Mystic Britain

Television and radio presenter Clive Anderson and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota explore the island's ancient places and rituals.

Genre: Documentary

Cast:Clive Anderson , Mary-Ann Ochota , Miranda Aldhouse-Green , Ronald Hutton , Adrian Shine , Dan Shadrake , Jason Kingsley , Tom Muir , Kyra Cornelius Kramer , Vivian Nutton , Linda Hurcombe , Joshua Pollard , Alyxandra Mattison , John Jenkins , Alan Jones , Ned Pegler , Aaron Watson , Hannah Burrows

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ Witches and Demons

Tue, Apr 23, 2019

Comedian Clive Anderson and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota explore superstition and magic in the Middle Ages, when many Britons believed witches and demons walked the earth.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ The Rollright Witch

Tue, Apr 30, 2019

Just a few yards from a busy road in England lie the Rollright Stones, a group of ancient monuments older than Stonehenge and just as mysterious. For about 6,000 years, the origins and purpose of the three groups of stones have been shrouded in myth. Follow hosts Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota as they attempt to uncover the secrets of these mystic treasures.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Hadrian's Mystic Wall

Tue, May 7, 2019

A look at the Roman Empire's most impressive legacy in Britain: Hadrian's Wall, a massive physical structure thought to have magical powers.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ The Revenants

Tue, May 14, 2019

In 1963, archaeologists discovered a pit full of human bones in a preserved medieval village in Yorkshire. Some were dismembered, some were burnt, and all were buried here for a specific reason. Now, our hosts dig through old records and use the latest forensic technology to determine if these corpses were killed in battle, were the result of human sacrifice or cannibalism, or were mutilated to stop them from coming back from the dead.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ The Pagan Prince

Tue, May 21, 2019

It was supposed to be a routine excavation of a small traffic island in Essex, but it turned into a remarkable archaeological find. The 2003 discovery of an ancient pagan burial chamber revealed a treasure trove of artifacts from the Dark Ages and one shocker: gold foil crosses that predate the arrival of Christianity to the region by nearly 20 years. Was this the tomb of a trailblazer for the religion that would dominate Britain for the next 1,400 years? And if so, what did it mean for the Anglo-Saxon gods that dominated the landscape?

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ Mummies

Tue, May 28, 2019

Add a plot

7Season 1

S1.E7 ∙ Human Sacrifice

Tue, Jun 11, 2019

When a mass grave at Britain's biggest Iron Age hill fort reveals evidence of ritual human sacrifice, comedian and barrister Clive Anderson and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota confront a murder mystery.

8Season 1

S1.E8 ∙ Ice Age Shaman

Tue, Jun 11, 2019

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota take a trip to Star Carr, North Yorkshire, where the discovery of a skull headdress begins a mind-expanding journey into the rites and rituals of the ancient past.

9Season 1

S1.E9 ∙ Secrets of Stonehenge

Tue, Jun 25, 2019

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota explore Britain's greatest mystic monument, Stonehenge, in an attempt to finally answer the ultimate question: what's the point?

10Season 1

S1.E10 ∙ Time Tripping

Tue, Jul 2, 2019

Add a plot

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Lost Tribe of Scotland

Tue, May 26, 2020

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota try to find out why an ancient warrior tribe mysteriously vanished and uncover an epic tale of Vikings, giants and the Loch Ness Monster.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Mystery of the White Horse

Tue, Jun 9, 2020

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota explore a giant hill figure in England and get drawn into ancient myths, local folklore and pagan rituals. Who put it there and why?

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ The Monster of Maeshowe

Tue, Jun 16, 2020

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota visit the Scottish Island of Orkney and enter the lair of the legendary Hogboy to investigate a case of Viking treasure, lust and madness.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ Isle of Druids

Tue, Jun 23, 2020

Were Druids prehistoric hippies or bloodthirsty practitioners of human sacrifice? To find out, Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota explore Anglesey, consider cannibalism and face the fiery Wicker Man.

5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ Mystery of the Red Lady

Tue, Jun 30, 2020

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota visit the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the woods of Bristol, and a remote Welsh cave to investigate the strangest set of human bones every discovered in Britain: The Red Lady. Dating back 34,000 years and stained red, these remains have baffled historians and archaeologists ever since they were discovered in 1823. Who was she? How did she end up in a cave? And why are her bones red? Using the latest forensic technology, we unearth evidence of woolly mammoths, magic wands, ancient weapons, and even zombies.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ The Quest for King Arthur

Tue, Jul 7, 2020

Clive meets a real Merlin and tries to wield Excalibur, while Mary-Ann sits at the Round Table and searches for Arthur's final resting place and the truth behind the legend.

7Season 2

S2.E7 ∙ Legend of the Warrior Queen

Tue, Jul 14, 2020

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota are searching for the truth behind the legend of Britain's greatest warrior queen: Boudica, the woman who led a violent--and nearly successful--revolt against the mighty Roman Empire in 60 AD. Follow their hunt across Britain to find out more about the mystical, Iron Age rebel and the supernatural methods she used to take on the largest, most organized army the ancient world had ever seen, from jewelry that connected her to the Celtic gods to sacred hares that guided her massive troops into battle.

8Season 2

S2.E8 ∙ Leeches, Plagues and Potions

Tue, Jul 21, 2020

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota test outrageous remedies like leeches, head-drilling, and a pigeon that cures the plague. Plus, Henry VIII's role in Tudor medicine.

9Season 2

S2.E9 ∙ The Sand Bodies of Sutton Hoo

Tue, Jul 28, 2020

Clive Anderson and Mary-Ann Ochota investigate one of Britain's sinister mysteries: decapitated bodies in gruesome poses, warrior kings with tiny heads and killer cake.

10Season 2

S2.E10 ∙ Gods and Monsters

Tue, Aug 4, 2020

Add a plot