Secrets of Great British Castles

Mark Seen

Dover Castle Apr 3, 2015 Dan goes behind the battlements of Dover Castle, where he descends into an underground lair to discover how a vast network of tunnels has been used to defend both the castle and the country for centuries.

Mark Seen

The Tower of London Apr 10, 2015 Built by William the Conqueror, the Tower of London has been a military fortress, a palace, a royal mint, a prison, a zoo and a place of execution, a silent witness to some of the most momentous events in our history. Dan Jones reveals some of its secrets and tells the stories of the traitors, rebels and royalty who met their end inside its imposing walls.

Mark Seen

Warwick Castle Apr 17, 2015 Today Warwick Castle is a popular tourist attraction, but for centuries its walls echoed with the sounds of betrayal, bloodshed, murder and financial ruin. Dan Jones reveals the turbulent history which took place within the well-preserved walls of this imposing castle and the tales of the earls of Warwick who lived there.

Mark Seen

Caernarfon Apr 24, 2015 Historian Dan Jones explores the turbulent history of one of Britain's most famous castles, Caernarfon. Dan is in the heart of Snowdonia exploring a stronghold built not only as an impenetrable fortress but also as a lavish royal palace fit for a fairytale - Caernarfon Castle.

Mark Seen

Stirling Castle May 1, 2015 Perched high on a volcanic crag overlooking the River Forth, Stirling has long been one of the most strategically important castles in Britain. Guarding the gateway to the Highlands, its battle-scarred walls have witnessed savagery and chivalry, intrigue, alchemy, adultery and murder. With the aid of location filming, aerial shots and dramatic reconstructions, Dan Jones examines the history of this stronghold and relates the stories of some of the powerful characters who have owned it over the centuries.

Mark Seen

Carrickfergus May 8, 2015 Dan Jones explores the history of Carrickfergus Castle in Co Antrim, one of the most ancient castles in Northern Ireland and a stronghold key to understanding the tempestuous relationship between Britain and Ireland. Dan travels to Rathlin island, where he reveals how hundreds of women and children were massacred in the name of Elizabeth I, and visits the tomb of former governor Arthur Chichester, who began a new colonization strategy using scorched earth tactics and laid waste to much of the land surrounding the town.

Mark Seen

Edinburgh Castle Oct 28, 2016 Edinburgh's handsome hilltop bastion is Scotland's most popular paid tourist attraction, but it also packs some formidable defences.

Mark Seen

Cardiff Castle Nov 4, 2016 Dan Jones explores the history of the Welsh capital's landmark, Cardiff Castle, and discovers more about the various incarnations over the centuries.

Mark Seen

York Nov 18, 2016 Part-dramatised history series. In medieval England, the North was ruled from York. Dan Jones explores the history of its castle, from the Viking Jorvik and the Normans, through the dark days of the anti-Jewish pogrom and the imprisonment of the Knights Templar, to one of its most colourful inmates - the legendary highwayman Dick Turpin.

Mark Seen

Leeds Castle Nov 25, 2016 History series. With the aid of dramatic reconstruction, Dan Jones explores the 900-year history of the beautiful Leeds Castle in Kent, from its origins as a royal Saxon family's manor and Norman stronghold to the private property of six medieval queens, a Tudor palace, a Jacobean country house, a Georgian mansion and an elegant 20th-century retreat for the rich and famous.

Mark Seen

Lancaster Castle Dec 2, 2016 History series. Dan Jones visits Lancaster Castle to explore its grisly history of crime and punishment, including the infamous Lancashire Witches trials and the martyrdom of the Jesuit priest Saint Edmund Arrowsmith.

Mark Seen

Arundel Castle Dec 9, 2016 History series. Dan Jones visits the heart of the English countryside to explore Arundel Castle and the dramatic history of the Earls of Arundel.