Nelson's Forgotten Heroes (14.02.04 at 8.15pm): In the first of the series, expert Nick Slope combined forensic evidence, ships’ logs and personal memoirs to recreate a vivid picture of life in Nelson’s fleet. He uncovered how women fought, nursed, gave birth, entertained and even enlisted in disguise to serve in Nelson's Navy. In 2002 archaeologists uncovered a mass grave on an island in Aboukir Bay, Egypt, where 204 years earlier, Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson claimed a decisive victory over Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile. These were graves from that time!
Billy and the 'fighter boys' (21.02.04 at 7.25pm): (Repeated 19.06.04 at 5.40pm) Focus on the recollections of Billy Drake, fighter pilot with the legendary No 1 Squadron in the battle for France. Their experience redefined aerial combat. The programme relates the story of the fighter pilots of No 1 Squadron, who flew their Hurricanes against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of France in May 1940. A fighter ace (Billy Drake) who was forced to bale out of his Hurricane over Eastern France returns to the site where, with the help of a team of aviation archaeologists, he is reunited with its shattered remains.
The Hunt for Darwin's Beagle (28.02.04 at 8.10pm): Julian Richards follows marine archaeologist Dr Robert Prescott and Professor Colin Pillinger in their campaign to retrace the final days of Darwin's ship HMS Beagle and to locate her remains so that she can be preserved for future generations. Find out what life was really like for sailors in the 18th century. Was it really all blood, sweat and tears?
Journey to Hell (13.03.04 at 8.10pm): Assess the experiences of Wilfred Owen, the World War One poet whose work rages against the cruelty of war. The programme follows World War I poet Wilfred Owen's nephew, Peter to the village of Serre in Northern France and the trench on the German frontline, the Heidenkopf, that inspired his poem The Sentry. With the help of field experts and historians he has a week to locate the Heidenkopf and the dug-out that instilled such horror in his uncle.
The Curse of Oxford Gaol (20.03.04 at 8.25pm): An excavation in Oxford reveals the devastation caused by cholera epidemics, the 'Great Stink' and miasmas. 1577, charged with treason and sentenced to have his ears cut off, a bookseller places a curse on the prison court. Within days, according to parish records, hundreds of wealthy men who had been present died an agonising death; women and the poor were spared. Last year an archaeological dig in the area where the court once stood unearthed 30 human skeletons. Could these bones reveal the truth behind the legend of the curse? Julian Richards tells the story.
The Stonehenge Enigma (27.03.04 at 8.25pm): Julian Richards reveals the latest evidence as to who built Stonehenge, and explains how scientists discovered that the stones were erected as a revolutionary new culture swept through Europe. Can the grave of a Bronze Age archer hold any clues about the mystery of Stonehenge?

Visit BBC Archaeology and the Ancestors website
for information on the programmes in this new Series

The series starts almost 2,000 years ago with the revolt of the Iceni, led by Queen Boudicca, against the Roman governor, Suetonius Paulinus.

Boudicca's Revolt (6.08.04): The Iceni uprising led by Queen Boudicca against Roman rule in Britain. Peter uses graphics to give overviews of the battles, while Dan finds out what the experience would have been like for those fighting.
Trail: Boudicca
Hastings (13.08.04): The story of the turbulent events of 1066, Peter giving a blow-by-blow account of how the Saxons led by King Harold were pitted against the Norman army, led by their duke, William. Dan tells the soldiers' stories, faces a cavalry charge head-on and joins the Metropolitan Police Public Order Unit to experience the crush of a shield wall.
Trail: Battle of Hastings
Battle for Wales (20.08.04): Peter and Dan relate the story of when the Welsh - led by rebel leader Owain Glyndwr - last invaded England, and show how Glyndwr used the rough Welsh border terrain to outwit his enemies. The Battle of Shrewsbury was the scene of the biggest archery-centred conflict on British soil, and the final showdown came outside Worcester.
Trail: Battle for Wales
The Battle Against the Spanish Armada (27.08.04): Peter and Dan relive the first great sea battle in British history, as Francis Drake led a small English navy against the vast Spanish fleet and triumphed against the odds. They show how the English navy tried to fend off the better equipped Spanish Armada for 11 days in 1588.
Trail: The Armada
The Battle of Naseby (3.09.04): Peter and Dan go back to 1645 and the Battle of Naseby, the turning point in the English Civil War as Parliamentary troops under Sir Thomas Fairfax roundly defeated the Royal army under Prince Rupert. Dan experiences fighting with a cumbersome pike and Peter joins in as they try their skills with a sword in a simulated cavalry charge.
Trail: Battle of Naseby
The Battle of the Boyne (10.09.04): Peter and Dan tell the story of a notoriously violent battle when, three centuries ago the river Boyne in Ireland ran red with blood. Peter unravels what happened when supporters of the Catholic King James II confronted the troops of Protestant King William III. Dan recounts what the battle was like for the soldiers on the front-line.
Trail: Battle of the Boyne
Culloden (17.09.04): Peter and Dan revisit the Battle of Culloden in 1746 as Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite rebellion was finally crushed by the English on a Scottish moor. Dan goes on a night march and sees how, without the aid of modern technology, the troops of Bonnie Prince Charlie made a fatal error on the eve of the battle.
Trail: Battle of Culloden
Battle of Britain (24.09.04): Dan experiences for himself how the Battle of Britain in WWII was fought when he takes flight in a high performance stunt plane. Peter gives a blow-by-blow account of the pivotal moments of the battle and how the RAF held off the might of the German Luftwaffe during the summer of 1940.
Trail: Battle of Britain

Visit BBC History and the Battlefield Britain website for further information
Read about associated Live Events and the 24 Hour Museum trails