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In this four-part Channel 4 series, historian David Starkey tells the remarkable life story of the Virgin Queen, who reigned England for more than 40 years. Elizabeth's childhood and adolescence were dramatic and fraught with dangers including a sexually abusive father, a sister who wanted her dead, and a father who had her mother killed. The survival instincts she developed in her early years would become invaluable later when she succeeded to the throne. As queen Elizabeth managed the warring factions at court, founded a national chuch, defeated the Spanish Armada and turned an insignificant country into a great European power.

Presented by: David Starkey

Directed by: Mark Fielder and Steven Clarke

Running time: 197 mins

Subtitle option: English

Widescreen

Well, we can't have too many last words about Diana! This one is by her friend and healer Simone Simmons. It provides answers to the many unanswered questions about Diana, Princess of Wales: Who really was the love of her life? Why did she so dislike the Queen Mother? Why did Diana believe the brakes on her car had been tampered with? Who was the last person she spoke to before her death? What impelled her to co-operate with Andrew Morton? What was Diana's true opinion of the Queen? ... and so on. If you want the inside view on Diana's divorce; Diana and faith; Diana and charity; Diana's dresses; Diana's court, then this is the book for you. Hardback (256 pages)
Level: Library/Depot/Students' papers/Projects

A surprising number of students want to write about Diana and the Diana myth and take Andrew Morton’s book as their starting point. Originally produced with her full cooperation and input. This book is kept constantly updated.

A dramatisation based on the book by Andrew Morton:
Beginning with her childhood and her parents' troubled marriage, Diana Her True Story traces Diana Spencer's transformation from shy and introverted young girl to public icon and sophisticated beauty who became both wife and mother to England's future kings. Set against her demanding public life, Diana's private emotional conflicts and marital turmoil, long hidden by Buckingham Palace, are revealed.

Directed by: Kevin Connor

Starring: Sheena Scott Thomas & David Threlfall

Running time: 181 minutes

Subtitle options: none

Diana Princess of Wales was an iconic figure for the late 20th century. Tragedy struck when Diana and her lover Dodi Al-Fayed were killed in a car crash. Their Mercedes struck a pillar in a tunnel in Paris and Diana and Dodi both died shortly after the accident. A media frenzy followed along with speculation and theories about how the much loved Diana had met her death. Diana: The Secrets Behind The Crash uncovers the secret life of the driver, Henri Paul, and examines the evidence from witnesses and experts in order to discover what really happened.

• Director: Laura Gardner
• Running time: 50 minutes
• Subtitle options: none

Queen Elizabeth I and the great figures of the Elizabethan period. Highly illustrated.

Stephen Frears' portrait of the English Monarch in a time of strife caused by the death of Diana in 1997. The Queen's initial reaction is to hold ranks and treat Diana as an outsider who has left the royal household. Tony Blair senses the landslide in public opinion and tries to make her majesty see sense ...

Directed by: Stephen Frears

Starring:  Hellen Mirren, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms

Running Time: 98 mins

Widescreen

Subtitles: English

Extras: Bonus footage, Biographies, Making of documentary, Commentaries etc.

Her life and some of the great themes of the age: religion, exploration, the Armada, art etc. Highly illustrated.

The story of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, a woman who gave her name to an entire era:
Her blissfully happy marriage to Prince Albert — her reclusive lifestyle following his untimely death — the massive social and economic changes of Victorian Britain — the Queen's 'red-coats' conquering all corners of the world for the glory of her empire. Featuring recreations, period imagery, archive footage and expert analysis.

Running Time: 45 mins

Narrator: Li Beswick