Episode list

Examination of how a ramshackle British army managed to defeat the formidable French at the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon Bonaparte had used a policy of total war and military might to build a huge empire and create the most powerful country in Europe in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Written testimonies from soldiers of the era help to explain how the fate of the world was decided through bloodshed.

A glimpse at the Battle of Trafalgar through the eyes of Admiral Pierre Villeneuve, who not only saw his navy fail, but may have lost his life at the hands of Napoleon as a consequence. Plus, a look at how the battle changed the future of Britain, France and South America.

An examination of how British ideas of liberty in the 18th century were dramatically changed by events across the English Channel, prompting a move toward conservative thinking. The French Revolution terrified the British government, and the need to fund the fight against Napoleon meant the introduction of taxation, bureaucracy and censorship : but how much do these ideas continue to influence thinking today?