MONDAY 26 SEPTEMBER
Documentary
Monarchy by David Starkey
8:00pm - 9:00pm
Channel 4
VIDEO Plus+: 8423
Subtitled, Audio-described
3/5 - Henry VIII King and Emperor
I still can't look at this programme's title without thinking that, as one wag pointed out, it looks like the name of a new perfume. But this is still a great series, and this week there's a useful overlap with the ground covered in Channel 4's drama Elizabeth I, so you can mug up on your history with the peerless Dr Starkey, then watch Helen Mirren and friends acting it out brilliantly on Thursday. Tonight's programme begins in 1544 with Henry VIII's succession in doubt. It follows the stories of his three children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, and shows how each took the throne in turn and fell foul of the unholy mess created by their father's break from Rome. It leads up to Elizabeth's execution of her piously Catholic cousin Mary, Queen of Scots - a key moment in English history that's horrifyingly re-created later in the week.
RT reviewer: David Butcher