BBC Two commissions Unsolved Histories With Lucy Worsley

Lucy Worsley will reinvestigate and reveal new evidence about some of British history's biggest unsolved mysteries in a new four-part series for BBC Two from BBC Studios' The Documentary Unit, co-produced by PBS.

Who killed the Princes in the tower in 1483? What actually caused the Black Death? Why did a witch craze sweep 16th century Britain? Was George III really mad?

These are some of the most enduring and perplexing questions that have baffled academics and fascinated history fans for years - and this new series will see historian Lucy Worsley turn sleuth by reopening and completely re-evaluating these infamous mysteries. The factual series will unfold like a thrilling investigation, keeping audiences guessing at every twist and turn.

In each episode Worsley will take a deep dive into a single event, mounting a comprehensive reinvestigation by assembling historical and contemporary evidence, following paper trails, re-examining scenes of crimes, tracking down lost records, and calling on the very best experts to help her reframe the past. She will reveal cutting-edge discoveries that will shed new light on the cases.

Unsolved Histories with Lucy Worsley (working title) puts a modern lens on the past, exploring if these incidents have been obscured by centuries of historical thinking. Each episode will bring a contemporary perspective to topical and complex societal issues asking how changing attitudes to children, gender politics, class, inequality and mental health have obscured the answers to these cases. It will uncover new victims and new victors, challenging our perceptions and providing answers to each renowned mystery.

Lucy Worsley says: "I'm thrilled to be revisiting some of the big-hitting stories from history that just keep sucking us in, and like everyone who works at the Tower of London, I just can't wait to share the next twist in the tale of what we think we know about the 'murder' of the Bloody Tower's 'Little Princes'. But I also really love the fact that this isn't just a series about the past. It's also about what the past means today: an investigation of our own 2021 ideas about childhood, feminism, pandemics and mental health."

Abigail Priddle, Commissioning Editor for the BBC, says: "With her enquiring mind and historical expertise, Lucy will strip back the layers of history to explore these renowned moments afresh, in search of a definitive answer to some of our most intriguing historical mysteries."

Unsolved Histories with Lucy Worsley (working title) is a 4x60' series for BBC Two and PBS and is being made by BBC Studios' The Documentary Unit. It was commissioned by Patrick Holland, Controller BBC Two. The Commissioning Editor is Abigail Priddle and the Executive Producer is Julia Harrington. Bill Gardner is Executive in Charge for PBS.

SW2