Although most people have images of courtiers with fine clothes in lavish palaces, the reality was that most people during Queen Elizabeth’s I’s reign were poor. In this fascinating history documentary, Dr. Ian Mortimer looks at those struggling during the Golden Age of English history. What is it like to live in a dark, dank, smoke-filled hovel where peasants could earn only fourpence a day?

Get ready to enter a cut-throat world. Literally. Spies circle the great and good, one false word from your servants might cost you everything and the size of your ruff could make all the difference. In this innovative history documentary, Dr. Ian Mortimer introduces you to the world of the Elizabethan rich and privileged. There is much to learn about how the wealthy dress, greet and behave.

One group emerged during the reign of Elizabeth I: the middle classes. In this compelling history documentary, Dr Ian Mortimer travels through a new and upwardly mobile section of Elizabethan society. He reveals how urbanization improved lives, heads to Shakespeare's school to learn how education transformed society and explores how this age of discovery helped spur a scientific revolution.