How the Tudors Lost Their Heads

Historians Dan Snow and Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigate the lives and deaths of some of Tudor England's most fascinating figures, including Anne Boleyn, Mary,…

Documentary • Series • 2026 • 1 season

Start watching: S1 E1

Starring: Suzannah Lipscomb, Dan Snow

S1 E1 - Mary, Queen of Scots
For centuries, Mary, Queen of Scots has been cast as impulsive and self-destructive. Now, through new evidence and rare access, Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow uncover deeper layers to this most famous historical figure; a queen who confronted violence, adversity and cunning enemies, and who skillfully played a perilous political game to the end.
Sep 6, 2026 • 44m
S1 E2 - Perkin Warbeck & the Princes in the Tower
1491, Ireland. A young man claims to be Richard, Duke of York, one of the missing Princes in the Tower. Backed by European powers, he poses a serious threat to English king Henry VII. Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow reexamine the evidence behind one of history’s most persuasive pretenders. Was he, in fact, England’s rightful ruler?
Sep 13, 2026 • 45m
S1 E3 - Anne Boleyn
Executed on charges of adultery and treason, Anne Boleyn is often remembered as the ‘harlot’ who seduced Henry VIII into annulling his first marriage and forcing his country into religious turmoil. Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow explore evidence that reveals a different Anne, whose ideas transformed England and whose reputation deserves reassessing..
Sep 20, 2026 • 45m
S1 E4 - Earl of Essex – Fall of a Favourite
Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was Elizabeth I’s golden boy: a charming, reckless war hero. He stood at the Queen’s side as she rallied troops against the Spanish Armada. But just twelve years on, he was executed for leading a rebellion. Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow unpack Essex’s rapid rise and fall, and the court politics that sealed his fate.
Sep 27, 2026 • 44m
S1 E5 - John Dudley: The Wicked Duke
Known as the wicked duke, John Dudley mastered the perilous politics of the Tudor court and became the power behind King Edward VI. But Dudley’s attempt to secure the crown for his own daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, the ‘Nine Day Queen,’ sparked a succession crisis. This royal gamble brought Dudley to the height of power and then destroyed him.
Oct 4, 2026 • 44m
S1 E6 - Margaret Pole: The Last Plantagenet
Born royal, Margaret Pole lost her status and riches as a child. She fought back to win unprecedented power for a woman in Tudor times, even defying Henry VIII. But she became caught in a feud between the Catholic church and an increasingly paranoid king. Dan Snow and Suzannah Lipscomb investigate a brutal execution that shocked the nation.
Oct 11, 2026 • 44m

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