time, shaped by powerful national events. In each episode, he focuses not just on a particular type of outlaw, but a particular era - the series as a whole offers a chronological portrait of the changing face of crime in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Sam begins with the arrival of a new breed of gentleman criminal out of the ashes of the English Civil War - the highwayman. Heavily romanticised in literature, these glamorous gangsters became a social menace on the roads and a political thorn in the side of the creaking British state - threatening to steal our wallets and our hearts. But underneath the dashing image of stylish robbers on horseback lay a far darker reality.

Network
Scheduleevery Monday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Rogues Gallery
Season 1Episode 360 min

Rogues Gallery

Sam Willis looks at urban crime, fraud and corruption in the 18th century, uncovering a fascinating rogues' gallery of charmers, fraudsters and villains.

Dec 7, 2015

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E03Rogues GalleryDec 7, 2015
S01E02PiratesNov 30, 2015
S01E01Knights of the Road: The Highwayman's StoryNov 23, 2015
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

Dr. Sam Willis

Dr. Sam Willis

plays himself
View all cast

Characters

Presenter

Presenter

played by Dr. Sam Willis
View all characters

Also known as

  • Britain's Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates and Rogues

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