Britain's Most Historic Towns

This episode takes in wartime Britain by studying the history of Dover, the town that found itself on the frontline in the struggle against Nazi Germany.? To fully appreciate the role played by the people of Dover, Alice ventures beneath the famous white cliffs to visit the subterranean nerve centre where the Dunkirk evacuation was planned. She also meets a 90-year-old local who experienced the horror of the German onslaught, and experiences what life would have been like in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Battle of Britain. From the sky, archaeologist Ben Robinson takes an aerial vantage point across the Channel to survey the incredible challenges faced by the Navy.

This episode reveals the secrets of the Georgian era through the story of Alice's home town, Bristol. Donning a frock and silk stockings, Alice goes on a horse-drawn carriage tour of the architectural gems of Clifton, while aerial archaeologist Ben Robinson provides a bird's-eye view of how 18th-century wealth transformed the city. With the industrial revolution on the horizon, Alice uncovers the stories of ingenuity that produced, among other things, the world's first chocolate factory, and samples the backstreet gin that flourished in Bristol and threatened to destabilise Georgian society. Darker still is the origin of much of the Georgian wealth and Bristol's status as the country's busiest slave port. Delving into the archives, Alice looks at some of the historical records that illustrate the horror of the slave trade.

Alice tells the story of Edwardian Britain by visiting Cardiff. She explores the coal trade and Cardiff's pioneering multicultural heritage, and experiences the life of a lady of leisure.

This episode takes in the English Civil War through the history of Oxford, the city at the heart of a vicious battle between an autocratic king and his rebellious parliament. With the nation divided, Oxford became the powerbase for Charles I and his royalist supporters - a rival capital during a conflict that played out for nine years. Alice looks inside Christ Church College, chosen as the King's court for its stunning architecture and refined grounds.

Alice visits Canterbury to tell the story of Plantagenet England, from the secrets of the city's iconic cathedral to the horror of the Black Death

Alice explores the story of Stewart Britain by visiting Stirling, the home of the Scottish royal dynasty who eventually took the English throne and created Great Britain.