Empire of the Tsars, Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley, BBC Four series, January 2016

Lucy Worsley travels to Russia to tell the extraordinary story of the dynasty that ruled the country for more than three centuries. It’s an epic tale that includes giant figures such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, the devastating struggle against Napoleon in 1812, and the political murders of Nicholas II and his family in 1918 which brought the dynasty to a brutal end.

Lucy shows how the Romanovs embraced and sponsored the arts on an astonishing scale – from building spectacular palaces to commissioning grand artworks – that all still dazzle today.

As well as studying this unique royal family, Lucy also considers the impact the Romanovs had on the lives of ordinary Russians, who were often little better than slaves to the elite.