The BEST episodes directed by James Runcie
#1 - The Stuart Succession
Monarchy - Season 2 - Episode 4
he historian examines the reign of James I, the first king of both England and Scotland. From the outset, the new monarch had little time for Parliament and did what he could to limit its influence. His son Charles I went further, effectively removing the government and ruling alone - but when he needed their help to enforce religious rule on the Scots, the resulting conflict led to two civil wars and the monarch was eventually executed
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#2 - Cromwell The King Killer
Monarchy - Season 2 - Episode 5
The series concludes with an analysis of the English Civil War, revealing how the country was temporarily transformed into a republic with the execution of Charles I. The historian considers the nature of Oliver Cromwell's rule and how this key period of history altered British perceptions of the monarchy for ever
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#3 - The Joy of Motoring
BBC Documentaries - Season 2009 - Episode 60
Tristram Hunt shows how motoring has gone from allowing us to explore the beautiful English countryside to the present day of speed cameras, congestion charges and environmental issues. Along the way, he looks at different cars through the ages that define a decade and a generation.
#4 - Off by Heart: Shakespeare
BBC Documentaries - Season 2012 - Episode 310
William Shakespeare is hardly a name that you would expect to thrill Britain's teenagers, but over the last year thousands have taken part in a nationwide competition to learn some of his greatest speeches off by heart. Now, nine finalists, aged between 13 and 15, and from all over the United Kingdom, are off to Stratford-upon-Avon to take part in a life changing series of workshops with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Over a single week, they learn how to perform some of Shakespeare's greatest soliloquies from Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and Hamlet, before taking part in a dramatically different and closely fought grand final, hosted by Jeremy Paxman, to find the BBC Shakespeare Schools Champion.