NEW SERIES
Premieres Wednesday August 28 at 9EP
A swashbuckling adventure, this is the true and untold story of the history of pirates. From the legendary John Ward, immortalised in fiction as Jack Sparrow, and English explorer Francis Drake, branded a pirate by his enemies but hero by comrades, to the Pirates of the Caribbean, brutal and shrouded in myth. Who were the real enemies of the sea?
Wednesday August 28 at 9EP
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake - known as the 'The Dragon' to the Spanish, but as a hero to the English. From his journeys as a slave trader, to his vicious attacks on Spanish colonial towns, Drake's status continues to rise with the endless stolen plunder that he brings to Queen Elizabeth I. The circumnavigation of the globe is the pinnacle of his career, cementing him as the world's most controversial pirate.
Wednesday September 4 at 9EP
Grace O'Malley
Grace O'Malley - the Pirate Queen of Ireland. Born to a seafaring family, O'Malley defies gender convention to become the most feared and respected leader on land and sea. Using marriage to wrangle her political position, and securing lands through a meeting with Queen Elizabeth, O'Malley's rise from wanted pirate to Chieftain is won through a warrior's sword and a woman's grit.
Wednesday September 11 at 9EP
John Ward
The Englishman turned Algerian pirate. From humble beginnings as an impoverished sailor, John Ward grows tired of the drudgery of the English navy. At the age of 50, he starts his remarkable ascent from petty pirate to a notorious menace in the Mediterranean Sea, converting to Islam and becoming a protected ruler of the Tunisian empire.
Wednesday September 18 at 9EP
Henry Morgan
The career of Henry Morgan goes beyond the beloved rum he is synonymous with. A brilliant strategist, Morgan takes humans, treasure, and Spanish colonial towns with no mercy. Sailing very close to the edge of legalities, Morgan’s time as a pirate is punished with a brief stint in the Tower of London, followed by a promotion to Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.
Wednesday September 25 at 9EP
William Kidd
Captain Kidd, the treasure hunter. A Scottish man who breaks into the higher echelons of New York society and is sponsored as a privateer. When the legitimate prizes of the Red Sea are not to be found, Kidd allegedly turns from pirate hunter to pirate. An unpopular captain, he frantically chases treasure and status until his fateful trial where he is charged with murder.
Wednesday October 2 at 9EP
Blackbeard
Blackbeard - shrouded in myth and intrigue, the name is synonymous with chaos. His stolen flagship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge, careers through the Caribbean, gaining momentum with a diverse crew of pirates seeking equality, adventure, and treasure. When he successfully blockades Charleston in South Carolina, demanding medicine for his syphilis-inflicted crew, the hunt for Blackbeard ends with a bloody battle.
Wednesday October 9 at 9EP
Anne Bonny and Mary Read
The notorious pirate-run town of Nassau is soon to be shaken by the English crackdown on lawlessness in the Caribbean. It’s here that Anne Bonny ditches a conventional life to become a female pirate with her lover Calico Jack. They’re soon joined by Mary Read and form a troublesome trio until they are captured by pirate hunters and tried for piracy.
Wednesday October 16 at 9EP
Bartholomew Roberts
Bartholomew Roberts, aka Black Bart. The most successful pirate of the Golden Age, he amasses 450 stolen ships. From his humble beginnings as a Welsh sailor, Roberts quickly becomes captain of a pirate ship. His piracy almost brings West Indies trade to a standstill, until he is hunted down by the English crown.