Mystic Britain

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota are on a hunt for the Picts, a medieval tribe from Scotland that terrified the Romans and ruled most of northern Scotland for centuries before vanishing from history. Our hosts are on a mission to discover who these formidable people were, what happened to them, and where this lost tribe eventually went. Finding the answers will lead them into a strange world of myth and magic, involving Viking-battling giants, crazed warriors, and the Loch Ness Monster--Nessie--herself!

Of all the ways Britain's ancestors have left their mark on the land, none are as impressive or as baffling as the giant carvings cut into the chalklands of Southern England. Chief among them is a White Horse, a 360-foot, mysterious piece of land art steeped in legend, folklore, and magic. Join Clive and Mary-Ann as they translate the subtleties of ancient texts, party with local pagans, and explore the horse's mystical power to pull generations and communities together, all in an attempt to discover who built this incredible creature and why.

The Maeshowe runes in Northern Scotland have been a great mystery for many millennia. To the Neolithic people, the ancient monument was a burial chamber. To the Vikings, it was the home of vast treasures. And to Victorians, it was the lair of Hogboon, a powerful ancestral Norse spirit. Join Clive and Mary-Ann as they travel the Orkney Islands through 5,000 years of myth and history to uncover the true story of Maeshowe. It's a journey that will bring them into a world of legendary monsters, Christmas zombies, and sounds that drove hardened warriors insane.

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota pay a visit to Anglesey, an island on the northwest coast of Wales that, 2,000 years ago, was dripping with druids. We know that the Roman Army annihilated these ancient Britons in 60 A.D., but we know very little about who the druids actually were. Were they harmless, harp-playing hippies or sinister practitioners of dark magic, cannibalism, and human sacrifice? To find out, our hosts immerse themselves in the culture, playing their sacred horn, creating a wicker man, and even encountering an actual druid.

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota visit the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the woods of Bristol, and a remote Welsh cave to investigate the strangest set of human bones ever discovered in Britain: The Red Lady. Dating back 34,000 years and stained red, these remains have baffled historians and archaeologists ever since they were discovered in 1823. Who was she? How did she end up in a cave? And why are her bones red? Using the latest forensic technology, we unearth evidence of woolly mammoths, magic wands, ancient weapons, and zombies.

A brave, chivalrous ruler. A magical sword. A mythical castled city. And a round table of noble knights. The story of King Arthur is both an epic tale and a puzzling mystery. What, if any, truth lies behind the legend? Hosts Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota are on the trail to find out. They examine a 12th-century work that greatly contributed to the myth, written during a time of civil war when Briton needed a hero. They also explore ancient castles, cast spells, wield magical swords, and encounter a real Merlin, to see if there is any truth to the legend.

In 60 AD, Queen Boudica emerged from nowhere to lead the fight against the Romans. It turned her into a legend.

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota test outrageous remedies like leeches, head-drilling, and a pigeon that cures the plague. Plus, Henry VIII's role in Tudor medicine.
 

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota investigate one of Britain's sinister mysteries: decapitated bodies in gruesome poses, warrior kings with tiny heads and killer cake.
 

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota investigate rude Viking graffiti, sinister burials, and potent potions, looking to solve 34,000 years of mystic mysteries, from King Arthur to Nessie and the Wicker Man.