Living Legends - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Dick Turpin
In this, the first of six new programmes, Magnus Magnusson investigates the truth behind the legend. Who was Black Bess? Was there ever a ride to York? Where is the highwayman buried? And how could such a sordid figure have become a hero?
Dick Whittington
Magnus Magnusson traces the history of Whittington from his birth-place at Pauntley in Gloucestershire to the present-day inheritors of his wealth.
But why does he survive in legend as a pantomime principal boy whose luck is dependent upon a faithful cat?
Robin Hood
Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Robin Hood is England's most celebrated legendary hero. Supremely brave, resourceful and loyal, he stands for the retribution of wrong in a corrupt society. For 600 years he has inspired ballads and epic tales of adventure; and, in the 20th century, he is the illustrious subject of many major films. But who was he?
Burke and Hare
Introduced by Magnus Magnusson For over 150 years a flourishing trade in bodysnatching went on in Britain, supplying corpses for medical dissection. In 1834 this traffic was brought to an end, thanks largely to two Irish navvies in Edinburgh, William Burke and William Hare. In their eagerness to supply their customer, Dr Knox, with fresh subjects, Burke and Hare had taken cunning steps to speed up the turnover of human bodies. In the streets and gravevards of Edinburgh.
Guy Fawkes
Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Guy Fawkes , ' the devil in the vault ', arrested in the nick of time as he stands poised to blow up the entire leadership of Jacobean England-one of the most vivid images in English history, familiar from countless illustrations and tableaux. And even now, 350 years later, we still burn Guy Fawkes in effigy every year.
But who was this obscure soldier-of-fortune and what drove him to such a step? Are Catholic historians right to claim that the whole Gunpowder Plot was a charade staged by the government of the day to discredit the Catholics?
Captain Kidd
The real Captain Kidd was a merchant sea-captain, a man of property and an honoured citizen of New York. He was 50 when he was given the King's commission to hunt down pirates in the Indian Ocean. Two years later he died on the gallows in London, a convicted pirate himself.
Magnus Magnusson investigates the background to Kidd's fatal voyage. Was he guilty of piracy -or was his trial engineered at Westminster to suit the politicians of the day? And what happened to Kidd's treasure? Where is it and has it all been recovered?
Recently Updated Shows
Will Trent
In Will Trent Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta's overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.
Hijack
Told in real time, Hijack is a tense thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven-hour flight, as authorities on the ground scramble for answers. Sam Nelson is an accomplished negotiator in the business world who needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers — but his high-risk strategy could be his undoing.
Landman
Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it's reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.
The Irrational
The Irrational follows world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer as he lends his unique expertise on an array of high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement and corporations. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.
