Season 1

The broadcaster explores the life of the novelist and examines the locations that inspired her, as well as uncovering the real events behind some of her greatest stories.

The broadcaster travels to the West Yorkshire moors, known as "Bronte Country." It is an area that shaped the Bronte sisters, and in turn, helped shape it. He explores some of the influences on their writing.

Gyles Brandreth travels across Britain visiting the places that inspired one of Britain's most famous storytellers - Charles Dickens. Gyles unlocks the secrets behind the author's unforgettable novels, delves into their history and uncovers the true-life events that inspired some of the greatest stories ever told.

With input from Hardy experts and celebrity fans, Gyles discovers that, although Wessex may be fictional, the locations Hardy describes are influenced by real places. Athelhampton Hall is the inspiration for Bathsheba’s Farm in Far from the Madding Crowd. Hardy’s own home at Higher Bockhampton is the inspiration for Under the Greenwood Tree. Casterbridge is a thinly disguised Dorchester and Stonehenge is the dramatic setting for the end of Tess of the D’Urbervilles. However, Gyles discovers it’s not only real-life locations that inspired Hardy, but real events too.