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BBC History Channel

Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

Documentaries

Factual: History

Lucy Worsley dispels the myths behind some of the key moments in royal history.

Documentary series in which Lucy Worsley dispels the myths behind some of the key moments in royal history.

Series 1

BBC Four

BBC Four HD

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

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Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley - Queen Anne

Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley: Queen Anne

Lucy Worsley

Chris Granlund

Tom Cholmondeley

Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley: Series 1: Queen Anne and the Union

Queen Anne and the Union

BBC Two - Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley, Series 1, Queen Anne and the Union

Lucy Worsley reveals how Queen Anne’s legacy has been marred by historical fibs.

Documentary series. Lucy Worsley explores how Queen Anne’s legacy has been marred by historical fibs.

Lucy Worsley explores how Queen Anne’s reputation and legacy have been marred by a sustained campaign of historical fibs. When Queen Anne came to the throne in 1702, England looked set to be dominated by France and Spain. But Anne fought bravely to help England become a leading European power. She also helped unite England and Scotland to create Great Britain. 

Anne was shy and reclusive. At first, she was supported as queen by her childhood friend and ‘favourite’, Sarah Churchill. However, they increasingly clashed over personal tensions and politics. 

When Sarah’s cousin Abigail Masham became a lady-in-waiting, she began to replace Sarah in the queen’s affections. In revenge, Sarah helped pen a bawdy ballad claiming Anne and Abigail performed ‘dark deeds at night’. This led to endless rumours about Anne’s sexuality that persist to this day.

In the end, Sarah was dismissed. Thirty years after Anne’s death, Sarah took further revenge by publishing a tell-all story of her time as the queen’s favourite. Her portrait of Anne, as a foolish and stubborn woman, has been taken on board by most historians. But Lucy finds it is full of fibs. 

Hollywood used Sarah’s version of history to create 2019’s The Favourite, destroying Queen Anne’s reputation for a whole new generation. Lucy reveals Anne to have been a smarter, more successful queen than history has ever acknowledged.

Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley: Series 1

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

Lucy Worsley dispels the myths behind some of the key moments in British royal history.

Documentary series in which Lucy Worsley dispels the myths behind some of the key moments in British royal history.

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Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

Series 1

Queen Anne and the Union

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