Elizabeth: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Professor David Starkey chronicles the story of Queen Elizabeth I, first broadcast in 4-parts on Channel 4. The series uses a combination of tableaux, testimony from descendants, contemporary documents, actors and Starkey's own narration to tell the story of Elizabeth who reigned for over 40 tumultuous years. She was in constant danger from both ambitious men and the adherents of the Catholic religion. Starkey says that her deep distrust of men derives from two events: molestation by her stepfather Thomas Seymour, and an uprising by the Protestant Wyatt against Queen Mary, which landed the young princess in the Tower. The survival instinct she developed in her early years would become invaluable later when she succeeded to the throne. As Queen, Elizabeth had to prove that a woman was capable of ruling the warring factions in her court. The self styled Virgin founded a national church, and warded off the Spanish Armada.

Series details

• Title: Elizabeth
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Genres: History
• Premiere date: 2000-05-04
• Final broadcast date listed: 2000-05-25
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: Channel 4
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 27191
• TVDB ID: 81185

Cast and credited roles

• David Starkey — Presenter

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2000-05-04; final listed air date 2000-05-25; episode order: 4.

Source and licence

Adapted from Elizabeth on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.