Mystery Files (2010 - 2011)

Robin Hood is one of the first super heroes. Stories of robbing the rich and giving to the poor are legend. Now evidence has been discovered to prove that Robin was a real person. Unpicking the folklore to separate fact from fiction, historians are exposing the man behind the myth. With new evidence culled from ancient manuscripts and historic sites this mysterious figure finally steps out of the shadows.

One of Britain’s oldest unsolved mysteries, but what really happened to the Princes in the Tower? The two Princes were the sons of Edward IV and heir to the English throne who were allegedly murdered by their uncle, Richard III. But what real proof is there? We have two skeletons found in the Tower of London that are supposedly the remains of the princes, but their authenticity is highly disputed. Mystery Files re-opens the murder case and assesses whether Shakespeare’s evil, decrepit Richard III is nothing more than Tudor propaganda. When Princes Edward and Richard, heirs to the English throne, disappeared within the walls of the Tower of London in late June 1483, rumours soon began to circulate. They vanished while in the care of their Uncle Richard who was brother to the late King Edward IV and so would inherit the throne if it wasn’t for the princes, and as the news started to spread, cries of murder were heard across England. Their disappearance is shrouded in mystery but were they killed? And if so by who?

On December 16th 1916, Grigory Rasputin, self-styled faith healer and confident to the Tsar was fatally shot in the back of the head. His enemies fear that his hold over the Romanov family has gone too far. This is the story of how a simple peasant rose through the ranks of Russian aristocracy to win the ear of the Tsar and Tsarina and essentially become one of the most powerful men in Russia. Unfortunately for him, his influence over the family would attract the attention of many enemies, ensure his fall from grace and ultimately lead to his grisly death. Rasputin’s demise, according to history, centres around a group of Russian nobles, Vladimir Purishkevich, Felix Yusupov and Dmitri Pavlovich, who, in later years, all admitted to being involved in his assassination.

It’s the late 1870s. One of the most infamous outlaws of the American Wild West is Billy the Kid… a teenage killer who terrorizes New Mexico. Legend tells us that he killed 21 men, one for each year of his life. For in 1881, at the age of 21, the Kid is gunned down by his one time friend and lawman Pat Garrett. But the real person behind this legend is very different. Who is The Kid? Henry McCarty, Henry Antrim, William H Bonney, The Kid. These are just some of the Kid’s names. He appears in the historical records at the age of 15, when he is caught stealing some clothes from a washing line. He had been orphaned, and found himself alone in the world. He escaped from jail and ended up in the town of Lincoln, New Mexico. It was here that he met English business man John Tunstall who gave the Kid- who had nothing- a job, a gun and a horse.

King Arthur- myth, legend or did he actually exist? According to the tales he reputedly led the defence of Britain from Saxon invaders in the early 6th century and throughout the ages, he has been recognised as the ultimate British hero, but whether or not he ever existed has always been hotly debated. Modern day perceptions conjure up Romantic images of Arthur and see him reign from his castle at Camelot over a mighty court. As King of the Britons, he and his knights of the round table are the ultimate symbol of chivalry and honour bringing enlightenment to the dark ages. A legend that spans over centuries, not surprisingly Arthur has assumed many identities. The most definitive collection, Morte D’Arthur, was forged in the tower of London prison by Sir Thomas Mallory. A man awaiting trial for rape, murder and extortion. Mallory’s, ‘Morte D’Arthur,’ is the culmination of hundreds of years of storytelling about the famous king. It tells of Arthurs utopian empire, his brave knights in shining armour and of course the betrayal by his most valiant knight Sir Lancelot and his beautiful Queen Guinevere who have an illicit affair. The story concludes with Arthur being mortally wounded in battle by his scheming nephew Mordred before being taken off to the magical Isle of Avalon, where he rests in an eternal sleep until his country needs a saviour.

The Renaissance was the greatest flowering of art, mathematics, technology, architecture and astronomy the world has ever known. And at the centre of this new age, was the multi-talented artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci, the ultimate Renaissance man. Long credited as the inventor of such futuristic machines as the tank and the helicopter, new evidence seems to suggest that Leonardo may not have not have been the originator of these groundbreaking ideas after all. In this episode of Mystery Files, a team of Renaissance and Leonardo experts investigate the truth to the claims that Leonardo was a genius inventor, and use science to prove that he really was probably the greatest artist to have ever lived.

Abraham Lincoln. The man who rises from obscurity to become the 16th American President and arguably it’s finest. But on April 15th 1865 he becomes the first US President to be assassinated, leading to the creation of a legend that obscures his true personality. Experts Michael Burlingame, James McPherson and Harold Holzer investigate Lincoln, exploring his less well-known early life and how it drives his later actions. He grows up on the American frontier and has a poor rural upbringing - a far cry from the glory of the White House. Our experts reveal Lincoln’s strong dislike of this agricultural lifestyle and his overwhelming ambition to get out, to move up and escape his father’s legacy. At every spare opportunity Lincoln read books - he was one of the greatest autodidacts of his age, for he had greater ambitions than those of his father. He became a Politician and soon after a lawyer as well.

Cleopatra was Born into a dangerous, scary and violent world where everyone believed the dead lived, gods walked amongst us and magic really worked. In this uncertain world, the main instruments of politics were exile or murder, conquest and war. She succeeded the Egyptian throne at the age of 18 and was forced into a world of intrigue, treachery, conspiracy and assassination. Life expectancy of a ruler of Egypt was short and highly likely to end in murder. Outside her kingdom, the Roman Empire had expanded more in the last decades than ever before. Their ruthless and invincible army had conquered the known world from Scotland to the foothills of the Himalayas. They now had their sights on Egypt – with its bounty of grain, exotic treasures, slaves and gold. How did a teenage girl manage to retain her throne, and her life, against invaders from without, and enemies within, far longer and with far greater success than anyone might have reasonably expected? And not only achieve this, but exert control and influence over two of the most powerful rulers of her generation, Julius Caesar and Marc Antony?

In 17th century France, King Louis XIV is perhaps the most powerful man on earth. Known as the Sun King, his court at Versailles is magnificent – the heart of Europe’s wealthiest nation. However, he is in constant fear of the threat to his throne posed by his twin brother. Louis orders for an iron mask to be cast and placed on his brothers’ head. His brother is threatened with death if he dares to remove the mask. Ever since, historians have argued over the truth behind the story of this unfortunate individual. For two hundred and fifty years, the questions have remained unanswered. In this episode of Mystery Files, a team of investigators try to find the truth. Visiting the darkest dungeons of imperial France, using modern scientific experiments, and researching long forgotten document, they build a compelling and scandalous account of true story behind the myth of the Man in the Iron Mask.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Romanov family are at the heart of Russian life. Tsar Nicholas has been on the throne since 1894, married to a German-born princess, Tsarina Alexandra, and with five beautiful children, Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia, Marie and Alexei, they are seen as the perfect royal family. But by 1917, they are overthrown in a Bolshevik coup amidst the Russian revolution, taken prisoner and brutally executed by a communist firing squad. For more than ninety years the whereabouts of their bodies was unknown until a team of archaeologists uncovered a grave in some dense forest near Ekaterinburg. In 1991, after DNA testing and a sample retrieved from Prince Andrew, a relative of the Romanovs, scientists confirmed the authenticity of the bones. Aside from this important breakthrough, it was also discovered that two of the bodies were missing from the grave, fuelling the already common speculation that two of them may have survived, namely Alexis and Anastasia who amassed numerous impersonators over the years adding to the mystery already surrounding the tragedy.

Joan of Arc is one of the patron saints of France and a national and international icon; a young girl who lived in the earl 1400s in rural north eastern France. Her legend states that she hears the voice of God and embarks on a holy crusade to free France from English oppression. These actions finally lead to her downfall as she is captured, tried and burned alive as a heretic in 1431, aged just 19. Through modern psychological and historical investigation, Mystery Files reveals how such a young girl managed to overcome the hardships and obstacles to achieve so much. Joan grows up in a rural peasant household but her life changes dramatically when she claims at the age of 13 to hear voices inside her head. Psychologist Miguel Farias studies the historical accounts of Joan’s life and believes the voices could be thoughts buried deep in her unconscious mind. Joan’s belief in these voices is so strong that she undertakes an extraordinary mission.