Premieres Tuesdays Jan. 7 - 21, 2025 and the Finale is March 23 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app
Popular British historian Lucy Worsley is back on the case with a new season of LUCY WORSLEY INVESTIGATES. Examining four new cases in forensic detail, Lucy follows the evidence to explore how some of the most dramatic and brutal chapters in British history unlock issues that speak to modern audiences, from the media treatment and scandalization of female victims, the vulnerabilities of the poorest in society, to the political radicalization of young people.
“This series combines some of the juiciest episodes from British history with a real deep dive into the work historians do, interrogating the sources,” says Worsley. “I've learned so much from visiting the places where history happened and talking to experts about their work. And I know from series one that our viewers loved that too.”
In each episode, Lucy’s journey brings a contemporary perspective to the investigation, exploring how our changing attitudes to these dramatic moments in history can challenge our understanding of the past and provide us with new revelations.
EPISODE GUIDE:
“Jack the Ripper” Premieres Jan. 7, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - Many think of true crime as a modern obsession, but Lucy investigates the phenomenon through the world’s most infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper. She uncovers a story that goes beyond a single murderer and his five victims — Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane — to a burgeoning newspaper industry desperate for readers and a Victorian society unequipped to support the most vulnerable. With access to rare original evidence, archival newspapers and expert contributors, Lucy explores how this still-unsolved case fuelled sensationalist journalism and became a template for all true crime stories to follow.
“William the Conqueror” Premieres Jan. 14, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - On Oct. 14, 1066, the vast armies of King Harold of England and William, Duke of Normandy, fought for the English crown on the battlefield near Hastings in southern England. Harold was killed in battle, and William emerged victorious, forever more to be known as William the Conqueror. Lucy investigates how William the Conqueror won not just the Battle of Hastings but the battle for England, examining extraordinary firsthand evidence and meeting historians and curators who illuminate this tumultuous period in English history.
“The Gunpowder Plot” Premieres Jan. 21, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - On Nov. 5 1605, in a cellar deep below London’s Parliament, Guy Fawkes prepared to light the fuse on a deadly attack. Orchestrated by a small network of men, the plot aimed to destroy the King and his government. Unstopped, this one explosion, one moment of violence, could have changed the history of Britain forever. Lucy investigates what drove these men to attempt such an audacious act. She revisits key moments and locations in the plotter's lives: the city of York, home to Fawkes and other plotters, and Ashby Manor, Northamptonshire, home of mastermind Robert Catesby. She then consults experts who help contribute to the uncovering of this extraordinary moment in history.
“Bloody Mary” Finale Premieres March 23, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII’s daughter, became infamous as one of the bloodiest queens who ever lived, executing her subjects at will for their religious beliefs. Lucy investigates whether England’s first ruling female monarch was as bloody as history suggests. Or did her reputation emerge from being a strong woman in a predominantly male world? With access to unique firsthand evidence and expert contributors, Lucy reveals how Mary’s reputation was shaped and asks whether our understanding of her life and legacy should be reconsidered.
Watch On Your Schedule: LUCY WORSLEY INVESTIGATES will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
Credits: A series for BBC and PBS and was made by BBC Studios’ Specialist Factual Productions The Commissioning Editor is Simon Young and the Executive Producer is Lucie Ridout. Zara Frankel is Executive in Charge for PBS. BBC Studios who brokered the co-production deal with PBS is handling global distribution.
