Queens that Changed the World: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

For so long believed to be bit-players in histories dominated by men, some queens wielded extraordinary power, and ruled in ways that far surpassed their male counterparts. In this series we discover what drove these women, how they asserted their authority, and reveal the times when, sometimes, being a woman had its advantages.

Combining archive, location shooting, talking heads and stylised recreations, we trace the rise to power of each queen and investigate their reign. With analysis from historians, academics and psychologists, we will pick apart the challenges they faced and discover each monarch's unique approach to power while understanding wider themes such as women's changing position in society and what it meant to be the ‘fairer sex'.

Series details

• Title: Queens that Changed the World
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Genres: History
• Premiere date: 2023-08-05
• Final broadcast date listed: 2023-08-05
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Web channel listed by TVmaze: Channel 4
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 47 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 70247
• TVDB ID: 438030

Cast and credited roles

• Leah Harvey — Narrator
• Tracy Borman — Presenter

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2023-08-05; final listed air date 2023-08-05; episode order: 6.

Source and licence

Adapted from Queens that Changed the World 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.