Queen Elizabeth's Secret Agents

England has a new monarch, King James I, and Elizabeth's former spymaster Robert Cecil faces his toughest test. A group of religious extremists plans to blow up the Houses of Parliament with the king inside--the Gunpowder Plot.

Duration: 56 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 103

About Queen Elizabeth's Secret Agents:

This series uncovers the secret state that helped keep Queen Elizabeth in power for over 40 years.

During a time when Britain was divided, unstable and violent, the world's first secret service was born.

Run by William and Robert Cecil, this father and son team had the duty of protecting the Queen and the Country.

The series asks leading historians to each study the period from a different key players point of view.

They dissect the minds and motivations of key players, to reveal a covert spy network.

Revealing Elizabethan England as it really was.

It takes us through the biggest events of Elizabeth's reign, the entrapment and execution of Mary Queen of Scots, the capture and escape of catholic fugitive John Gerard and the most infamous terrorist conspiracy in British history, the gunpowder plot.




NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

Explore - 11.2

World - 11.3

Create - 11.4

Kids - 11.5

All of our channels and NHK World Japan are streaming LIVE ONLINE and on the PBS App, available on most devices.

Learn More


 

Community Impact

NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

American Masters | Sun Ra: Do The Impossible [ASL]
This Old House | E16 | Suburban Victorian | Trim and Proper
Ask This Old House | E16 | Grass Seed Facility, Porch Swing | Ask This Old House
History with David Rubenstein | Harold Holzer
NOVA | Mammal Origins
Nature | Freshwater | Parenthood
Austin City Limits | Leon Thomas
Antiques Roadshow | Georgia State Railroad Museum, Hour 3
Secrets of the Dead | The Quest for Camelot
Finding Your Roots | Love & Basketball
The Puzzle Lady | Episode 1
Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History | Let My People Go
All Creatures Great and Small | Episode 1: Gathering the Flock
American Experience | Bombshell
From That Small Island: The Story of the Irish | New Worlds
London's New Year's Day Parade | The London Parade 2026
Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026 | Rome New Year's Day Parade 2026
Bookish | Slightly Foxed, Part 1
Happiness | Episode 1
Great Performances | Nutcracker from English National Ballet
Miss Scarlet | Episode 3: The Delivery
POV | Between Goodbyes
Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir | Hope of the Season: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir
London Parade - A Tribute to 40 Years | London Parade - A Tribute to 40 Years
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival: Our Hope for Years to Come | The St. Olaf Christmas Festival: Our Hope for Years to Come
Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen | Charlotte Church
The Nutcracker at the Jacobs School of Music | The Nutcracker at the Jacobs School of Music
The Caverns Sessions | Flatland Cavalry
The Great Escaper | The Great Escaper
The American Revolution | In Order to Be Free (May 1754 - May 1775)
Rick Steves' Europe | London: A Royal Tour
RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service | Sieve & Sort