Episode 1
Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold turn the clock back as they learn how to build a medieval castle using the tools, techniques and materials available in the 13th century.
Although Britain has some of the finest remaining castles of the medieval period, many of their secrets have been lost in time.
Peter and Tom set to work straight away, learning the skills of the medieval stonemasons to construct a beautiful spiral staircase. After digging stone out of the quarry, they take it to the tracing floor, where every stone is marked out using the most closely guarded knowledge of the medieval castle builders: geometry. Then each step is hand-carved, a three-day task, before being winched into place using the treadmill-powered crane.
Meanwhile, Ruth sets about equipping the simple wattle and daub hovel that is to be their base. She experiments by laying a rush floor, and she commissions clay-cooking pots and an oak grain arc to store their wheat and barley. Medieval saws were incredibly expensive, so the arc is carved with an axe and assembled without nails.
It becomes clear that all the stone, wood, mortar, dyes, food and water required for the castle needed to be sourced from the surrounding landscape - transporting heavy goods in the 13th century was expensive. One of the most important resources on a medieval building site was water, so Peter visits a wood turner to make a pulley, and Tom makes a rope to hoist the bucket from the well. As they enjoy a simple meal of barley and vegetable pottage, they reflect that there are no easy jobs in the medieval age!
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
The Bold and the Beautiful
They created a dynasty where passion rules, they are the Forresters, the first name in Fashion. The Bold and the Beautiful, a world of fashion, glamor and romance. A place where power, money and success are there for the taking in a city where dreams really do come true. Follow the lives and loves of the Forresters on The Bold and the Beautiful...
Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! is a classic game show -- with a twist. The answers are given first, and the contestants supply the questions. Three contestants, including the previous show's champion, compete in six categories and in three rounds (with each round's "answers" being worth more prize money).
Guy's Grocery Games
In each episode of Guy's Grocery Games, four talented chefs compete in a number of challenges as they navigate their way through the aisles of a grocery store, adhering to "real-world" obstacles. Whether it is shopping on a budget, substituting out-of-stock ingredients or grabbing groceries at closing time, each chef has to shop, prepare, and plate three different dishes using whatever they can pull off the shelves. Ultimately, the food does the talking, as one-by-one the losing chefs "check out," by a rotating panel of judges that includes Melissa d'Arabian, Richard Blais, G. Garvin, Troy Johnson, Catherine McCord, Aarti Sequeira, among others. The last chef standing goes on a shopping spree of a lifetime worth up to $20,000!
Formula 1: Drive to Survive
Drivers, managers and team owners live life in the fast lane -- both on and off the track -- during one cutthroat season of Formula 1 racing.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner Jimmy Fallon brought NBC's "The Tonight Show" back to its New York origins when he launched The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from Rockefeller Center. Fallon puts his own stamp on the storied NBC late-night franchise with his unique comedic wit, on-point pop culture awareness, welcoming style and impeccable taste in music with the award-winning house band, The Roots.