Episode one immerses us in the turbulent era that followed the Roman occupation of Britain. After the Romans leave, waves of invasion reshape the Isles and their cultures: from glittering jewellery to carved stones to intricate manuscripts. Battles over identity and faith play out in art and culminate in the rise of a new vernacular language.

Episode three looks at the story of the 16th century religious revolution, as England and other parts of the British Isles turned to Protestantism.

A splintering of politics and religion in the British Isles under the Stuart kings leads to more questioning art, new science and architecture.

In the 18th century, trade and conquest funds an explosion of creativity, and art stirs a growing social conscience.

With the industrial revolution transforming the British Isles, cities and country are divided and artists respond to the upheaval to lives and the landscape.