Episode 1

Season 6Episode 158 minNov 2, 2023
Episode 1

In the first episode: it's March 2023 and the Tower is preparing for one of the most important events in its 1000-year history – the crowning of a new monarch. Since the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II last year, the fortress has been serving King Charles III and slowly transitioning into a new era, but with the coronation date now on the horizon, it's a race to get everything ready for the big day.

Top of the agenda is changing all the royal cyphers – or personal monograms of the monarch - around the Tower. They're everywhere from buttons on the staff uniforms to sentry boxes, and one of the biggest updates needed is on the Beefeaters' ceremonial partisans. These ancient weapons would have been employed to defend the king or queen during Tudor times, although nowadays they're carried by the Yeoman Warders in the much more friendly ceremonial parades and gun salutes at the Tower. But updating a 70-year-old bit of kit isn't easy - for Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran, it's a race against the clock to get the partisans ready in time.

Assistant Curator Alfred Hawkins needs to oversee the replacement of the Tower's biggest cypher. Sitting atop the iconic Jewel House and signalling the ownership of the priceless crown jewels by the monarch, this marks the start of the King's new reign.

Over at the raven enclosure, Ravenmaster Chris Skaife's precious flock are under serious threat. A nationwide outbreak of deadly avian flu means he's had to make a tough decision and put his seven feathered charges under lockdown. Although the enclosure has been enlarged for them, Chris also comes up with some imaginative ways to keep them entertained.

The Coronation may be the biggest event of the year but the first date in the Tower's calendar is Easter. In the café, Sous Chef Denis Idahosa has rustled up some delicious seasonal treats, while Curator and Public Historian Charles Farris and Yeoman Warder Barney Chandler investigate the fascinating history of Easter gift giving at the fortress – it didn't include chocolate eggs...! The Yeoman Warders put their best foot forward in a traditional Easter Parade - it's the last time they will be wearing their state ceremonial dress bearing the late Queen's initials, and it's a fitting way to say a final goodbye.

And Historic Royal Palaces Chief Curator Tracy Borman turns detective to reveal the truth behind an incredible treasure: a beautiful gold sovereign ring found by a metal detectorist in Kent. It's engraved with a mysterious bull symbol and a single initial and Tracy believes it could possibly belong to the family of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's notorious second wife. Tracy's hunt takes her all the way to Shurland Hall on the Isle of Sheppey, the ancestral home of one of Henry VIII's courtiers. Visited by King Henry and Anne Boleyn and their huge entourage on the way to France, Tracy reveals that the ring might have been owned by Anne's father Thomas, or brother George, before their dramatic downfall left one of them with their head on the block.
 

Episode 1 has aired on Nov 2, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Previous EpisodeNext Episode

Trailer

We do not have any trailers for this episode

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
48 Hours
Running

48 Hours

48 Hours is a CBS news magazine that investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, driven the reopening -- and resolution -- of cold cases, and changed numerous lives. CBS News correspondents offer an in-depth look into each story, with the emphasis on solving the mystery at its heart. The program and its team have earned critical acclaim, including 20 Emmys and three Peabody Awards.

Invasion
Running

Invasion

Earth is visited by an alien species that threatens humanity's existence. Events unfold in real time through the eyes of five ordinary people across the globe as they struggle to make sense of the chaos unraveling around them.

Wednesday
Running

Wednesday

Smart, sarcastic and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates a murder spree while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy.

Alien: Earth
Running

Alien: Earth

When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, Wendy and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's greatest threat.

Peacemaker
Running

Peacemaker

This James Gunn-created series continues the saga of Peacemaker, a vainglorious superhero/supervillain who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill. After a miraculous recovery from his duel with Bloodsport, Peacemaker soon discovers that his freedom comes at a price.