The Protestant Revolution

Historian Tristram Hunt looks at how Protestantism has affected people's lives in The Protestant Revolution, a new, four-part series for BBC Four.

This is a story of a revolution which has affected every person in the West, and nearly every country in the world.

It is a revolution which influences the very fabric of existence – from what we do for a living, to who we vote for, who we go to war with and how we see ourselves as individuals and as nations.

The series investigates the scientific, cultural, economic and political aspects of the movement with the aid of key academic witnesses, and concludes that the reach of Protestantism is so profound that it is impossible to imagine the modern world without it.

The series explores how the revolutionary nature of the Reformation shaped the world we live in today, from modern art to the war in Iraq.

When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Church door, he unleashed a revolution in thought and events which would have both astonished and horrified him.

From modern capitalism to the shape of the nuclear family, Protestantism has moulded the Western world in its image, and this is the dramatic story of how and why that happened.

Tristram says: "Now that the traditional culture of Protestantism has fallen away in the UK, I wanted to show just how elemental a force this religion has been in shaping our modern world.

"From the books we read, to the political parties we vote for, to the ways we live and love, the Protestant revolution continues to reverberate.

"As Britain struggles with its sense of national identity and as the forces of evangelical Protestantism grow across the world an understanding of this faith, its meanings and legacy seems more vital than ever." (Source: BBC Press Office)