Tony Robinson's History of Britain

There’s a whiff of Horrible Histories about this series in which Tony Robinson delves into the miserable lives of ordinary people in the past. He starts with the Tudor era – “a time of sex scandals, executions and cod pieces” – and the work of Thomas Grimes, a knacker whose skills butchering animals earned him a new job as an executioner, a role that was much in demand during the reign of Henry VIII.

Having relished hearing the gory details of decapitation, Tony then learns about Richard Roose, the Bishop of Rochester’s cook, who was boiled to death for allegedly poisoning his diners. It took an agonising two hours.