Secrets of Historic Britain

Alan Titchmarsh gets exclusive, behind the scenes access to Knole in Kent. It was once one of the most sought after palaces in the country, so desirable that King Henry VIII demanded it for himself. But as Alan discovers, millions of visitors over the centuries have taken their toll on this ageing building and the priceless contents are now under attack from cold, damp and decay.

Alan Titchmarsh visits the area that inspired some of our best-known children's books, to tell the incredible real life tale of their author, Beatrix Potter. From how this formidable woman, so unsentimental that she actually skinned her own pet rabbit to keep its pelt for her drawings, used her wealth and fame as an author to protect the Lake District.

Alan Titchmarsh visits one of the National Trust's grandest properties, Attingham Hall in Shropshire to tell the incredible story of the 2nd Lord Berwick, the cavalier 19th century owner who squandered the family fortune.

Alan Titchmarsh goes inside Quarry Bank Mill, an 18th century cotton mill that was one of the world's first factories, to discover the human stories behind Britain's Industrial Revolution.

Alan Titchmarsh visits one of the UK's most spectacular country houses, Lyme in Cheshire, made famous as the backdrop to the TV series Pride and Prejudice. He'll piece together the incredible 18th century story of owner, Thomas Legh, who inherited the house at the age of 5 transforming, in an instant, from the illegitimate son of a maid to Lord of the Manor.

Alan Titchmarsh explores the largest monastic ruin in Britain, Fountain's Abbey in North Yorkshire to reveal the secrets of the monks who lived and worked there over 800 years ago, from the ancient ritual of blood letting to the sign language they used to communicate.