The Great Plague ambient background
CinebyCineby
The Great Plague backdrop

The Great Plague

The Great Plague
★ 7.0/10•2020•45m•M•Documentary
Similars

Xand van Tulleken, Raksha Dave and John Sergeant trace the spread of the Great Plague of 1665 week by week and discover parallels with the coronavirus.

Jamie Simpson · Director

StatusEnded
Runtime45m
LanguageEN
First Air DateNov 17, 2020

Episodes

Episode 1 - OutbreakE145m

Outbreak

In the first episode, the epidemic is traced back to its source in the parish of St Giles in the Fields, now at the heart of London's theatre district. The programme also examines the symptoms of the disease and uncovers new research into the plague bacteria that could overthrow accepted ideas about how the infection was spread.

Nov 17, 2020

Episode 2 - DecimationE245m

Decimation

In the second episode, Xand heads to St Barts hospital to look back at historical records which show that nursing staff stayed behind and risked their lives to help the sick. Elsewhere, John investigates why infection rates were so different between the rich and poor, examining clothes typical for each group in the 17th century.

Nov 18, 2020

Episode 3 - AftermathE345m

Aftermath

Xand van Tulleken visits Samuel Pepys' parish church and discovers the sad tale of the Poole family, who within 11 days lost all five of their children. He also heads to Eyam in Derbyshire, revealing the heroic story of self-sacrifice that saw all 700 villagers lock themselves in to try to stop the disease spreading to surrounding areas. Raksha Dave trials 17th-century disinfection methods and reveals a surprising substitute that can be just effective as modern antibacterial cleaners.

Nov 19, 2020

Actors

Raksha Dave

Raksha Dave

Presenter

Xand van Tulleken

Xand van Tulleken

Presenter

John Sergeant

John Sergeant

Presenter

Recommendations

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman
Top Gear
Down to Earth with Zac Efron
American Experience
Super/Natural
Mysteries at the Museum
History's Greatest Mysteries
The Circus
MegaStructures
American Masters
The UnXplained
Ancient Apocalypse
Superpowered: The DC Story
Savage Kingdom
Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
The Kings
Leaving Neverland
Finding Your Roots
Coronavirus, Explained

Similars

Der Medicus
Red Zone
The Plague
Little Tragedies
Medical Investigation
The Black Dawn
12 Monkeys
Crusade
Survivors
The Decameron
Survivors
Al Haddama
Earth Abides
Castlevania
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers
An Island Parish
Juvies
Outback Pilots
Miracle Pets
Memorialul Durerii