Air date: 2022-04-07

Runtime: 58 min

Episode one immerses us in the turbulent era that followed the Roman occupation of Britain. After the Romans leave, waves of invasion reshape the Isles and their cultures: from glittering jewellery to carved stones to intricate manuscripts. Battles over identity and faith play out in art and culminate in the rise of a new vernacular language.

Air date: 2022-04-14

Runtime: 59 min

Episode two traces an alternative history of the Black Death of the Middle Ages. From the chaos of the Black Death comes creative renewal; survivors finding their voice through satire and a revived literature in English, including breakthrough works by women, and through new craft in cathedral building and stained glass.

Air date: 2022-04-21

Runtime: 59 min

Episode three looks at the story of the 16th century religious revolution, as England and other parts of the British Isles turned to Protestantism.

Air date: 2022-04-28

Runtime: 58 min

A splintering of politics and religion in the British Isles under the Stuart kings leads to more questioning art, new science and architecture.

Air date: 2022-05-05

Runtime: 58 min

In the 18th century, trade and conquest funds an explosion of creativity, and art stirs a growing social conscience.

Air date: 2022-05-12

Runtime: 58 min

With the industrial revolution transforming the British Isles, cities and country are divided and artists respond to the upheaval to lives and the landscape.

Air date: 2022-05-19

Runtime: 59 min

The world wars force artists to grapple with destruction and savagery, challenging conventions and the old imperial order, while those fleeing war bring new ideas to Britain.

Air date: 2022-05-26

Runtime: 59 min

In the final episode of the series, an explosion of new voices from across the British Isles reinvents the arts, creating a richer, more diverse culture.