Secrets of the Magna Carta

The document known as Magna Carta ("the Great Charter") is almost a thousand years old and is thought to possess near-mystical powers. Episode one shows its origins and connection with the legendary freedom fighter robin hood. It shows how Magna Carta was the product of bloody conflict, and how it subsequently exerted an extraordinary influence on the course of human history; enshrining rights that today, people all over the world take for granted.

The second film brings Magna Carta into the modern age. It reveals how this legendary document shaped our world; from the founding freedoms of America, to the struggle against slavery and oppression, to the Second World War and beyond. Magna Carta was used by some of the greatest figures in modern history: Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Ultimately the film closes with a question, many believe the freedoms which Magna Carta won for us are under threat, is it time, once again, to invoke the power of this legendary manuscript?