Versailles Stories

This episode goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the small army of expert and devoted - if often eccentric - craftsmen who work to restore everything from silk drapes and furniture to paintings and picture frames, and indeed the very stonework of the chateau. Even those parts of the chateau so high or remote that the only beneficiaries are birds are given loving and painstaking attention.

In peak season at Versailles 20,000 tourists can roll up at the gates in just one day. For confused visitors, the keys to unlocking the past are held by the fifty-strong team of palace guides, each primed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the past glories of France. For many of the guides it's not so much a job as a way of life - a way of life that is now under threat. This episode follows the dreams of would-be Versailles guide, Fabrice Callet, who has been passionate about French history since childhood. Becoming one of this elite band is a huge challenge at the best of times, involving three years of study and a tough national exam. Even if he succeeds, Fabrice will need to find his own way of infiltrating the close knit and not always welcoming world of the Versailles permanent team. Fabrice's ambitions come at a time of great change for the historic chateau: although Versailles is one of the most popular tourist sites in Europe, competition for visitors is fierce, and new management is intent on modernising the palace and the way that tourists experience it. With the introduction of modern technology in the form of audio guides, the old guard's way of doing things, and indeed their jobs, hang in the balance. Would-be guide Fabrice Callet dreams of becoming one of this elite band.

Series exploring the history and modern evolution of one of France's great palaces through the stories of the people who work there today. The spectacular height of the summer season at Versailles is the Fetes de Nuit, a six-night extravaganza of music and horsemanship rooted in a tradition going back to the time of Louis XIV. This programme goes behind the scenes as 70 performers and 100 horses prepare for the event.

Series exploring the history and modern evolution of one of France's great palaces through the stories of the people who work there today. One of the main highlights for visitors to Versailles is the dramatic summer fountain display, the Grandes Eaux, incorporating water and music to extraordinary effect. But France is experiencing one of its worst droughts in living memory and the event is in jeopardy.

Series exploring the history and modern evolution of one of France's great palaces through the stories of the people who work there today. A massive fund-raising effort is needed to finance one of the chateau's biggest ever restoration projects, the Petit Trianon. This exquisite small palace and its surrounding gardens were developed as a haven where Queen Marie-Antoinette could escape the stiff formality of the main chateau.