S02E02: The Gunpowder Plot | Lucy Worsley Investigates

Duration: 59'00''

Synopsis

On 5 November 1605, a group of conspirators planned to blow up parliament. Lucy Worsley investigates the Gunpowder Plot, asking what drove them to this radical act of extremism.

Further Information

More clips from Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E01: Jack the Ripper | Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E01: Jack the Ripper | Lucy Worsley Investigates

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'59''

How did the Jack the Ripper case shape the way true crime is covered today? Lucy Worsley investigates how these shocking ...

S02E03: 1066 | Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E03: 1066 | Lucy Worsley Investigates

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'59''

Was winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066 all it took for William to become King? Lucy Worsley investigates the aftermath to reveal...

S02E04: Bloody Mary | Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E04: Bloody Mary | Lucy Worsley Investigates

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'51''

Does 'Bloody Mary', England’s first crowned queen, deserve her reputation? Lucy Worsley investigates, asking whether Mary sho...

S02E01: Jack the Ripper | Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E01: Jack the Ripper | Lucy Worsley Investigates

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'59''

How did the Jack the Ripper case shape the way true crime is covered today? Lucy Worsley investigates how these shocking ...

S02E03: 1066 | Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E03: 1066 | Lucy Worsley Investigates

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'59''

Was winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066 all it took for William to become King? Lucy Worsley investigates the aftermath to reveal...

S02E04: Bloody Mary | Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E04: Bloody Mary | Lucy Worsley Investigates

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'51''

Does 'Bloody Mary', England’s first crowned queen, deserve her reputation? Lucy Worsley investigates, asking whether Mary sho...

More resources about The English Civil war and Commonwealth

05: The Battle of Naseby | Battlefield Britain

05: The Battle of Naseby | Battlefield Britain

BBC Two | 2004 | 58'58''

Peter and Dan Snow take an in-depth look at the battles that shaped our nation using state-of-the-art graphics. They go back t...

00: Learning Zone | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

00: Learning Zone | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

BBC Two | 2013 | 29'11''

Lucy Worsley presents six films about the mental and physical health of our past monarchs, covering Henry ...

S02E01: The British Wars | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

S02E01: The British Wars | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

BBC Two | 2001 | 59'07''

Simon Schama looks beyond the romantic stories of Cavaliers and Roundheads to the real story of the English C...

Cromwell (1970)

Cromwell (1970)

BBC Two | 2009 | 2'13'53''

Epic retelling of the clash between two great historical figures in the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the enigmatic, forceful Charles I fought in ca...

The Making of the United Kingdom: 04: Oliver Cromwell: Hero or Villain? | History File

The Making of the United Kingdom: 04: Oliver Cromwell: Hero or Villain? | History File

BBC Two | 1994 | 19'16''

A look at the career of Cromwell, plus an analysis of how different interpretations of...

03: The Cromwell: New Model Englishman | Plague, Fire, War and Treason

03: The Cromwell: New Model Englishman | Plague, Fire, War and Treason

Channel 4 | 2001 | 1'16'31''

How did this non-descript East Anglian gentleman emerge from the Fens to prove himself a military geni...

04: Age of Revolution | Seven Ages of Britain

04: Age of Revolution | Seven Ages of Britain

BBC HD | 2010 | 58'43''

In the 17th century the people of Britain learned to question everything, resulting in the Civil War.

01: The Making of Britain | Union with David Olusoga

01: The Making of Britain | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'34''

David Olusoga tells the story of attempts to form a united Britain in the 17th and early 18th centuries, a period define...

03: The Final Showdown | Charles I: Downfall of a King

03: The Final Showdown | Charles I: Downfall of a King

BBC Four | 2019 | 59'00''

Having failed to bring round Pym, Charles accuses the 'Five Members' of high treason and marches on Westminster.

04: Gunpowder, Treason and Plot | Plague, Fire, War and Treason

04: Gunpowder, Treason and Plot | Plague, Fire, War and Treason

Channel 4 | 2001 | 1'16'42''

In 1605 conspirators plotted to blow up Parliament and kill King James I. This film seeks out the truth behin...

Charles is Executed | Charles I's Treasure Reunited

Charles is Executed | Charles I's Treasure Reunited

BBC Two | 2018 | 3'27''

Brenda Emmanus discusses the execution of Charles I.

S01E04: War | The Battle for Britain's Soul

S01E04: War | The Battle for Britain's Soul

BBC Two | 2004 | 59'01''

This edition looks at the English Civil War and how much it was a war of conflicting religious beliefs.

S02E02: Revolutions | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

S02E02: Revolutions | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

BBC Two | 2001 | 58'38''

Featuring the revolutionary period in Britain after the execution of Charles I, from Cromwell's iron rule to Charl...

S10E03: Witchfinder General | Secret History

S10E03: Witchfinder General | Secret History

Channel 4 | 2002 | 48'48''

Documentary account, drawn from court records and testimonies, of how Matthew Hopkins and John Stern convicted hundreds of men, ...

02: A Nation Divided | Charles I: Downfall of a King

02: A Nation Divided | Charles I: Downfall of a King

BBC Four | 2019 | 59'08''

Charles's predicament worsens. With the Queen implicated in the Irish rebellion, the King tries to buy off Pym by offeri...

Charles' Defeat | Charles I: Downfall of a King

Charles' Defeat | Charles I: Downfall of a King

BBC Four | 2019 | 1'54''

Liza Hilton investigates the defeat of Charles I.

Oliver Cromwell: Warts and All

Oliver Cromwell: Warts and All

BBC One | 2003 | 57'51''

Charles I has been executed and an East Anglian farmer is about to become leader of all England. Using drama and documentary this film tells t...

S02E03: Battle of Naseby | War Walks

S02E03: Battle of Naseby | War Walks

BBC Two | 1997 | 29'17''

Richard Holmes visits Britain's historical sites. He travels to Naseby, where, in 1645, King Charles I lost the decisive battle of the E...

S03E01: The Return of the King | Monarchy By David Starkey

S03E01: The Return of the King | Monarchy By David Starkey

Channel 4 | 2006 | 47'14''

The remarkable story of King Charles II, who secured the restoration of the English monarchy in 1660.

06: Castles and the English Civil War | Castle

06: Castles and the English Civil War | Castle

Channel 4 | 2003 | 48'51''

Marc Morris reveals how during the civil war the castle re-emerged for one last stand, as an important instrument of policy an...

More from Lucy Worsley

The American Revolution: 01: The Break-Up | Lucy Worsley Investigates

The American Revolution: 01: The Break-Up | Lucy Worsley Investigates

BBC Two | 2026 | 59'03''

Lucy Worsley investigates the turning points that led to America’s declaration of independence from Bri...

Episode 3 | Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club

Episode 3 | Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'53''

The trail has gone cold, but could a new murder 12 years later provide fresh leads? Lucy Worsley’s hunt for a Victorian seri...

Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer

Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer

BBC Four | 2023 | 1'11'10''

Film following the life of an extraordinary woman, a trailblazer who revolutionised modern nursing and reformed healthcare at home and ...

Blitz | Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley

Blitz | Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley

BBC One | 2021 | 4'09''

Clip covers the phoney war, evacuation of children and finishes about the killing of pets.

S01E03: Queen Anne and the Union | Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

S01E03: Queen Anne and the Union | Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

BBC Two | 2020 | 59'02''

Lucy Worsley explores how Queen Anne's legacy has been marred by historical fibs.

02: The American Civil War | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

02: The American Civil War | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

BBC Four | 2019 | 59'04''

Lucy Worsley shows how the history of the American Civil War has been retold over time, in mov...

A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley

A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley

BBC Two | 2019 | 58'59''

Recreating festivities from Henry VIII's era, Lucy Worsley dresses, eats, drinks, sings and parties like it is 500 years ago - disc...

Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey

Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey

BBC Four | 2019 | 58'58''

Lucy Worsley reveals the surprising stories behind our favourite Christmas carols. From pagan rituals to religious conflicts, French d...

Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley

Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley

BBC One | 2018 | 1'28'57''

Documentary, presented by Lucy Worsley, which uses dramatised testimony to tell the story of a group of working-class women conducting a dange...

02: The Glorious Revolution | British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

02: The Glorious Revolution | British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

BBC Four | 2017 | 58'58''

Lucy explores how British history is a concoction of fibs. She debunks the 'Glorious Revolutio...

03: The Road to Revolution | Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley

03: The Road to Revolution | Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley

BBC Four | 2016 | 58'49''

Lucy investigates how the Romanov family's grip on Russia unravelled in their final centur...

Episode 1 | Six Wives with Lucy Worsley

Episode 1 | Six Wives with Lucy Worsley

BBC One | 2016 | 57'37''

Documentary series featuring dramatic reconstruction in which Lucy Worsley delves into the personal lives of Henry VIII's wives, begi...

Dancing through the Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story

Dancing through the Blitz: Blackpool's Big Band Story

BBC Two | 2015 | 1'29'01''

Documentary film celebrating the big band sound and uncovering the social history behind the music that kept the nation...

Georgian Architecture | The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain

Georgian Architecture | The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain

BBC Four | 2014 | 3'51''

Lucy Worsley investigates Georgian neo-Palladian architecture.

Fredrick and Caroline | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

Fredrick and Caroline | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

BBC Four | 2013 | 1'34''

On her deathbed Caroline refused to see her estranged son Frederick.

01: The Living Room | If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home

01: The Living Room | If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home

BBC Four | 2011 | 59'01''

Lucy Worsley looks at the history of the living room from a medieval great hall, through a Georgian drawin...