Programme one looks at the birth of the movement as it burst onto the scene in Italy. It was here that all of the main characteristics of the Baroque found their earliest form: from the cinematic realism of Caravaggio to the grand illusionism of Padre Pozzo's painted ceiling in San Ignazio; from the bewildering architectural inventions of Borromini to the grand Baroque flourishes of Bernini; and from the light-hearted mythologies of the Carracci to the dark and murderous art of Naples.

In the second episode, Waldemar Januszczak follows Baroque to its dark heart in Spain, focusing on the route of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and featuring star painters Velasquez, Caravaggio and Zurburan. He then carries on through Belgium and Holland to discover such celebrities as Rubens and Vermeer.

Episode Three brings the Baroque home with an exploration of the English Baroque tradition that finds its climax through a tour of London's Hawksmoor churches, and Christopher Wren's iconic St Paul's Cathedral.