
2016
Could you be a courtier to the Sun King at Versailles?
As BBC Two premieres its lavish new drama set in the sumptuous surroundings of Versailles, Lucy Worsley and Helen Castor tell the real-life stories behind one of the world's grandest buildings. They reveal the colourful world of sex, drama and intrigue that Louis XIV and his courtiers inhabited. Lucy untangles Louis's complex world of court etiquette, fashion and feasting, while Helen delves into the archives and unpicks the Machiavellian world of court politics that Louis created. We meet the people behind the on-screen characters and discover what drove Louis to glorify his reign on a scale unmatched by any previous monarch, examine the tension between Louis and his brother Philippe, a battle hero and overt homosexual, and they meet the coterie of women who competed for Louis's attention. We see that Louis was ruthless in his pursuit of glory and succeeded in defeating his enemies. In his record-breaking 72-year reign, France became renowned for its culture and sophistication.

Lucy Worsley
Presenter

Helen Castor
Presenter

James Daybell
Participant

Mark Wallis
Participant

Le Chevalier de Saint-George

Versailles, the visit

Battle at Versailles

Marie Antoinette

Lady Oscar

La Commune (Paris, 1871)

Royal Affairs in Versailles

André Le Nôtre, le jardinier de Louis XIV

Miss Morison's Ghosts

Marie Antoinette

Madame du Barry

Louis XV, le Soleil noir

Versailles: The Dream of a King

Louis XVI, l'homme qui ne voulait pas être roi

Jefferson in Paris

Farewell, My Queen

Versailles Rediscovered: The Sun King's Vanished Palace

Versailles' Dirty Secrets

Marie-Antoinette, la véritable histoire

Jeanne du Barry