Secrets of Great British Castles

Popular historian Dan Jones visits the southeast of England, home to Britain's greatest defensive fortress: Dover Castle. Towering above the famous white cliffs, Dan explores how this giant among castles was constructed as a statement of royal power but also out of guilt for the brutal murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, an event that shook Medieval Europe to its core.

Dan Jones explores one of the oldest and most fearsome castles ever built: the Tower of London. The Tower is an iconic fortress, synonymous with incarceration, rebellion and bloody executions. And its world-famous reputation is well-deserved, as over the last 1000 years it has witnessed some of the most dramatic moments in British history.

Dan Jones is in the heart of the English countryside at Warwick Castle, which may appear idyllic today, but for centuries, Earls of Warwick, the owners of probably Britain's most lavish castle, inherited a poisoned chalice as they suffered financial ruin and murder. Aerial footage and historical reconstruction bring to life this sensational stronghold and the ill-fated characters who owned it.

Dan Jones is in the heart of Snowdonia, exploring a stronghold built not only as an impenetrable fortress, but as a lavish royal palace fit for a fairytale - Caernarfon Castle. This episode of Secrets of Great British Castles explores the ancient unrest between Wales and England, and to understand it, we need look no further than the castle at Caernarfon.

Travel north to one of the most strategically important castles in Britain, guarding the gateway to the Scottish Highlands: Stirling Castle. Situated high on a volcanic crag overlooking the river Forth, Stirling Castle is where the highlands meet the lowlands, where savagery meets chivalry, a place of intrigue, alchemy, adultery and murder.

Explore one of the most ancient castles in Northern Ireland, and a stronghold that holds the key to understanding the tempestuous relationship between Britain and Ireland from the Middle Ages to the 20th century: Carrickfergus Castle.