Special: Exploding Heroes | Local Heroes

Special: Exploding Heroes | Local Heroes

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 1997 | 29'09''

In anticipation of Guy Fawkes Night, Adam Hart-Davis goes on a whistlestop tour from Cornwall to Scotland, looking at the inspiratio...

Star chamber and the rack | The Strange Case of the Law

Star chamber and the rack | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 5'55''

A glimpse into infamous early courts and the coercive methods they used.

The founding of the Police Force | The Strange Case of the Law

The founding of the Police Force | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 5'08''

How modern policing began with reforms aimed at preventing crime.

The Bloody Code | The Strange Case of the Law

The Bloody Code | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 4'05''

An era when England imposed harsh capital laws for even minor crimes.

Habeas Corpus and Slavery | The Strange Case of the Law

Habeas Corpus and Slavery | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 5'52''

The role of Habeas Corpus in challenging the legality of enslavement.

The Conventicle Act (1664) and the independence of the jury | The Strange Case of the Law

The Conventicle Act (1664) and the independence of the jury | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 3'39''

How juries resisted government pressure during religious persecution.

The Petition of Right and Habeas Corpus | The Strange Case of the Law

The Petition of Right and Habeas Corpus | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 10'20''

Key legal milestones that strengthened protections against unlawful imprisonment.

The Jury | The Strange Case of the Law

The Jury | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 3'36''

The evolution of the jury from early fact-finding groups to a cornerstone of justice.

Henry II, Thomas Becket and the church courts | The Strange Case of the Law

Henry II, Thomas Becket and the church courts | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 3'54''

The clash between royal authority and church justice in the 12th century.

Trial by Ordeal | The Strange Case of the Law

Trial by Ordeal | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 6'16''

How medieval societies relied on dangerous tests they believed revealed divine judgment.

Saxon punishment | The Strange Case of the Law

Saxon punishment | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 2'58''

The range of penalties used in Saxon England to enforce order.

Saxon Law Courts | The Strange Case of the Law

Saxon Law Courts | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 3'14''

A look at local communal courts where Saxons gathered to deliver justice.

Saxon Law Compensation | The Strange Case of the Law

Saxon Law Compensation | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 3'01''

How early Saxon systems used payments to settle disputes and prevent feuds.

03: Presumed Innocent | The Strange Case of the Law

03: Presumed Innocent | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2012 | 58'46''

Harry Potter explores the transformation that enshrined fairness in English court procedure and put the defence on an equ...

02: The Pursuit of Liberty | The Strange Case of the Law

02: The Pursuit of Liberty | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2012 | 59'06''

Harry Potter relives the struggles and achievements of the 17th and 18th-century figures who used the law to challen...

01: Laying Down the Law | The Strange Case of the Law

01: Laying Down the Law | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2012 | 58'53''

Harry Potter traces English law back to the compensation culture of Anglo-Saxon Kent, explores the rise of trial by ord...

00: Learning Zone | The Strange Case of the Law

00: Learning Zone | The Strange Case of the Law

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2013 | 58'53''

A series of 12 films in which barrister Harry Potter looks at the history of English justice, from the early concept of compe...

S02E05: Witchsmeller Pursuivant | Blackadder

S02E05: Witchsmeller Pursuivant | Blackadder

Crime and Punishment | BBC One | 1983 | 30'06''

The cruel witchsmeller pursuivant is sent to root out the source of an outbreak of witchcraft - and quickly lays the blame on Ed...

Abuses of Justice | Witch Hunt

Abuses of Justice | Witch Hunt

Crime and Punishment | BBC Radio Scotland | 2019 | 34'10''

In late 16th century Scotland, a young woman named Geillis Duncan was accused of selling her soul to the devil.

06: The Gunpowder Plot | Landmarks

06: The Gunpowder Plot | Landmarks

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 1993 | 18'56''

This programme tells the story of the plot to blow up King James I.

Criminal Histories: The Folville Gang | East Midlands Today

Criminal Histories: The Folville Gang | East Midlands Today

Crime and Punishment | BBC One East Midlands | 2015 | 3'14''

The first part of the BBC East Midlands strand "Criminal Histories", looking at the 14th Century Leicestershire c...

The Pendle Witch Child

The Pendle Witch Child

Crime and Punishment | BBC Four | 2011 | 59'18''

The story of the most disturbing witch trial in British history and how a young girl's testimony sent her mother, brother, sister and many of her neig...

S02E02: The Gunpowder Plot | Lucy Worsley Investigates

S02E02: The Gunpowder Plot | Lucy Worsley Investigates

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2025 | 59'00''

On 5 November 1605, a group of conspirators planned to blow up parliament. Lucy Worsley investigates the Gunpowder Plo...

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank

Crime and Punishment | BBC Four | 2012 | 1'00'07''

Dan Cruickshank follows in the footsteps of chroniclers John Stow and John Strype to explore London in the 17th century, on...

Episode 3 | Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents

Episode 3 | Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2017 | 58'52''

A look at the world's first secret service. England has a new monarch and Robert Cecil exposes the most infamous terrorist thre...

S10E03: Witchfinder General | Secret History

S10E03: Witchfinder General | Secret History

Crime and Punishment | Channel 4 | 2002 | 48'48''

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

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

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

Crime and Punishment | 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...

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

Crime and Punishment | BBC One | 2002 | 27'58''

In a one-off precursor to his Historyonic's series, Nick Knowles gets a behind-the-scenes look at why a Yorkshire-born zealot called Guy Fa...

Who was Guy Fawkes? | Watch

Who was Guy Fawkes? | Watch

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2007 | 1'15''

Guy Fawkes introduces himself, outlines his grievances with King James I and explains his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot.

The plot is uncovered | Gunpowder 5/11: The Greatest Terror Plot

The plot is uncovered | Gunpowder 5/11: The Greatest Terror Plot

Crime and Punishment | BBC Two | 2014 | 5'37''

An anonymous letter tips off Lord Monteagle and leads to the discovery of Guy Fawkes beneath Parliament.

The Pendle Swindle | The Pendle Witch Child

The Pendle Swindle | The Pendle Witch Child

Crime and Punishment | BBC Four | 2011 | 6'36''

Simon Armitage describes one of the more famous witch trials of its time in Pendle.

The King & the Playwright: A Jacobean History – Equivocation | The King & the Playwright: A Jacobean History

The King & the Playwright: A Jacobean History – Equivocation | The King & the Playwright: A Jacobean History

Crime and Punishment | BBC Four | 2013 | 3'03''

A description of the gruesome death of Sir Evera...
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