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THE CENTURY THAT MADE US
Originally broadcast in June and July 2006
The 18th century was a time of radical ideas and political change that opened the door to the modern world. In a wide-ranging season on BBC Four, we explore the excitement of a time when innovators blazed a trail in every area; from philosophy, science and art to cookery, fashion and architecture.
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AGE OF GENIUS
Andrew Marr looks at how a remarkable group of philosophers and scientists in 18th-century Edinburgh laid the foundations of the modern world.
 Andrew Marr sets the scene
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THE BATTLE THAT MADE BRITAIN
A fresh look at the legacy of the Battle of Culloden and an exploration of the mythologies surrounding Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Duke of Cumberland.
Culloden blow by blow
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BEAU BRUMMELL: THIS CHARMING MAN
The wickedly handsome James Purefoy stars in this drama about the notorious dandy Beau Brummell. Friend to royalty and incorrigible heartbreaker, he was acclaimed for his stylish dress sense.
Beau Brummell gives some advice
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BIRD IN THE AIR PUMP
Ben Woolley explores the public perception of science in the 18th century, as reflected in Joseph Wright of Derby's painting An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump.
Introducing Joseph Wright of Derby
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THE BATTLE FOR BRITISH ART
How artists including Hogarth, Reynolds and Gainsborough transformed the way British art was perceived and created a climate in which the artistry was matched only by the back-stabbing.
How British art became truly great
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GILBERT WHITE: THE NATURE MAN
Michael Wood tells the story of the country vicar whose book The Natural History of Selborne was an 18th-century bestseller, and had a huge influence on British attitudes towards nature.
Gilbert White's style
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HANNAH GLASSE: THE FIRST
DOMESTIC GODDESS
Clarissa Dickson Wright presents a whirl through the eventful life and revolutionary recipes of Hannah Glasse.
Hannah Glasse's kitchen
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THE HARLOTS HANDBOOK
Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies was a guide book of a sort that we would only expect to find on the internet today. Historian Hallie Rubenhold investigates a salacious publishing sensation.
A corrupt capital
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COSĖ FAN TUTTE
See Nicholas Hytner's acclaimed production of Mozart's opera, live from Glyndebourne. According to the Independent, 'Hytner's period production marries elegance, farce, and psychological acuity.'
Performers in action
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PRINCES OF THE EAST END
During the 18th century the merchant class began to rival the aristocracy in the opulence of their houses and general standard of living. Dan Cruickshank examines the impact of this social change on architecture of the period.
Spitalfields' merchant princes
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THE GREAT OSSIAN HOAX
Alexander McCall Smith heads to Edinburgh to get to the bottom of arguably the biggest literary hoodwink of the 18th century. Was James Macpherson a fraudster?
A big seller
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CASTRATO
Nicholas Clayton discusses the 18th-century craze for castrati, the opera music written for them and the biological realities of being a castrato.
Castration methods
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