Absolute History – the home of fun, shocking and curious tales from throughout history.
From Absolute History. As a young woman, Queen Victoria was drawn to pleasure, but her advisers decided it would be more beneficial for her to champion the rising puritanical movement led by the Evangelicals. This would be a fresh start for the monarchy and help her to rise above the dreadful reputation of her uncles.…
From Absolute History. Victoria visited Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire with Prince Albert in 1843. She was just 24 years old but had already been queen for six years. Albert had just received an honorary degree from Trinity College Cambridge, which greatly pleased Victoria as a sign that he was starting to be accepted by her…
From Absolute History. In an age of science, one tale of the supernatural continues to seduce us: the legend of the vampire. Embodied in the persona of Count Dracula, this pale, elegant aristocrat lusts for blood, making him at once repulsive… and irresistible. By day, he hides his face from the light… by night; he…
From Absolute History. Alan Davies explores the extraordinary life of Harry Houdini, who against the odds was among the richest, most successful entertainers in the world, he was the ultimate showman and one of the first American celebrities. In order to understand why Houdini felt compelled to perform such terrifying death-defying stunts, Alan tries to…
From Absolute History. Tim Wonnacott and Rosemary Shrager are at Walmer Castle in Kent, following in the footsteps of Queen Victoria, who was 23 years old and had been queen for five years when she visited in November of 1842 with Albert and their two children Edward and Victoria, both under two. It got off…
From Absolute History. In 1998, a copy of the most important printed work in the English language was snatched from Durham University. Ten years later, an eccentric book dealer tried to convince the world that he didn’t steal it. This is the inside story of how one man’s encounter with a First Folio turned into…
From Absolute History. The railroads ended slavery in the USA, but trains can be agents of oppression too. The British Empire built railways to rule the world, enabling it to control the empire. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to History Hit, the world’s best history documentary service and get 50% off using…
From Absolute History. At the time of this visit to Scone in Scotland, Victoria had been married to Albert for two years and had given birth to her first two children Princess Victoria and Prince Albert Edward. Amazingly their host, the Earl of Mansfield, who had been planning the trip for two years, had problems…
From Absolute History. In this drama-documentary series, Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb goes in search of the origins of the deadly craze of witch hunts and trials that infected the British Isles 400 years ago. Through original documents and powerful drama, Suzannah uncovers the fears that drove the persecutors to such lengths and what it was like…
From Absolute History. The stories behind the most important trains in history and their impact on the world, beginning with a look at the first locomotives during the Industrial Revolution. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to History Hit, the world’s best history documentary service and get 50% off using the code ‘AbsoluteHistory’…
From Absolute History. Chef Rosemary Shrager and antiques expert Tim Wonnacott visit the Royal Pavilion in Brighton to reveal the story behind 19-year-old Queen Victoria’s visit in 1838 – the year she became queen. Tim shows us the extraordinary Chinese style interior and reveals just how it was styled in this way thanks to one…
From Absolute History. In this drama-documentary series, Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb goes in search of the origins of the deadly craze of witch hunts and trials that infected the British Isles 400 years ago. Travelling to Scotland and Denmark, Suzannah uncovers the story of how, by the end of 1590, Scotland was in the grip of…
From Absolute History. In Victorian England the Workhouse formed the basis of society. The poor and destitute entered Workhouses to receive free health care and food. But in a society that viewed poverty as a crime, these workhouses were never meant to comfort. It was a means to punish the destitute and encourage future independence.…
From Absolute History. Tim and Rosemary visit Holkham Hall in North Norfolk, as they retrace the steps of 16-year-old Victoria on a two day visit there, in 1835, two years before she became Queen. It was part of a PR drive by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, who was keen to show Victoria off…
From Absolute History. Dan reveals why Londoners were desperate to stop the fire reach the Tower, Rob looks at the bizarre 17-century methods of treating burns and Suzannah examines a controversial new theory about how many people died. They also examine how the authorities dealt with the 100,000 people who had lost everything and how…
From Absolute History. In Victorian England the Workhouse formed the basis of society. The poor and destitute entered Workhouses to receive free health care and food. But in a society that viewed poverty as a crime, these workhouses were never meant to comfort. It was a means to punish the destitute and encourage future independence.…
From Absolute History. Victoria’s visit to Harewood House in Yorkshire was made in 1835, two years before she became Queen, having learnt she would inherit the throne four years earlier. And it appears our teenage Victoria was becoming quite used to the royal highlife, and becoming pretty hard to please. She records in her diary…
From Absolute History. Dan Jones follows the path of the fire on the worst day of its rampage as it swept through some of London’s iconic buildings. Suzannah Lipscomb finds evidence in the archives of who was blamed and who escaped scot free. Rob Bell visits Imperial College London for more information about the spread…
From Absolute History. The final setting is an Iron age village in A.D, 43 and, whilst there are no bosses, life is certainly primitive as the group must make bread, start a fire from scratch and prepare chickens and a deer, as well as constructing a wicker man to burn at their feast. One of…
From Absolute History. Tim reveals how Princess Victoria was kept under 24-hour surveillance by her mother the Duchess of Kent – such was her paranoia that something untoward would happen to her. The sleeping arrangements while at Shugborough back this up. Victoria slept in the same bedroom as her mother, most likely in the same…
From Absolute History. Dan Jones visits the exact location of the bakery where it started, Suzannah Lipscomb reveals how Londoners tried to save their belongings, and Rob Bell investigates 17th-century building materials and the prevailing weather conditions. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to History Hit, the world’s best history documentary service and…
From Absolute History. The bleak Norfolk coast in the 1880s is the setting for the latest task where the men must catch a seemingly impossible quota of mussels and oysters to ship to the London markets and the women gut fish for sale at local markets. When the deadline seems out of reach the whole…
From Absolute History. Victoria stayed at Chatsworth House for four days in October 1832. Her host was the 6th Duke of Devonshire, one of the richest men in the land. Princess Victoria was 13 years old and visited with her mother Duchess of Kent, just a year after finding out she was to inherit the…
From Absolute History. The bakers have said goodbye to the brutal working conditions of the 1870s urban bakery. It is now 1900 and Britain’s middle classes are enjoying the democratisation of luxury. Bakers were quick to cash in – this time, the bakers have an elegant shop on the high street. Their new workplace boasts…
From Absolute History. It is now the Georgian period and the group are on a farm where the women must milk goats and make butter and cheese, as well as bake bread. The men must tend to the livestock, sprucing up the animals for the gentleman farmer’s inspection, and it is Chris, usually the loose…
From Absolute History. When Queen Victoria’s grandson, the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, was born with a paralyzed arm, it led to a story of child cruelty, secret shame and incestuous desire. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to History Hit, the world’s best history documentary service and get 50% off using the code…
From Absolute History. Four 21st-century bakers bake their way through the era that gave us modern baking as we know it – the reign of Queen Victoria. Experts Alex Langlands and Annie Gray join them to tell the incredible story of our daily bread. The bakers have left the rural bake house and the golden…
From Absolute History. The Time Crashers are now servants at a country house in the year 1913 but their employers are not the cosy fantasy figures of ‘Downton Abbey’. Housemaid Fern disgraces herself serving tea to the hatchet-faced lady of the house and Zoe Smith is summarily dismissed without a reference for refusing to pluck…
From Absolute History. In this final episode of the series, Albert Road is transformed once again for family life in the 1970s. Single mum Lisa Rhodes moves in with her two sons, joining the other parents for whom the seventies are all about nostalgia. But as daily life is turned upside down by strikes, the…
From Absolute History. Four modern bakers bake their way through the era that gave us modern baking as we know it – the reign of Queen Victoria. Experts Alex Langlands and Annie Gray join them to tell the incredible story of our daily bread. The journey begins in 1837, when bread was the mainstay of…
From Absolute History. The Time Crashers are now back in 1468, one of the few years England was not troubled by the Wars of the Roses and they are in two unisex teams of squires, the Reds and the Blacks, competing with each other to prepare their knight for a jousting tournament. The fastest team…
From Absolute History. In this episode, the families are thrown into the swinging sixties and the street is introduced to a new family, the Hawkes, who are walking in the shoes of their ancestors who arrived as immigrants from the Caribbean. Brother and sister Jonathan and Rachel arrive on Albert Road first, and are shocked…
From Absolute History. Death is a frightening, unsettling prospect for us all. Myths and legends help explore those anxieties. But they tell us about more than mortal fear alone. For in a culture’s tales of death we can see what it is they value in life. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to…
From Absolute History. TV presenters Fern Britton and Louise Minchin, weight-lifter Zoe Smith, former rock chick Meg Matthews, actors Kirstie Alley, Keith Allen and Charlie Condou, comedian Chris Ramsey, ex-footballer Jermaine Jenas and long jumper Greg Rutherford sign up to be transported back to six periods of history, starting with the Elizabethan era where they…
From Absolute History. In this episode, the families face life on the home front with Great Britain at war; they pull together to survive and do their bit for the war effort, as well as enduring a night in a bomb shelter; and Susie Meadows finds herself responsible for everyone’s safety. 📺 It’s like Netflix…
From Absolute History. How does a community form? How does it survive and adapt to change? The role myths and legends have played in establishing the rules of society and the punishments for those who break them. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to History Hit, the world’s best history documentary service and…
From Absolute History. Beer, known as liquid gold to many in this day and age, but even more so to the ancient Egyptians. This fascinating documentary takes us on an archaeological dig as the Scottish and Newcastle Brewery tries to discover the secrets of the original recipe in the land of the Pharaohs. Following brewery…
From Absolute History. In this episode, the families are put through the mill as they experience family life during the Interwar years. They experience the highs of the "roaring twenties", followed by the lows of the Great Depression and its catastrophic effect on British economy. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to History…
From Absolute History. Jealousy, betrayal and other dark emotions born out of romantic desire have inspired some of the most enduring stories known to humankind. In this episode we explore some of the most legendary love stories, including that of the Phoenician queen who founded Carthage. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to…
From Absolute History. This documentary tells the story of the three literary sisters, charting their progress from their childhood collaborations with Bramwell to their independent achievements acclaimed across the world. 📺 It’s like Netflix for history… Sign up to History Hit, the world’s best history documentary service and get 50% off using the code ‘AbsoluteHistory’…
From Absolute History. Three families experience life across five different eras of British history. The Edwardian era pushes the three modern families to their limits. There is a rude awakening for the Polo-playing Meadows family, who take on the role of being an Edwardian working-class family and must cope with the impact of poverty on…
From Absolute History. War has been a constant in human history, and stories of conflict often lie at the root of a society’s values, ideals and identity. We explore the violent story of Romulus and Remus, the brutal Vikings and the Valkyries, the Trojan War, the influence of Homer’s Iliad on Alexander the Great, and…
From Absolute History. Rupert Everett follows in the footsteps of romantic poet Lord Byron, 200 years after he embarked on his infamous tour of Europe. Described as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’, Byron sought to escape his notoriety in Britain by travelling through Portugal, Greece, Albania, Turkey, Switzerland and Italy. Everett goes on the…
From Absolute History. In this episode, it’s the end of the journey for the shopkeepers and their customers as they move into the 1970s. There are two new arrivals, the Sandher family take over the general store and David Lashmar has the challenge of selling vinyl to 21st century shoppers from his 1970s record shop.…
From Absolute History. The ancients saw the wilderness as a place of mystery and darkness, where a traveler could find rewards – as well as danger. We explore the tragic Greek myth of Actaeon, the Celtic Otherworld, the Kraken and the woods of Brothers Grimm. Content licensed from 3DD to Little Dot Studios. Any queries,…
From Absolute History. Rupert Everett follows in the footsteps of romantic poet Lord Byron, 200 years after he embarked on his infamous tour of Europe. Described as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’, Byron sought to escape his notoriety in Britain by travelling through Portugal, Greece, Albania, Turkey, Switzerland and Italy. Everett goes on the…
From Absolute History. In this episode the shopkeepers move into the swinging sixties, and big changes hit the high street. Every shop has transformed completely – 1960s mass production of meat, bread and clothing means the bakers find themselves running a milk bar, the butcher sells hardware and the dressmaker is now running a hair…
From Absolute History. Hero-villain stories are among the most beloved in European mythology. This episode explores the strange Slavic story of Ivan and Koschei the Deathless, the origins of King Arthur and the wizard Merlin, the journey of Odysseus as he resists the beautiful songs of the Sirens, and finally, Sigurd and his battle with…
From Absolute History. Tony Robinson confronts Viking berserkers, recreates the flaming horror of the Wicker Man, re-enacts a ritual human sacrifice, and witnesses self-mutilation demanded – all in his quest to understand how our ancestors worshiped. Content licensed from DRG to Little Dot Studios. Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com #AbsoluteHistory #GodsAndMonsters
From Absolute History. For the first time profit isn’t everything, as the shopkeepers find themselves dealing with rationing, promoting make do and mend, and trying to persuade an entire town to pull together as it would have done sixty years ago. The grocer family struggle with wartime rules and regulations, and customers have to decide…
From Absolute History. From coronations to threats of assassinations, to coups and abdications, imperial dynasties have survived it all. Each generation leaves their mark as either a pawn or political powerhouse. Content licensed from DRG to Little Dot Studios. Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com #AbsoluteHistory #Royals #Coups
From Absolute History. Tony Robinson recreates the evil spells and dark rituals of medieval witchcraft. He learns how to identify, arrest and torture a witch in his quest to discover why, in the 16th and 17th centuries, our ancestors were so terrified of black magic that they executed more than 40,000 supposed witches. Content licensed…
From Absolute History. As government regulations reduce working hours and cheap sugar means lots of sweets, life gets a bit sweeter for our shopkeepers. Nostalgia boosts sales for the grocers, who have masses of 1930s recognisable brands, the dressmaker has to sell thirties glamour to the town, and the butcher has good old British beef.…
From Absolute History. Having a revered name does not guarantee the survival of an individual. Some of these powerful families came to be at the forefront of generations before disappearing from the limelight. Content licensed from DRG to Little Dot Studios. Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com #AbsoluteHistory #Dynasties #Kennedy
From Absolute History. Tony Robinson takes a bath in blood, performs stone-age brain surgery, and detonates a perfume bomb in his quest to understand the paranormal forces which our ancestors believed made them ill and the magical medicines they used as cures. Content licensed from DRG to Little Dot Studios. Any queries, please contact us…
From Absolute History. The butcher, the baker, the grocer and the ironmonger are joined by a dressmaker, and together they must provide a modern town with the exceptional service and luxuriant shop displays worthy of the Edwardians. The baker’s family find themselves running an Edwardian tea shop, while the butchers must sell game in all…
From Absolute History. Nothing and everything is personal in business dynasties. Families are bound together or pushed apart as patriarchs and matriarchs lead the way, or let others take the fall. Business is just business. But a name is everything. Content licensed from DRG to Little Dot Studios. Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com…
From Absolute History. In this episode Tony Robinson confronts demons, learns how to perform an exorcism, uses a fifteenth century textbook to summon evil spirits, and reveals the terrifying truth about the fairies that stole babies – all in his quest to understand what our ancestors believed evil spirits were… and why they were so…
From Absolute History. At the request of the Catholic Church in Lisbon, members of the Royal Archeology and Historical Association of Portugal excavate 78 mummies in a crypt beneath the altar of the Sacramento Church in Lisbon. In the course of excavation the researchers find handwritten books indicating there is a large amount of treasure…
From Absolute History. Fame can break down barriers. It can transcend culture and race. Death is never the end, so long as there is money to be made. The Jacksons broke down racial barriers, but the pressure of success fractured the family. Francis Ford Coppola gambled as a filmmaker, affecting his whole family. Across four…