National Geographic · Running

How the Tudors Lost Their Heads

History · 2026

Next: S1 E6, Margaret Pole: The Last Plantagenet · 2026-10-11

Historians Dan Snow and Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigate the lives and deaths of some of Tudor England's most fascinating figures, including Anne Boleyn, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be one of the famed Princes in the Tower. Dan and Suzie seek clues in spectacular castles and palaces across Britain and rest of Europe, gain rare access to archives, and reveal new evidence that helps expose the truth behind the executions. Were these iconic figures architects of their own downfall or casualties of ruthless political power plays? The series combines cinematic storytelling with cutting-edge research as we reassess some of the Tudor era's most notorious, controversial and misunderstood individuals. If you want to understand the Tudors, get to know who they executed - and why.

Cast

Dan Snow Dan Snow

Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb

Season 1

E1 Mary Queen of Scots 2026-09-06 · 60 min For centuries, Mary, Queen of Scots has been cast as impulsive and self-destructive. Now, through new evidence and rare access, Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow uncover deeper layers to this most famous historical figure; a queen who confronted violence, adversity and cunning enemies, and who skillfully played a perilous political game to the end.

E2 Perkin Warbeck & the Princes in the Tower 2026-09-13 · 60 min 1491, Ireland. A young man claims to be Richard, Duke of York, one of the missing Princes in the Tower. Backed by European powers, he poses a serious threat to English king Henry VII. Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow reexamine the evidence behind one of history's most persuasive pretenders. Was he, in fact, England's rightful ruler?

E3 Anne Boleyn 2026-09-20 · 60 min Executed on charges of adultery and treason, Anne Boleyn is often remembered as the ‘harlot' who seduced Henry VIII into annulling his first marriage and forcing his country into religious turmoil. Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow explore evidence that reveals a different Anne, whose ideas transformed England and whose reputation deserves reassessing..

E4 Earl of Essex – Fall of a Favourite 2026-09-27 · 60 min Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was Elizabeth I's golden boy: a charming, reckless war hero. He stood at the Queen's side as she rallied troops against the Spanish Armada. But just twelve years on, he was executed for leading a rebellion. Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow unpack Essex's rapid rise and fall, and the court politics that sealed his fate.

E5 John Dudley: The Wicked Duke 2026-10-04 · 60 min Known as the wicked duke, John Dudley mastered the perilous politics of the Tudor court and became the power behind King Edward VI. But Dudley's attempt to secure the crown for his own daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, the ‘Nine Day Queen,' sparked a succession crisis. This royal gamble brought Dudley to the height of power and then destroyed him.

E6 Margaret Pole: The Last Plantagenet 2026-10-11 · 60 min Born royal, Margaret Pole lost her status and riches as a child. She fought back to win unprecedented power for a woman in Tudor times, even defying Henry VIII. But she became caught in a feud between the Catholic church and an increasingly paranoid king. Dan Snow and Suzannah Lipscomb investigate a brutal execution that shocked the nation.

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