

The wily characters from history who pulled strings in the shadows. Thomas Cromwell's cloak-and-dagger work helped steer Henry VIII through his troubles with Rome and several wives.

History's scheming spymasters in profile. The six-part series focuses on the remarkable cunning of Francis Walsingham, whose spy network foiled many plots against Queen Elizabeth I.

Robert Cecil was a formidable political operator, whose extraordinary web of informers helped to foil the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Profiles of the super snoopers who blazed a trail in espionage. As Louis XIII's diabolical chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu was feared and hated thanks to his complex spy network.