1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:04,640 Fireworks. 2 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:08,920 They've been enthralling us Brits for centuries. 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:11,320 Ooh! 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,520 But the use of fireworks for entertainment really got going 5 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,640 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 6 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,120 By far the most spectacular of these displays 7 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,600 took place at Kenilworth Castle in 1575. 8 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,200 Onlookers described seeing thunderbolts and lightnings of fire 9 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,600 that surged the waters and shook the earth. 10 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:34,680 So, it was certainly a night to remember. 11 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,440 In this programme, we're going to return to Kenilworth Castle in an 12 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,640 ambitious attempt to recreate that display 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:45,960 in all its Tudor glory. 14 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,600 The fireworks were part of a three-week extravaganza, 15 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,480 including bear-baiting and dancing and feasting, 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,680 but the fireworks were the centrepiece. 17 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,960 It was all designed for one very special member of the audience - 18 00:01:04,960 --> 00:01:07,800 Queen Elizabeth I. 19 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:09,480 THEY SHOUT AND CHEER 20 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,720 For Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, 21 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:14,960 the fireworks were his last throw of the dice 22 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:17,400 in his attempt to win the Queen's hand in marriage. 23 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,200 To pull off our re-creation of what his lavish display of love 24 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,320 and affection might've looked like, 25 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:28,960 I'll be scouring historical documents for clues. 26 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:32,600 And I'm enlisting the help of artist and materials scientist 27 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:34,640 Doctor Zoe Laughlin. 28 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,680 Oh, look at it go! Wow! We put too much! Yeah! 29 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,640 Her job is to rebuild the Tudor fireworks that no longer exist, 30 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,320 using 400-year-old techniques. 31 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:48,320 Ooh, a stiff Christmas cracker. It's a Christmas cracker from hell. Yeah. 32 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,320 From the manufacturer of Elizabethan gunpowder from buckets of urine... 33 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:54,160 It was incredibly valuable. 34 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,080 ..to the construction of a huge dragon that spits fire 35 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:58,720 from every orifice... 36 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:03,680 He's got flames gushing out of his bottom! Yeah! 37 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,640 ..the display has the potential to be as dangerous 38 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:08,120 as it is spectacular. 39 00:02:09,920 --> 00:02:12,040 It's made out of gunpowder, after all. 40 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,160 I also want to look under the surface of the spectacle to discover 41 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,840 why fireworks played such an important part in Tudor life. 42 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,800 They wouldn't have been used to seeing lavish fireworks, 43 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,160 so they would've caused a bit of wonder and awe and fear. 44 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,440 We're trying to reconstruct an event that had the potential to change 45 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:36,160 the history of England, 46 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,480 with the help of scattered evidence 47 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,040 and some very experimental science. 48 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:44,360 If we get it wrong, 49 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:47,800 our display will just be a smouldering hole in the ground. 50 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:49,440 If we get it right, though, 51 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,520 we'll have recreated one of the most magnificent nights 52 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:54,520 in Tudor history, 53 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,280 and a firework display fit for a queen. 54 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,880 The firework display at Kenilworth Castle 55 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,240 put on by Robert Dudley in 1575 56 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,920 has gone down in history as one of the earliest 57 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:26,200 and most impressive ever seen. 58 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,840 Unfortunately, direct evidence for what the firework display looked 59 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,600 like is a bit thin on the ground, 60 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,320 but we aren't completely out of luck. 61 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,960 This is what claims to be an eyewitness account 62 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,600 by somebody who was there in the audience with Queen Elizabeth I. 63 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,080 A friend of Robert Dudley's called Robert Laneham. 64 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,840 "Lightnings of wildfire shoots at the thunderbolts 65 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,200 "and it was all so terrifying and violent that the heavens thundered, 66 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,560 "the waters surged and the earth shook." 67 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,320 Sounds like we've set ourselves quite a challenge. 68 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,360 But this isn't the only piece of evidence for the display, 69 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,720 and we need to go searching for clues. 70 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,840 To track down these scraps of evidence, 71 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:13,520 Doctor Zoe Laughlin and I are going on an historical treasure hunt. 72 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,960 We'll be grilling historians of science 73 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,160 and experts in historical pyrotechnics. 74 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:23,480 That is a wheel of fire. What the Italians called a girandole. 75 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:27,240 Where we don't have the answers, we'll be relying on the expertise 76 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,760 of Zoe, with her skills as both scientist and artist, 77 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,400 to formulate experiments of her own, in our attempt 78 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,280 to recreate a night to remember. 79 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:39,120 Whoa! Whoa! 80 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,840 And what I also hope from this journey is something more - 81 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:46,480 a chance to have a better understanding 82 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,240 of the Elizabethan mind. 83 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,560 I want to find out why fireworks 84 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,440 were such a vital part of Tudor life, 85 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,360 and why this particular display at Kenilworth 86 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:00,600 was the pinnacle of power and pageantry in the Elizabethan era. 87 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,160 To set Zoe on her way, I'm taking her to the British Library. 88 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,880 Tucked away in its vaults, there's a very special book. 89 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:18,320 Look at this! 90 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,200 Now, what you've got there is the first edition of a book called 91 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,920 Pyrotechnia, which is the first proper English book 92 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,280 about how to make fireworks. 93 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:31,080 "By John Babington, gunner and student." 94 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,120 He's a man who knows how to make things go bang. Yeah, yeah. 95 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,880 Not only is Pyrotechnia packed with scientific detail, 96 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,160 it contains something even more useful. 97 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:45,280 Oh, what a treat. 98 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:48,720 Every area has something sparking or fizzing. 99 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,840 This is the earliest plan of a British firework display 100 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:55,280 fit for a monarch, 101 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:58,880 and historical records suggest it probably had the same attractions 102 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,920 as the display put on for Elizabeth's visit to Kenilworth. 103 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,320 I like the wheels. Do you think these whizzed around like that? 104 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:07,840 I do think... Yeah. 105 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:10,120 In fact, this one's even got sparks coming out of it, 106 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,000 implying that it's going round and round. 107 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:14,720 This one's really important... 108 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:19,200 The plan laid out in Pyrotechnia is full of fireworks forgotten 109 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,280 in the mists of time. 110 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:24,720 There are gerbs, which produced fountains of sparks, 111 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,200 locket boxes that launch fireworks simultaneously 112 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,880 and terrifying-looking horizontal spinning wheels. 113 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:34,680 I love this. Look, there's a ginormous... 114 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,240 Look at the front. He's a whopper! He's massive! What a big boy. 115 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:39,160 That's ginormous. 116 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:40,880 So, here's the big question - 117 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,200 do you think you can make something along these lines? 118 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,280 Will it work? Will it be safe? 119 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:49,000 Are we all going to die? Will it be spectacular? ZOE GIGGLES 120 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,400 This is really exciting. This is a great starting point. 121 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,360 This is something that we can use as a master plan. 122 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,160 While Zoe's getting to grips with Babington's instructions, 123 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:07,360 Laneham very usefully tells us how the display kicked off. 124 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,840 He says that there was "a great peal of guns, 125 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,280 "and lightening by firework." 126 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,000 He says that "the noise and the flame could be heard 127 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,960 "and seen 20 miles off." 128 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,520 Sounds like we're going to need some cannons. 129 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:27,320 As this is the only major element of our display that Zoe isn't planning 130 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,040 to reconstruct from scratch, 131 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,600 I want to source one for myself. 132 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,520 It turns out that it's not that easy to get your hands on 133 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,520 a working Elizabethan cannon. 134 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,960 I'm hoping that these gentlemen might be able to help. 135 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:44,440 A MAN SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY 136 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,440 BLAST 137 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:52,480 Surviving cannons, and even period replicas, are something of a rarity, 138 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,320 as their antiquated design means they have a tendency to explode. 139 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,240 HE SHOUTS AGAIN 140 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,280 Let's hope experts in Tudor artillery, 141 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,920 Nat Bond and Alex Compiani, have a solution. 142 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,120 Hello! Hello, there! 143 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:10,320 Lots of guns you've got here. 144 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,160 What we've actually got is a kind of timeline of guns, showing the 145 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:16,680 evolution. This gun here is what's referred to as a gungeon gun. 146 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,080 This is a copy of one that was recovered off the deck 147 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,680 of the Mary Rose. Ah! So that's 1540s. 148 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,280 It is. That's a bit early for me, is it? Well, this period 149 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,520 is a transitional period where these guns are becoming 150 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,440 obsolete, where the new corned powder is coming into use, 151 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,520 and the corned powder burned much faster, with much more power. 152 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,120 What happened if you put the new powder into the old gun? 153 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,680 Chances are it would explode and kill you and your crew. 154 00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:39,400 Oh, dear! 155 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,000 Moving on the line, though, you've got what is called a rabonet. 156 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,280 These were just coming in in the Elizabethan period, 157 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,400 so this is fairly new technology for the Elizabethan period, because it's 158 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:49,360 a cast iron barrel. Mm. 159 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,320 The longer the barrel is, the more room there is for those gases to 160 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:54,120 expand and the faster the ball flies. 161 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,760 And would you be able to hear the sound of it 20 miles off, 162 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,560 which is in the description of the entertainment at Kenilworth? 163 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:02,600 You would. This one actually has quite a sharp crack to it. 164 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,800 Gunners refer to it as the voice of the gun. The voice? Yes. 165 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:07,080 So, if you were 20 miles away, 166 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,800 you could hear that it was your gun talking to you? 167 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,120 An experienced gunner who'd fired the gun a lot, yes. Oh! 168 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:13,680 Did the guns have names? 169 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:15,120 This one's called Jennifer. 170 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:17,400 SHE LAUGHS 171 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,320 I named it after my wife! 172 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:21,880 What about this one, then? 173 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,800 Big Red fires a large six pound cast-iron cannonball. 174 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,120 You could just about touch the two-mile range with this gun. 175 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:32,160 By the time you heard it, you'd already be hit. 176 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,160 Oh! If you want to impress people, this one. 177 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:36,840 The big bazooka. 178 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,640 If I was hosting Elizabeth I... Mm. 179 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:43,960 ..I'd want to show off just how wealthy and how well-armed I was. 180 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:45,640 Is he more expensive than her? Oh, yes. 181 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,320 This is the equivalent of having a gold-plated Aston Martin 182 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:49,600 on your driveway. 183 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:52,800 Search the piece. Clear. 184 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:54,120 Swab. 185 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,560 So, if we're talking Tudor bling, there's really only one choice. 186 00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:58,880 Place the charge. 187 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,920 And if you're going to invest in the Elizabethan equivalent 188 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:03,600 of a gold-plated Aston Martin... 189 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:04,960 HE SHOUTS A WARNING 190 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:07,200 ..you might as well give it a test drive. 191 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:08,520 That at the end. 192 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:11,480 Lift! FIRE! 193 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:15,480 BANG 194 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:18,960 It's OK, everybody jumps! 195 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,760 SHE LAUGHS 196 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:25,360 Brilliant! So, it's this cannon, Big Red, 197 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:27,600 which is set to open our festivities. 198 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,080 As a cannon, it's, of course, different to the other, 199 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,440 more spectacular, fireworks we're hoping to reconstruct 200 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,800 for our display, but it does have one vital element 201 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,720 in common with them - gunpowder. 202 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,040 Learning about the secrets of gunpowder 203 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:45,920 is Zoe's first step on her quest 204 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:48,680 to recreate our Tudor fireworks. 205 00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:50,520 According to some of the old text, 206 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,600 lesson one in becoming a successful pyrotechnician 207 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,800 is know your gunpowder. 208 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,680 In its day, it was considered a bit of a dark art, but today 209 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:01,480 I'm going to unravel some of the mysteries. 210 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,000 Also, it's the same composition we use now. 211 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,720 Nowadays, we think nothing of buying our own ready-made fireworks from 212 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:12,040 the supermarket, but in Tudor times, 213 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,600 owning a firework began with the process 214 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,800 of sourcing and refining the ingredients, 215 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,880 which could take years. 216 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,320 Wood and heat. And heat. 217 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,960 And as a job, it was potentially lethal. 218 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:28,200 With the help of chemist Andreas Tretiakov 219 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,880 in the safe confines of the science lab, I'm going to explore 220 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,560 the process, and make gunpowder to the Elizabethan recipe. 221 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:37,640 So, I'm done on the gas. 222 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:38,760 OK. 223 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,600 Firstly, we're turning wood into charcoal 224 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:43,680 in our home-made micro-kiln. 225 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:46,880 That's what you can see burning orange now, are the gases coming out 226 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,000 of the can. Yes. Those gases are toxic, like carbon monoxide, 227 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,320 carbon dioxide and methane. Mm. 228 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,280 It's really going some now. Really going, yes. 229 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:59,280 Restricting the oxygen as it burns produces almost 230 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:01,840 pure carbon in the form of charcoal. 231 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,520 Beautiful, pure nuggets of carbon. 232 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,480 This is the first element in our recipe. 233 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:11,120 Here's our charcoal. 234 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:15,040 The most important ingredient in gunpowder was saltpetre, 235 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,640 but we now know that as potassium nitrate. 236 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,840 To the Tudors, saltpetre was really difficult to make, 237 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,680 and required this ingredient - urine. 238 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:26,640 It was incredibly valuable. 239 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,000 They had to get whole households peeing into buckets 240 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,880 and gathering the stuff up. 241 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:36,160 Tudor gunpowder-makers combined the urine with soil and manure, 242 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:39,720 and hoped for a bacterial reaction over 18 months, 243 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:41,800 leading to an end product of saltpetre. 244 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,040 Nowadays, we can take a short cut, 245 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,480 mixing premade industrial chemicals. 246 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,800 Right, so we're making an ice bath so that we can rapidly cool this, 247 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,960 and help the potassium nitrate crystals form. 248 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:01,600 Oh! Oh... I can see something. I can see them! OK. 249 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:05,320 Look at that. 250 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,720 This is potassium nitrate that would have been produced 251 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:10,720 from hundreds of people's urine. 252 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:13,040 This is the Tudor saltpetre. 253 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,720 Now we're refining raw sulphur. 254 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,960 I can now see a thick tier 255 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,120 of red sulphur 256 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,800 trickling down the nozzle. 257 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,160 Look. It is rubbery! Yes. 258 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,080 It's almost like something you'd find in the sea. 259 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:34,360 Wow. 260 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:36,880 With time, this plastic sulphur 261 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:40,000 will solidify, and can be crushed into a fine powder. 262 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,880 So, now, we have the three ingredients we need for gunpowder. 263 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,520 The charcoal, the sulphur, 264 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:51,800 the potassium nitrate. 265 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,960 All that's left for us to do now is grind them into a fine powder. 266 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,880 The magic comes from how these three ingredients 267 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,760 all work together when mixed. 268 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:04,560 The charcoal is the fuel. 269 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:07,480 Right, next up, potassium nitrate. Potassium nitrate. 270 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:11,840 The potassium nitrate provides the oxygen for the fuel to burn. 271 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:13,760 And finally the sulphur. 272 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:16,200 The main role of sulphur is to be a catalyst, 273 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:18,960 lowering the temperature needed to ignite the mix. 274 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,120 Is this the dangerous part? Potentially, yes. OK. 275 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:27,960 Right, glasses on. Right. 276 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,000 Mixing them will give us gunpowder, 277 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,200 and that's when things get really dangerous. 278 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,080 Right, 15% charcoal. 279 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,760 A tiny spark could literally blow the whole lot up. 280 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:41,120 I feel a bit nervous. 281 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:46,040 It's really important that we're using a wooden stick for this, 282 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:49,280 because we just do not want to generate anything 283 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,760 that will ignite this mixture. 284 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:54,320 It's very soft. 285 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:57,600 Ooh. 286 00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:58,680 THEY CHUCKLE SOFTLY 287 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:01,680 Let's give it a test. 288 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,320 SHE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY 289 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:06,160 Are you going to light one end and I'm going to light the other? 290 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,000 That's a very good idea. 291 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:11,280 OK. 292 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,040 OK. One, two, three. 293 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:15,120 Yes! 294 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:18,760 Oh, look at it go! Ah! 295 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,040 Wow! Wow! Quite a lot of smoke. Wow! 296 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:26,720 And it's still burning. We made gunpowder! 297 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:28,680 We did it! Wow! 298 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,240 What's incredible is I was expecting a bang, 299 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,000 but obviously it's not in a confined space. No. 300 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,400 So it's not going to create a kind of classic firework bang, 301 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:39,880 but that has got some oomph to it. 302 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:41,600 SHE COUGHS 303 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:43,520 Mission accomplished. 304 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:45,360 Following an archaic recipe, 305 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,880 we have created Elizabethan gunpowder. 306 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,040 And quite a lot of smoke! 307 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,040 So this is the first step on the road to recreating 308 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,720 those Tudor fireworks, and we've proved it's possible. 309 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,280 We've now created gunpowder, 310 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:07,320 the power behind the first element in our display, the cannon. 311 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,080 Together, these two elements played a vital role 312 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,640 in the wars fought by Tudor England. 313 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,320 From sea battles with the Spanish Armada 314 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,280 to fighting in the Netherlands on behalf of the Protestants, 315 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,960 the Elizabethan era was an age of conflict. 316 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:31,280 And it was here, within the walls of the Tower of London, 317 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:35,400 where you'd find the marriage of pyrotechnics and the art of war. 318 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,760 There's really a lot at stake in this period. 319 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:41,000 It's very, very tense. 320 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,360 There would have been thousands of people around here, 321 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,800 all trying to make this work to get these ships supplied, 322 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:49,160 to get the army supplied and fight these battles. 323 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,440 Makes you think of Bletchley Park in World War II or something. 324 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,160 Everybody working together. Exactly. It's a really crucial centre. 325 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:00,480 It's like an arsenal and a Ministry of Defence all rolled into one. 326 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:02,760 Who were these gunners, then? 327 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,000 There were about 100 people who were referred to as gunners, and they 328 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:09,160 were the people who learnt how to shoot this new technology, 329 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,600 which is gunpowder, 330 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:13,200 fireworks and cannon, 331 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,760 and some of the first books on gunnery and fireworks 332 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,720 appear at this time. This is a fire lance, 333 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,480 a rocket attached to the end of a pike, 334 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:26,120 and you fire it in the face of the enemy close-up, 335 00:17:26,120 --> 00:17:27,800 so it's really nasty. 336 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:29,960 What's a ball of wildfire? 337 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:33,640 Well, they would put metal balls filled with gunpowder 338 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,360 and incendiary liquids into a crossbow and fire them at you. 339 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:39,400 That's not something you want to be hit by. 340 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,320 Do you think once they'd finished their serious business of inventing 341 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,000 new weapons, the gunners thought, 342 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,560 "Right, let's have a bit of fun now"? Yes, exactly. 343 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,000 So, they're not just going out and shooting and firing the cannon, 344 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,920 they're also creative artists. 345 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,880 They were interested in using fireworks for peaceful means, 346 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:58,920 for pageants and plays and festivals, from very early on. 347 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:01,680 This is quite a pattern throughout history, isn't it? 348 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,960 Like battlefields turning into jousting. 349 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,600 Something very serious and deadly becomes ritualised 350 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,520 and made into a sort of play version of itself later on. 351 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:13,080 Yes, that's right. 352 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,280 That's something that the gunners are really proud of. 353 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,640 So, one of them wrote a book where he included a self-portrait, 354 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,560 and there's a little motto at the top 355 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,440 and it says "Arte et Marte". 356 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,520 So, art and war, and the idea is that these are two sides 357 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,680 of what he does - the peaceful and the military. 358 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,320 So, it was at the Tower of London, 359 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,720 home to the endlessly inventive gunners, 360 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,920 where firework-making for entertainment really took off. 361 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:48,520 They had everything they needed to experiment and create their own new 362 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,120 and exciting pyrotechnics. 363 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:55,120 It's now up to Zoe to see if she can match them and come up with 364 00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:56,480 some magic of her own. 365 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:03,600 But firework-making is a specialised and dangerous art, 366 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,800 so Zoe's going to need some expert help. 367 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,000 Hello? Hello! Hi, are you Don? I am, indeed. Hi, I'm Zoe. 368 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,760 Hello, Zoe. Nice to meet you. Hello, Zoe, I'm Mike. Mike, hello. 369 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,640 And this is John. Hi, John. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. 370 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,280 I've heard you're the crack team that I should come to 371 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:20,680 if I want to get some bespoke fireworks made. 372 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:23,920 Don, Mike and John are artisans, 373 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:28,160 devoted to handcrafting pyrotechnics for modern-day events, 374 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:33,000 with a sense of adventure to take on any pyrotechnical challenge. 375 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,480 And so this is the kind of display that we're attempting to recreate. 376 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,800 There's obviously these fantastic rockets. 377 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,720 I love the fact that there's an absolutely giant beast of a rocket 378 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,200 at the front. A huge one there, yeah. That's going to be taller 379 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,800 than me, probably. And then these kind of Catherine wheel type ones. 380 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,600 Is that something we can have a go at? Yeah, we'll certainly have a go 381 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:52,160 at it. I mean, horizontal wheel, 382 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,560 we don't really use in displays that much any more. 383 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:57,760 It throws up tonnes of sparks. So, if you imagine, 384 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,280 you've got fireworks all around you, the last thing you want 385 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,080 is tonnes of sparks flying around your display site and setting fire 386 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:04,920 to everything else, so not ideal. 387 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:09,440 Creating a truly authentic display is going to expose us to the risk 388 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,360 that it could all go up in flames, 389 00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:14,440 but our best hope is working with these experts, 390 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,440 who are willing to take on this challenge, 391 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:19,160 all in the name of history. 392 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,680 The display that Zoe and these chaps will be attempting to put together 393 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,680 was part of a three-week pageant said to have cost Robert Dudley, 394 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,960 Earl of Leicester, the modern equivalent of £24 million. 395 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,480 But who was this man who was willing to spend a fortune 396 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:42,920 in his attempt to woo his queen? 397 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,640 Well, he was her adviser, friend, 398 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:48,600 very possibly lover. 399 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,240 There were lots of rumours at court about this, 400 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,720 despite the fact that he was married. 401 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,560 This is what the Spanish ambassador had to say. 402 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,280 "Her Majesty visits him in his chamber day and night. 403 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,440 "People talk of this freely. 404 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:05,840 "They go so far as to say that his wife has a malady 405 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:07,400 "in one of her breasts, 406 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,120 "and that the Queen is only waiting for her to die 407 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:12,360 "so that she can marry Lord Robert." 408 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:15,240 Dudley's wife, Amy, did die. 409 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:18,920 She fell down some stairs in mysterious circumstances. 410 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,720 Some people said that Dudley was responsible. 411 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:24,960 But even once they were both free, 412 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:29,720 the Queen didn't take the final step of agreeing to marry him. 413 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:33,120 You can see the three weeks of festivities and fireworks 414 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:37,000 at Kenilworth Castle as a sort of last roll of the dice 415 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:40,680 for Dudley in this long-running game of trying to get 416 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,600 the Queen to marry him. 417 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:49,960 But why was it that Dudley put so much faith in fireworks 418 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:52,400 as a way to win the heart of his queen? 419 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:58,400 Well, he was living in the Golden Age of English history, 420 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,960 with a flowering of music, literature and theatre. 421 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:09,240 Perhaps I can get to the bottom of the emotional power of our display 422 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:14,160 from the greatest dramatist of this, or indeed of any other, era. 423 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:19,200 Farah, what can the Globe Theatre tell us about Tudor pyrotechnics? 424 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,480 Well, in Shakespeare's original Globe of 1599, 425 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,360 he would've staged plays, like Julius Caesar and Macbeth, 426 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:28,360 which actually had stage directions that call for fireworks. 427 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:32,120 Set off within this wooden thatched building? 428 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:36,520 Yes, and, miraculously, it didn't burn down, at least not until 1613. 429 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:38,240 They were that committed to fireworks 430 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,960 that they actually burned down their theatre and destroyed it? 431 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,360 Accidentally, yes. 432 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:47,480 I think the most famous scene with a storm is the opening of Macbeth, 433 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:49,120 isn't it? Act I, Scene I? 434 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:51,600 Yes. There's a stage direction there that calls for... 435 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,480 "Thunder and lightning." 436 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,200 "And then enter the witches." 437 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:58,080 So, how did they actually do that? 438 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,120 You can see there's a trap in the heavens there, 439 00:23:00,120 --> 00:23:03,720 and there's a reference in the period to sort of stagehands 440 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:07,200 being up there lighting squibs so that it looks like you get flashes 441 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,520 of lightning coming out of the heavens. 442 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:13,040 Or they might have used swivels to create other kinds 443 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,680 of storm or cosmic events. A swivel? 444 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,880 Well, there were manuals that instructed people how to make 445 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:21,640 fireworks in that time period. 446 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,720 So the example that I have here is The Mysteries Of Nature And Art 447 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:27,880 by John Bate, published in 1634. 448 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,360 But a lot of the techniques he talks about in here would have been around 449 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:33,360 for a long time. Medieval theatre 450 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:35,520 used a lot of these techniques, as well. 451 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:39,160 And a swivel is simply a rocket that sits on top of a rope 452 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,760 that's tied between - here it's showing two trees but, actually, 453 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,400 it could be the two pillars on the stage. Oh, it could have 454 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,200 zipped across here, then? Exactly. It travels along, does it? 455 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:50,560 Yes, once you light it, it just zings across, 456 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,880 and it looks like some kind of flying fire, 457 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,080 like a comet or some kind of lightning effect. 458 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:58,920 So, if I were a Tudor person sitting out there... Mm. 459 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,400 ..I live in a very quiet world, there are no cars or loud noises. 460 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,320 I live in quite a dark world, 461 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:07,160 lit mainly by candlelight and firelight... Yes. 462 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:10,960 ..and then I hear this amazing rolling, rumbling thunder, 463 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,160 I see a flash of lightning coming out of there, then I see possibly 464 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,760 three witches coming up from the underworld. Yes, in a puff of smoke. 465 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,560 It must've been terrific! It would've been, it would've been. 466 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:25,160 So, if members of the audience for our display at Kenilworth 467 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:28,800 had been to the theatre, seen a Shakespeare production, 468 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,400 they would already have this in their minds 469 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,080 that when you hear or see thunder and lightning or flashes of light, 470 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:37,600 it's a very powerful moment. 471 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:41,960 It's like the universe is moving in some way. 472 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:44,880 Absolutely. And Shakespeare knew this very well, 473 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,920 which is why it becomes part of the poetry of his plays as well. 474 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,560 And what's the significance in Shakespeare's plays 475 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:55,200 when something like that appears, a comet, a shooting star? 476 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:58,520 Well, often, it is about prophecy. 477 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:02,160 In that time period, they read the heavens or the cosmos as having 478 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:06,440 great meaning. And, so, God was trying to send them messages. 479 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,720 So, one of the messages of Robert Dudley's display to the Queen 480 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:12,840 could have been, "Our love is written in the stars." 481 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:14,400 Literally, yes! 482 00:25:23,120 --> 00:25:25,720 Coming back to the Globe at night, 483 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,920 it's hard to appreciate what London must have been like 484 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:31,680 4.5 centuries ago, 485 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:35,120 to the people walking along the banks of the Thames after having 486 00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:37,840 experienced one of Shakespeare's masterpieces. 487 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,160 It was a very different world, 488 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,160 compared to how it's all lit up today. 489 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:49,880 I think, in Tudor times, 490 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:54,080 we'd have to picture the sky being pitch-y black, 491 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,160 maybe just the moon picking out the rooftops, 492 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:00,840 maybe the occasional gleam of a candle in a window. 493 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:02,800 Which means that the pyrotechnics 494 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,320 that the original audience would have seen at the Globe 495 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:09,720 must have made a profound impression upon them. 496 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,520 And it's that impact that I hope to experience, 497 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:21,320 if we manage to light up the night sky over Kenilworth Castle. 498 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,840 If we can evoke these emotions of awe and wonder, 499 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:29,960 then we will have got to the heart and soul 500 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,120 of a genuine Tudor firework display. 501 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:41,040 It will all come down to how well we manage to recreate the fireworks 502 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:42,880 that have been lost to history. 503 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:45,160 And Zoe's getting down to work, 504 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:49,440 beginning with the most versatile of the fireworks in our plan, 505 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:53,080 the fountain, or the gerb, as it's known in the trade. 506 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:59,360 The gerb is the unsung hero of any Tudor display. 507 00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:02,360 It produces a beautiful fountain of sparks, 508 00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:05,400 and I'm determined that every step I take in building it 509 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,240 is as authentic as it can be. 510 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,160 In Babington's guide, the old firemaster offers us 511 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:14,600 a series of instructions on how to make the tools for the job. 512 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,240 Mike and I are making them out of wood, 513 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:21,240 according to our Tudor specifications. 514 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:22,800 So, what's the first step? 515 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:25,560 Right, so we need to turn it down into a cylinder shape. 516 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,400 Our gerb tool comprises two wooden cylinders. 517 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,080 One is used to create the shape of the firework's paper tube... 518 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,840 I've used a lathe lots of times but I've never made a firework on one. 519 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:38,920 This is exciting. 520 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,840 ..the other cylinder has a spindle on it. 521 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,840 When the paper tube is packed with gunpowder, 522 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,040 the spindle leaves a small void 523 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,480 in which combustion takes place. 524 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:52,800 There we have it, our first gerb tool. 525 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:55,240 Excellent, that's absolutely perfect. 526 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,840 That is a perfect nipple. Thanks very much! 527 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,120 Precision is everything. 528 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:03,920 These tools must fit together perfectly 529 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:07,520 if they're going to be used to make fireworks in Babington's style. 530 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:09,920 So, this is like the rammer? 531 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,880 Exactly, this is the drift that's going to compress all the powder 532 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,280 into that gerb tube, so that should match up. 533 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:16,880 So, does your thing fit in my slot? 534 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,680 I can't when you say that! 535 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:24,920 Armed with the right tools for the job, 536 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,520 we can now start to roll the paper casing 537 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:31,320 that will house the gunpowder in our first firework. 538 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:34,800 No pressure. No pressure. No, I mean lots of pressure. 539 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,160 It's like baking meets... 540 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,880 some sort of cigarette-making process. 541 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,160 Actually, this is going... 542 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,720 This is really good. This is going quite well! 543 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,640 Modern firework-making is a simpler process using wet paper, 544 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:51,160 which is more manageable. 545 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:54,320 But we're staying authentic to Babington's guide. 546 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,720 So dry rolling is the Tudor technique? 547 00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:59,240 Yeah, that's right. More difficult. 548 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:02,960 When you've dry rolled the tube, what we're going to do 549 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:06,000 is we've got to crimp this tube. So, to make a kind of collar in it? 550 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:07,880 Exactly, that's going to be our choke. In fact, 551 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:09,040 in Babington's guide, 552 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,560 there's this picture here of a tube with this collar. 553 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,640 So, is that the choke? That's the choke, yeah. Right. 554 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:19,080 The choke helps the gerb produce its spectacular fountain effect. 555 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,560 So, in use, it'll be that way up. 556 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,640 You want a fountain of sparks coming out of the top? 557 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:27,040 Yes, very much so. 558 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:30,760 And this collar helps you produce, you know, a nice arc of sparks? 559 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:33,480 Yes. Think of a garden hose squirting water out. 560 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,400 If you've just got the hosepipe, the water just wells out, 561 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:39,000 but if you then restrict the end of that hose and tighten it, 562 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,400 it turns into a tight jet and goes harder and faster, 563 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,800 so that's exactly what that's doing. 564 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,360 We're going to get some string, and we've got to pull it 565 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:48,320 really tight around that cardboard, 566 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,040 and the only way to do this is body weight. 567 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:54,040 That's what's happening here? That's exactly what's happening there. 568 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:56,680 People are using their body weight to pull on the string? 569 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:58,280 Right, if you want to... 570 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,360 Thank you. That goes onto one end. 571 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,760 I'm going to tie you onto a post so that you can pull against... 572 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,600 He's stood there? So, he's got that higher, 573 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:08,520 and he's sitting into it. 574 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,240 Keep going, keep going, that's it. There! 575 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:14,440 Oh, I'm making... It's like a really... 576 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,920 stiff Christmas cracker. The Christmas cracker from hell. Yeah. 577 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,320 Right. Yeah? And another bit there. 578 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,440 And then you can pull out your... There we have it. 579 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:25,600 There's our choke hole. 580 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:29,040 All that's left now is to fill it with gunpowder. 581 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:32,400 Funnel goes on top. Yep. Literally that much is plenty. 582 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,200 And, unfortunately, it's at this point you're going to 583 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:39,440 have to walk away. Oh. This is the dangerous bit? 584 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:41,560 This is the dangerous bit. Fair enough, OK! 585 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:44,160 Fireworks factory manager Don Mansfield is going to use 586 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:46,480 the cylinder from the gerb tool 587 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:48,520 to compress the powder into the tube, 588 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:50,080 which will make it burn evenly. 589 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:51,520 Can we watch? 590 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:54,240 The problem is, compressing the gunpowder with the mallet 591 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:56,320 introduces energy which could ignite it. 592 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,280 And this is dangerous because...? It could explode. 593 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:03,160 After all, a firework is, essentially, 594 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:06,240 a bomb with a paper casing rather than a metal one. 595 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,560 As a pyrotechnician with years of experience, 596 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:20,920 Don knows that every strike of the mallet is potentially lethal. 597 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:26,440 Right, so that's that full, you can come in now. Lovely. 598 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,160 Twist that and pull that off. 599 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:30,000 There we go. 600 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,160 There's our gerb! Yep. 601 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:33,920 Whoa. It's all ready for use. 602 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:38,960 Now is a milestone moment in our mission. 603 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:42,880 Our first firework, made to Tudor design. 604 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:45,760 We're pretty close. We are. You'll be fine. 605 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:48,760 Will it work? 606 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:50,280 I'll just go here. 607 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:53,960 How are you firing it? Just a normal battery. 608 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:58,600 Three, two, one, firing. 609 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:03,320 FIZZING 610 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:06,480 That's fantastic! 611 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,480 What a great colour. Really rich orange. 612 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:13,440 I love it! It's very pretty, isn't it? The iron's lovely, it sparkles. 613 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:15,680 Our first firework! Yes! 614 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:17,640 Well done. Oh, I'm really pleased. 615 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,000 We're on our way. More to make. Yeah. Better get hammering. 616 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,240 So, we've successfully made a firework fountain, 617 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:33,400 or gerb, as Babington called it. 618 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:37,720 Next are the frightening-looking horizontal spinning wheels. 619 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:39,160 Now, Simon, 620 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:41,400 Zoe is off making fireworks... Mm. 621 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:45,440 ..but she's given me this page from Babington's book, 622 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:49,280 and she's set me the task of finding out a bit more 623 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:53,000 what that one is there. Right. Well, that's a fantastic firework, 624 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:57,040 so that is a wheel of fire, what the Italians called a girandole. 625 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,280 And it's basically a cartwheel, 626 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:01,120 it's a big wheel that's got fireworks 627 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:04,560 put around the perimeter, and then you put it on to a pole, 628 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,760 and you either put it horizontally or vertically, 629 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:09,120 and then it spins around, 630 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:12,280 and it shoots out flames and sparks, and stars, 631 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,120 and it's really exciting to see. 632 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,640 It shoots out sparks into the crowd? 633 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:18,800 Well, yes, exactly. So, it's, quite close, you know, 634 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,840 you're quite close up to these fireworks, and, uh, 635 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:23,760 so it's a really impressive effect. 636 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:25,680 And then it could be quite dangerous. 637 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:29,320 Do you think that these English gunners writing about fireworks 638 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:31,600 perhaps read this Italian book? 639 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,240 They may well have done. 640 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:36,320 One of them refers to these wheels as girandole, 641 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:38,360 so they use the term that the Italians used, 642 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:42,240 and the Italians were famous then, as now, for their fireworks, 643 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:46,040 so it's quite possible the English gunners might have looked 644 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,280 to them as a model for how to do their practice. 645 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:51,760 And then they reproduced them in their displays. 646 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:53,560 But if you want to find out about it, 647 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:57,440 you're going to need to go to Italy. Oh, do I need to go to Italy? 648 00:33:57,440 --> 00:33:59,840 What a shame! Well, someone's got to do it. 649 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:10,360 As per Simon's strict instructions, 650 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:12,480 I'm in Italy - 651 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:15,120 firework capital of Europe in the Middle Ages. 652 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,320 Now, this might not be your idea of the gently rolling 653 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,360 Tuscan countryside, 654 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:26,040 but there's a reason that you might very well build 655 00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:29,040 a fireworks factory in the middle of a desolate plain, 656 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:31,120 with no other houses nearby. 657 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:34,800 There's a risk that it might blow up. 658 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,320 Ah, buongiorno! Buongiorno. 659 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,320 You must be Paola! 660 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:51,600 Paola. Oh, very lovely to meet you. Welcome, Lucy. 661 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,440 I've come here to just outside Pisa 662 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,600 to meet a small, family-run fireworks firm 663 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:00,600 that's been going for four generations. 664 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,600 And girandole, things that go round, are in their blood. 665 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:11,960 Now, I hear you've been researching the girandole firework? 666 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,200 Si. For many years? 667 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,760 That's him! 668 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,920 No way! That's 17 children? 669 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:37,520 Three wives? He had three wives, he had 17 children! 670 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:43,800 He was a pyrotechnical man, in his work, in his life. PAOLA LAUGHS 671 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,040 He had the world's biggest mortar, 672 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,920 and this is his notebook of firework recipes. 673 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:56,760 So, this is the recipe to make the fountain of the girandole? Si. 674 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:58,440 That's the light part? 675 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:05,880 They're jumped! 676 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:11,400 You push it down? Yeah. Yeah. 677 00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:21,560 Let's go! 678 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:30,280 The girandola. Vecchia. 679 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,040 Firework from the '60s. 680 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:48,520 OK. And where does...? Are these the fireworks? 681 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:49,680 So they go? 682 00:36:57,920 --> 00:36:59,520 I think we want many. 683 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,240 Si. Multi, multi, multi! OK! 684 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:07,760 OK? OK. What sort of shape is it supposed to make? 685 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:09,720 What's it supposed to look like? 686 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:14,160 A willow? 687 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:25,840 That's rather beautiful. It's supposed to look like 688 00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:28,520 a white weeping willow tree? White. 689 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,080 I can't wait to see you burning it up later on! 690 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,640 The anticipation, as Paola and her team use the skills 691 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:48,960 that have been in her family for four generations, 692 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:51,400 to resurrect a firework from history, 693 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:54,160 is really rather overwhelming. 694 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:56,920 How will this antique perform? 695 00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:01,320 There's a reason you don't see so many of these girandole in displays 696 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:04,760 any more, because sparks literally fly. 697 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:07,200 They come whizzing out in this horizontal plane, 698 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,280 right into the spectators. 699 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:11,800 So, when we press fire, we're going to run? Yes. 700 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:13,680 Are we ready? 701 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:15,160 Shall we go? Yeah. 702 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:17,680 BOTH: Three, two, one... 703 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:19,120 Fire! 704 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:24,520 IT SIZZLES 705 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:26,440 THEY CHEER 706 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:49,040 Seeing the girandola in action, 707 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:51,720 it's not quite such a mystery why you don't see them any more. 708 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:57,800 Any show with a girandola risks setting off everything else 709 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,640 with its huge arc of beautiful sparks. 710 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:09,320 So, in our display, we'll have to handle this rare firework 711 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:11,000 with extreme care. 712 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:17,520 The next star of our show is the rocket. 713 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:22,520 These were the flying favourites of the Tudor firework display. 714 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:27,920 How are we doing, Mike? Are we all set up? Very good. 715 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:30,520 It's all set up and ready for you. 716 00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:33,280 The rocket is essentially an upside-down gerb, 717 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:35,400 but with one slight difference. 718 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:39,440 It's made with a long channel running through the gunpowder. 719 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:43,360 This creates a greater combustible area inside the tube. 720 00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:46,760 More powder burns more quickly, 721 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,720 generating thrust to drive the rocket upwards. 722 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,760 To make that channel, we need the help of a Tudor tool 723 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:56,360 with an extra long spindle. 724 00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:59,840 So, we're just going to make a sort of pointy stick, aren't we? 725 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:03,040 A pointy stick, exactly right, out of brass, so it's non-sparking. 726 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:05,240 And that's the spindle? 727 00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:07,280 That's the spindle, that's right. 728 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:10,520 So, we put the spindle in first and then pack the gunpowder 729 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:14,160 in around it... That's it. And then take it out to leave that void? 730 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:16,120 Perfect, yeah. 731 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:18,840 Yeah, that will do for the first cut. That's enough? OK. Yeah. 732 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:21,880 Here it comes. 733 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,320 Yes! Look at that, what a beauty! 734 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:26,120 Our perfect spindle, love it. 735 00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:33,120 So now we have the spindle, the rest of the process 736 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:34,960 is identical to making a gerb. 737 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:37,880 Dry-rolling paper to fabricate a tube. 738 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:42,000 Right. There we go. Ta-da, a tube! 739 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:44,600 And this is where our spindle comes in. 740 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:46,880 So this is what makes the difference between the rocket 741 00:40:46,880 --> 00:40:48,880 and the gerb? Yes. Terrific. 742 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:50,960 So, when we pack this in and take it out, 743 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:54,880 we'll leave a void that will increase the surface area inside, 744 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:56,160 and then create more gas. 745 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,600 A perfect stick for you. Lovely. 746 00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:05,160 Thank you. 747 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:07,160 Nice. Terrific. 748 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:09,080 Right. How do we know if this is the right length? 749 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:12,320 Right, so there's a balance point, and the balance point is always 750 00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:13,920 where the exit of the motor is. OK. 751 00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:16,760 So, if you put your finger on there, is it balanced? 752 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:20,240 No. Not in the slightest. So, we need to chop some of the stick off. 753 00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:24,160 Yeah, more, please. Without a perfectly balanced stick, 754 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:27,440 the rocket could careen out of control. 755 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:30,520 There we have it, a perfectly balanced rocket. 756 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,360 And, in theory, this should fly straight and true. 757 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:42,760 There's only one way to find out - testing in the field. 758 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:44,440 No, literally, a cow field. 759 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:50,720 We've set up our first Elizabethan rocket to put it through its paces. 760 00:41:50,720 --> 00:41:53,880 Right, a firework we've made following Babington's 761 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:57,160 design and referencing other manuals of the day 762 00:41:57,160 --> 00:41:59,320 is now primed and ready to go. 763 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,640 It's about 30 metres from us, that way. 764 00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:05,880 Rockets with sticks are now considered too dangerous 765 00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:07,960 for public displays in the UK, 766 00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:11,000 so safety goggles and a 30-metre exclusion zone 767 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:13,200 are absolutely essential. 768 00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:18,320 After all, we are making what is effectively an Elizabethan missile, 769 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:21,080 based on a 400-year-old instruction manual. 770 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,800 The honest truth is we don't know what's going to happen. 771 00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:27,680 This is a test, and the only way we're going to find out 772 00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:30,880 is by setting it off. Great, so, I've armed it, it's ready to go... 773 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:32,680 Yep. ..all you have to do is press the button. 774 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:36,560 Right. Three, two, one... 775 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:39,640 Whoa-ho-ho! Ooh! 776 00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:40,680 Oh, my God! 777 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:43,920 It...it... It blew up! 778 00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:46,520 It didn't lift much. Nothing went up! 779 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:52,880 It didn't even make it off the launchpad. 780 00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,400 Luckily, we rigged multiple high-speed cameras 781 00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:59,480 so we could figure out the science behind what went wrong. 782 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:05,680 Oh! Oh! THEY LAUGH 783 00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:07,720 Very quick. Yeah. 784 00:43:07,720 --> 00:43:09,920 This is a thousand frames a second, 785 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:12,680 and, within about a second, it was... 786 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:15,440 Blown to smithereens. ..dust. Yeah. 787 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:18,040 You can see, it ignites, and then it starts to lift, 788 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:20,880 it's literally two inches off there. Boom. And it goes, yeah. 789 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:24,120 The pressure was just building up so much in that case. 790 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:32,160 We think the rocket blew up because the channel made by the spindle 791 00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:36,160 was just too long. This means that too big a surface area 792 00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:38,240 of gunpowder was exposed, 793 00:43:38,240 --> 00:43:41,880 resulting in an excess of hot, expanding gases, 794 00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:44,960 vainly attempting to escape through the tiny choke. 795 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:49,880 The rapidly expanding gases 796 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:52,560 simply blew the casing to pieces. 797 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:01,600 To counteract this, we need to make the channel shorter... 798 00:44:02,720 --> 00:44:06,720 exposing a smaller surface area of gunpowder inside the rocket. 799 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:14,760 The last one was, let's face it, a bit of a disaster. 800 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,880 So, we've made some adjustments and, hopefully, 801 00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:19,320 this one will hit the spot. 802 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:21,600 Let's give it a go. Give it a go. Ready? 803 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:25,840 Three, two, one... 804 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:29,720 Ooh! Oh! 805 00:44:29,720 --> 00:44:31,840 And it's still going! 806 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:34,280 Wow. I think that was a big improvement. 807 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:39,760 With our design modifications, 808 00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:42,120 we've achieved our goal and created a rocket 809 00:44:42,120 --> 00:44:44,120 that flies straight and true. 810 00:44:45,160 --> 00:44:48,040 Now, that's a confident takeoff. 811 00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:51,840 That's a confident takeoff, that's a nice jet of gas coming out. 812 00:44:51,840 --> 00:44:53,680 I think that's quite a good effort. 813 00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:01,080 I think we've cracked it. We have a working rocket. 814 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:05,160 And very much in the spirit of the traditional Babington firework. 815 00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:08,880 That is an entirely handmade Tudor-style rocket. 816 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:11,520 It's a spectacular achievement, 817 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:14,040 and it must have delighted and terrified 818 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:17,400 Dudley and his audience to see something flying so high 819 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,720 into the skies above. 820 00:45:20,720 --> 00:45:24,600 What was the meaning of a rocket to the Tudor viewer? 821 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:28,640 Rockets are what they called artificial meteors. 822 00:45:28,640 --> 00:45:31,800 These effects are considered to be portents, 823 00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:34,840 they're considered to be signs sent by God. 824 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:37,040 I learnt about this from Shakespeare. 825 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:39,640 If you see a shooting star or a comet, 826 00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:43,880 it means that something very profound is about to happen. 827 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,920 Exactly. Now, imagine taking that outside 828 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:50,200 and putting it into a display on a huge scale. 829 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:54,040 This is a combination of the theatre and the military, 830 00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:57,120 so you go in the field, you have rockets, 831 00:45:57,120 --> 00:46:01,440 you can send these things up, you know, high up into the air, 832 00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:03,880 and that's going to have a really big effect on people. 833 00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:07,400 So, I think that's something that Elizabeth might have appreciated 834 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:09,000 from her suitor. 835 00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:12,680 Three! Two! 836 00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:13,680 One... 837 00:46:14,720 --> 00:46:17,480 The elements of our display are coming together. 838 00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:19,600 We've built our first rocket, 839 00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:21,240 we've found our cannon, 840 00:46:21,240 --> 00:46:23,200 we've made the gerb 841 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:25,480 and tracked down the girandola. 842 00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:27,520 THEY CHEER 843 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,400 Now, here, at the centre of Babington's plan, 844 00:46:31,400 --> 00:46:34,800 are some rather ambitious-looking fireworks. 845 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:36,240 The name says it all. 846 00:46:36,240 --> 00:46:39,120 It's a simple but effective idea. 847 00:46:39,120 --> 00:46:43,680 You take a rocket, then fire a box of them all at the same time. 848 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:52,720 As with the girandola, details of how it works are scarce, 849 00:46:52,720 --> 00:46:54,320 at least in the UK. 850 00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:59,400 To find out, Zoe has travelled to the other side of the world, 851 00:46:59,400 --> 00:47:00,960 to South Korea. 852 00:47:02,920 --> 00:47:06,400 It's the only place where you can still find the Hwacha, 853 00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:08,600 a multiple rocket launcher, 854 00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:11,840 developed in the Far East over 600 years ago. 855 00:47:11,840 --> 00:47:13,760 And it's remarkably similar 856 00:47:13,760 --> 00:47:17,000 to the rocket boxes in our Tudor display. 857 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:20,720 For its time, it was an exceptionally advanced piece 858 00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:22,080 of military weaponry, 859 00:47:22,080 --> 00:47:25,200 firing up to 200 rocket-powered arrows simultaneously. 860 00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:32,720 I've come to an explosives factory 861 00:47:32,720 --> 00:47:34,760 in a remote western province. 862 00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:37,680 Dr Chae? 863 00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:40,400 ..where I tracked down one of the best authorities 864 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:42,360 on ancient Korean rockets. 865 00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:47,600 So, we're making a traditional rocket, is that the singijeon? 866 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:49,560 Singijeon. 867 00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:50,960 Singijeon? Yes. 868 00:47:58,720 --> 00:48:02,480 It's been used since the 1400s? Wow. 869 00:48:02,480 --> 00:48:05,080 And this is a weapon more than a firework. 870 00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:06,920 This is to fire at your enemies. Mm-hmm. 871 00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:15,120 Look at these tools. These tools are amazing. Are they steel? 872 00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:19,720 These are... 873 00:48:19,720 --> 00:48:21,480 The spitting image of the tools 874 00:48:21,480 --> 00:48:23,480 we've seen in Babington's manual. 875 00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:27,120 Yet they're made of steel. 876 00:48:27,120 --> 00:48:29,480 We are now thousands of miles from Britain, 877 00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:31,600 and the same objects are being used, 878 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:33,640 albeit in a different material, 879 00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:35,520 but the principle is the same. 880 00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:37,760 These are the tools you need for making fireworks, 881 00:48:37,760 --> 00:48:39,680 and they have been so for hundreds of years. 882 00:48:41,720 --> 00:48:42,920 Ooh! 883 00:48:49,720 --> 00:48:51,560 You're making me nervous! 884 00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:53,400 OK, so, here comes the gunpowder. 885 00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:54,800 Uh-huh, this is gunpowder. 886 00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:56,200 This is when I stand back. 887 00:48:56,200 --> 00:48:57,440 OK. That's good idea. 888 00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:00,520 This is the dangerous part, 889 00:49:00,520 --> 00:49:03,400 when they start filling the rocket with the gunpowder and compacting 890 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:05,960 it down. Now, they are using steel tools, 891 00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:08,920 this is something we would never do in Britain because steel tools can 892 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:12,520 generate a spark and that spark can ignite the gunpowder. 893 00:49:12,520 --> 00:49:16,560 But they have assured me it's safe because we are in 80% humidity 894 00:49:16,560 --> 00:49:19,560 and that means the gunpowder is slightly damp and can't set on fire. 895 00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:22,000 But...I'm still going to stand back. 896 00:49:24,600 --> 00:49:25,680 Ooh! 897 00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:26,920 God! 898 00:49:29,520 --> 00:49:31,960 It's like an instinct, just to feel anxious at this moment. 899 00:49:35,720 --> 00:49:38,520 That hammer just tapping that metal rod then, 900 00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:40,680 that could set the whole thing alight 901 00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:42,520 and we would have an explosion on our hands. 902 00:49:50,280 --> 00:49:53,480 So it would have had a large arrowhead on the end, 903 00:49:53,480 --> 00:49:55,320 but we're using smaller, 904 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:58,000 blunter tips for these arrows. 905 00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:01,200 Imagine a snooker cue coming at you at 100mph. 906 00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:02,280 That's... Yeah, deadly. 907 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,640 So, now we're using string to bind the engine, 908 00:50:07,640 --> 00:50:10,560 the gunpowder-filled chamber, onto the arrow. 909 00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:13,120 OK. Yeah. 910 00:50:14,840 --> 00:50:17,880 Here we have it, our singijeon. 911 00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:20,320 And these are going to fly out of our hwacha. 912 00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:24,000 So this is where fireworks cross over to the battlefield. 913 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:33,920 Doctor Chae's team have one of just 20 working hwachas in existence. 914 00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:38,160 So now we're privileged to see what the enemy would have faced four 915 00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:39,360 centuries ago. 916 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:50,760 When the hwacha deploys, it's a fearsome sight. 917 00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:54,560 I definitely want these in our display, 918 00:50:54,560 --> 00:50:56,960 although I'm getting rather nervous. 919 00:50:56,960 --> 00:51:00,960 If a stray spark finds its way into the rocket box, 920 00:51:00,960 --> 00:51:05,800 our entire arsenal of Tudor fireworks could go up in flames. 921 00:51:12,120 --> 00:51:15,320 Both Zoe and I know this is going to be a challenge, 922 00:51:15,320 --> 00:51:17,360 but we aren't deterred. 923 00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:18,840 Halfway through our quest, 924 00:51:18,840 --> 00:51:23,120 there's still plenty to do to create a display fit for a queen. 925 00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:29,120 To recreate the celebrations put on for Elizabeth I as faithfully as 926 00:51:29,120 --> 00:51:32,240 possible, we need to do it at the castle 927 00:51:32,240 --> 00:51:35,520 where it all happened in 1575. 928 00:51:35,520 --> 00:51:39,920 It's time to base ourselves near Kenilworth Castle itself, 929 00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:44,560 the grand backdrop to arguably the most high-profile marriage proposal 930 00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:49,000 in history. It was gifted to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, 931 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:52,800 by the object of his affections, Elizabeth I, 932 00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:56,840 so it was fitting that he should choose it as a backdrop for his most 933 00:51:56,840 --> 00:52:00,680 extravagant attempt to win her hand in marriage. 934 00:52:00,680 --> 00:52:05,720 Remember that £24 million that Robert Dudley spent on his party? 935 00:52:05,760 --> 00:52:08,680 Well, he didn't blow it all on the fireworks. 936 00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:13,680 He spent the few years running up to the event transforming his castle. 937 00:52:14,280 --> 00:52:17,280 He completely remodelled a four-storey tower 938 00:52:17,280 --> 00:52:19,000 for the Queen to stay in 939 00:52:19,000 --> 00:52:24,000 and he added this magnificent garden that's been lovingly recreated 940 00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:26,080 to his original specifications. 941 00:52:29,280 --> 00:52:31,760 During three weeks of celebrations, 942 00:52:31,760 --> 00:52:35,920 Dudley laid on some truly elaborate entertainment to try and woo 943 00:52:35,920 --> 00:52:40,920 Elizabeth - notably, bear-baiting, Tudor dancing and, of course, 944 00:52:41,240 --> 00:52:44,120 the spectacular fireworks. 945 00:52:44,120 --> 00:52:47,680 Reports are quite sketchy as to where exactly the pyrotechnics 946 00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:51,640 took place, but it's highly likely that the Earl would have framed them 947 00:52:51,640 --> 00:52:54,560 in the striking silhouette of Kenilworth. 948 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:58,040 It's here where we will watch our Tudor fireworks, 949 00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:02,240 as Elizabeth may have viewed them herself over 400 years ago. 950 00:53:06,720 --> 00:53:09,760 But first a chance to catch up with Zoe, 951 00:53:09,760 --> 00:53:13,640 who I know has got big plans for our display. 952 00:53:13,640 --> 00:53:17,400 Now, I've always been intrigued by the utterly gigantic rocket at 953 00:53:17,400 --> 00:53:21,440 the front here. I'm really up for having the big rocket 954 00:53:21,440 --> 00:53:24,520 front and centre as the climax of our display. 955 00:53:24,520 --> 00:53:26,360 I've done some rocket making... 956 00:53:26,360 --> 00:53:28,120 Have you now? Yeah. 957 00:53:28,120 --> 00:53:30,640 And I have not made something this big. 958 00:53:30,640 --> 00:53:32,240 You don't make rockets this big. 959 00:53:32,240 --> 00:53:34,560 Why not? Because it's dangerous? Because it's dangerous. 960 00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:36,120 Yeah. Oh, really? Perfect. 961 00:53:36,120 --> 00:53:39,960 It is true that at a firework display in 1572, 962 00:53:39,960 --> 00:53:44,000 a stray firework set fire to somebody's house, killed two people 963 00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:46,120 and the village had to be compensated to the tune of 964 00:53:46,120 --> 00:53:47,600 £25 by the Queen. 965 00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:50,200 Well, that's what we face if this... 966 00:53:50,200 --> 00:53:52,760 What, a bill of £25? THEY LAUGH 967 00:53:52,760 --> 00:53:56,840 One of the unusual features of Tudor displays is that the set itself 968 00:53:56,840 --> 00:53:58,960 would have been viewed as a work of art. 969 00:54:00,120 --> 00:54:03,760 As you can see on the chequerboard floor, there's contrast there. 970 00:54:03,760 --> 00:54:05,480 I'll go off and do a bit of research, then. 971 00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:07,360 It needs to look good 972 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:10,200 by daylight, before it gets blown up, basically, 973 00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:13,280 so you can see what it is that's about to be destroyed. Yeah. 974 00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:18,960 So what colours might Robert Dudley have painted his Tudor fireworks 975 00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:22,200 set in order both to make a personal statement 976 00:54:22,200 --> 00:54:24,280 and to impress Elizabeth I? 977 00:54:26,080 --> 00:54:30,320 Searching for clues at Kenilworth is a challenge, as most of Dudley's 978 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:32,800 personal possessions have long been lost 979 00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:36,760 and the castle was destroyed in 1649, 980 00:54:36,760 --> 00:54:41,800 so I'm meeting an authority on Robert Dudley, Elizabeth Goldring, 981 00:54:42,160 --> 00:54:45,480 on the trail of the few scraps of evidence about his life, 982 00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:47,600 which could lead me to the solution. 983 00:54:50,280 --> 00:54:53,480 So, Elizabeth, it's a tapestry. 984 00:54:53,480 --> 00:54:55,120 What is it showing? 985 00:54:55,120 --> 00:54:57,400 Well, in the centre is 986 00:54:57,400 --> 00:54:59,240 Dudley's coat of arms 987 00:54:59,240 --> 00:55:03,200 and it is surmounted by a muzzled 988 00:55:03,200 --> 00:55:06,240 bear holding a ragged staff. 989 00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:09,520 The colours of the tapestry are a little bit faded. 990 00:55:09,520 --> 00:55:11,120 I'm interested in the colours. 991 00:55:11,120 --> 00:55:14,280 Can I see your... Yes. ..sort of freshened-up version? 992 00:55:14,280 --> 00:55:19,280 The dominant colours are blue, red and gold, or azure, gules and ore. 993 00:55:20,840 --> 00:55:23,040 Oh, OK, the language of heraldry. I believe so. 994 00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:26,520 I think so, yes. He's very well colour-coordinated, isn't he, 995 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:29,160 because he's got his blue Order of the Garter... 996 00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:32,080 Yes. ..he's got his red and gold earl's cap... Yes. 997 00:55:32,080 --> 00:55:33,880 ..and then his family colours are the same. 998 00:55:33,880 --> 00:55:36,080 Yes, it's very striking. They're blue, they're red, 999 00:55:36,080 --> 00:55:37,840 they're gold. Very striking, isn't it? 1000 00:55:37,840 --> 00:55:40,640 If I were Robert Dudley putting on a fireworks display and I wanted to 1001 00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:44,080 paint my set, then I might do it in my own colours. 1002 00:55:44,080 --> 00:55:46,520 Might to be a good idea. 1003 00:55:46,520 --> 00:55:48,760 That's a pretty good steer. 1004 00:55:48,760 --> 00:55:52,120 But the Tudors loved a broad mix of bright colours, 1005 00:55:52,120 --> 00:55:56,240 so I wonder if there are any more clues hidden in these exhibits. 1006 00:55:57,920 --> 00:56:02,120 So here we've got some stained glass from the castle 1007 00:56:02,120 --> 00:56:07,120 and this is an interesting colour. We haven't seen it this far... No. 1008 00:56:07,280 --> 00:56:10,800 ..and it's not a standard Tudor colour, by any means, is it? 1009 00:56:10,800 --> 00:56:12,960 In Dudley's Circle, orange, as a colour, 1010 00:56:12,960 --> 00:56:16,000 was sort of code for William of Orange. 1011 00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:20,280 Dudley was absolutely obsessed with getting the Queen to send him to the 1012 00:56:20,280 --> 00:56:23,520 Netherlands as the head of an English expeditionary force to help 1013 00:56:23,520 --> 00:56:27,800 out the Dutch. So he's saying, "I'm on your side, Dutch people. 1014 00:56:27,800 --> 00:56:29,240 "I'm a hot Protestant. 1015 00:56:29,240 --> 00:56:30,800 "Come on, Queenie, how about it? 1016 00:56:30,800 --> 00:56:32,160 "Send me over to help them." 1017 00:56:33,880 --> 00:56:37,440 From the few clues still in existence from Dudley's life, 1018 00:56:37,440 --> 00:56:39,000 we've managed to pinpoint 1019 00:56:39,000 --> 00:56:41,920 some of what would have been his favoured colours. 1020 00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:43,960 Our set will be made up of the colours 1021 00:56:43,960 --> 00:56:45,680 from the Earl's coat of arms - 1022 00:56:45,680 --> 00:56:47,040 blue... 1023 00:56:47,040 --> 00:56:48,520 gold... 1024 00:56:48,520 --> 00:56:49,960 and red. 1025 00:56:49,960 --> 00:56:53,680 And to show his political support for the Protestant Dutch against the 1026 00:56:53,680 --> 00:56:56,600 Catholic Spanish, we're adding a touch of orange. 1027 00:57:04,720 --> 00:57:06,440 As I told Lucy over tea, 1028 00:57:06,440 --> 00:57:08,840 one of the most exciting elements in the show, 1029 00:57:08,840 --> 00:57:12,440 which I'm really looking forward to testing, is Babington's big rocket. 1030 00:57:14,720 --> 00:57:18,120 Positioned at the front of our display, it's simply bonkers. 1031 00:57:19,640 --> 00:57:23,640 Judging from the scale, it's ten times the size of the normal rockets 1032 00:57:23,640 --> 00:57:25,720 and we've seen how unpredictable they can be. 1033 00:57:29,520 --> 00:57:33,560 Very few have been mad enough to make gunpowder rockets this size 1034 00:57:33,560 --> 00:57:35,160 for centuries. 1035 00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:37,280 Until now. 1036 00:57:39,160 --> 00:57:43,440 Babington never specified just how big a rocket could be, 1037 00:57:43,440 --> 00:57:46,280 so we're going to test his principles and just scale it up. 1038 00:57:46,280 --> 00:57:48,280 We've got some great big cardboard tubes, 1039 00:57:48,280 --> 00:57:50,480 an old broom handle as the stick 1040 00:57:50,480 --> 00:57:53,840 and we're using more gunpowder than we have in any of our fireworks so 1041 00:57:53,840 --> 00:57:55,800 far, and we're going to see how it flies. 1042 00:58:01,840 --> 00:58:04,280 We're significantly further back than last time, aren't we? 1043 00:58:04,280 --> 00:58:06,640 A lot further back. So it'd be really dangerous if I pressed 1044 00:58:06,640 --> 00:58:07,840 the button right now, yeah? 1045 00:58:07,840 --> 00:58:10,200 THEY LAUGH Don't do it! 1046 00:58:10,200 --> 00:58:11,280 All eyes on the rocket. 1047 00:58:15,640 --> 00:58:17,160 OK. All good? Yeah. 1048 00:58:17,160 --> 00:58:19,800 Why are you standing behind me, then? 1049 00:58:19,800 --> 00:58:22,520 THEY CHUCKLE 1050 00:58:22,520 --> 00:58:24,120 Yeah, let's do it. OK. 1051 00:58:27,840 --> 00:58:30,120 Five...four... 1052 00:58:30,120 --> 00:58:32,320 three...two... 1053 00:58:32,320 --> 00:58:33,880 one... 1054 00:58:37,280 --> 00:58:39,400 ZOE GASPS 1055 00:58:41,320 --> 00:58:43,160 THEY CHUCKLE 1056 00:58:43,160 --> 00:58:44,320 Oh, jeez! 1057 00:58:45,680 --> 00:58:46,680 Look at that tube. 1058 00:58:48,320 --> 00:58:50,840 The broomstick hasn't moved! THEY LAUGH 1059 00:58:50,840 --> 00:58:53,320 The top came off. Shall we go and have a look? 1060 00:58:53,320 --> 00:58:55,960 Yeah. I think it's clear. Let me turn this off. 1061 00:58:55,960 --> 00:58:58,080 Look at that fantastic cloud of smoke. 1062 00:58:58,080 --> 00:59:01,320 It's lovely, isn't it? Look at that. 1063 00:59:01,320 --> 00:59:03,000 It smells like November the 5th. 1064 00:59:04,480 --> 00:59:06,440 It's blown the top clean off. Mm. 1065 00:59:06,440 --> 00:59:09,000 I think it's back to the drawing board if we want to make a big one. 1066 00:59:09,000 --> 00:59:10,400 Yeah. 1067 00:59:11,880 --> 00:59:13,640 Right. Workshop, here we come. 1068 00:59:15,920 --> 00:59:19,960 Scaling the rocket up meant we needed to add more gunpowder to help 1069 00:59:19,960 --> 00:59:21,680 it take off. 1070 00:59:21,680 --> 00:59:25,720 This is a careful balance of the thrust to weight ratio. 1071 00:59:25,720 --> 00:59:29,120 As the rocket gets bigger, you need more gunpowder. 1072 00:59:29,120 --> 00:59:30,560 But that increases the weight. 1073 00:59:31,800 --> 00:59:34,720 And with all that gas being produced at once, 1074 00:59:34,720 --> 00:59:37,200 it couldn't escape fast enough and... 1075 00:59:39,640 --> 00:59:42,400 Not only is the display just days away, 1076 00:59:42,400 --> 00:59:45,760 we've also invited a select audience of people who have helped us. 1077 00:59:45,760 --> 00:59:49,680 The last thing we want is a pyrotechnic disaster like this. 1078 00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:54,360 But I'm hopeful that, with a bit more experimentation, 1079 00:59:54,360 --> 00:59:55,760 we'll nail it in time. 1080 00:59:59,080 --> 01:00:01,000 It's some journey we've been on 1081 01:00:01,000 --> 01:00:04,120 and we've almost all the elements we need for our display. 1082 01:00:04,120 --> 01:00:07,200 We've sourced gerbs and girandole. 1083 01:00:07,200 --> 01:00:09,360 We've found the secret to flying rockets. 1084 01:00:11,440 --> 01:00:16,080 In Korea, Zoe tracked down a lethal version of the rocket box. 1085 01:00:16,080 --> 01:00:18,520 We've tested Babington's big rocket 1086 01:00:18,520 --> 01:00:22,120 and I've found a cannon from the correct period to set off the 1087 01:00:22,120 --> 01:00:23,520 celebrations with a bang. 1088 01:00:26,440 --> 01:00:29,840 But there's one last challenge I've got for Zoe. 1089 01:00:29,840 --> 01:00:32,880 I came across it in a proposal for the display, 1090 01:00:32,880 --> 01:00:35,880 written by an Italian pyrotechnician, 1091 01:00:35,880 --> 01:00:38,760 that describes something on a very different scale 1092 01:00:38,760 --> 01:00:41,160 to all other challenges. 1093 01:00:41,160 --> 01:00:45,960 Farah, this is a list of ideas for Robert Dudley. 1094 01:00:45,960 --> 01:00:49,320 So we think this was actually under his nose and he went through this. 1095 01:00:49,320 --> 01:00:51,560 And this catches my eye. 1096 01:00:51,560 --> 01:00:55,520 It looks like he was considering, in his display, having a dragon. 1097 01:00:55,520 --> 01:00:59,640 "A dragon as big as an ox which will fly twice or thrice as high as the 1098 01:00:59,640 --> 01:01:01,800 "tower of St Paul's." Mm. 1099 01:01:01,800 --> 01:01:03,840 There's St Paul's. SHE LAUGHS 1100 01:01:03,840 --> 01:01:06,280 We're talking about the old St Paul's, but, nevertheless, 1101 01:01:06,280 --> 01:01:08,800 that's pretty high... Pretty high. ..for a dragon to fly. 1102 01:01:08,800 --> 01:01:12,080 Yes. So I'm thinking this would be a great thing for us to include, 1103 01:01:12,080 --> 01:01:13,960 a flying dragon. 1104 01:01:13,960 --> 01:01:15,800 Have you got any Shakespearean 1105 01:01:15,800 --> 01:01:17,920 references that'll help us to plan it? 1106 01:01:17,920 --> 01:01:20,240 Yes, actually, there's a play by another playwright 1107 01:01:20,240 --> 01:01:23,640 named Robert Greene, which was written around 1594, 1108 01:01:23,640 --> 01:01:26,160 known as Friar Bacon And Friar Bungay. 1109 01:01:26,160 --> 01:01:29,240 And in it, the stage direction reads, 1110 01:01:29,240 --> 01:01:32,720 "Bungay utters his spell and a golden tree rises from the ground, 1111 01:01:32,720 --> 01:01:35,960 "with a dragon in its branches, spitting out fire." 1112 01:01:35,960 --> 01:01:38,120 So, hang on, this is crazy. 1113 01:01:38,120 --> 01:01:42,600 A golden tree arises from the ground in the theatre with a dragon in its 1114 01:01:42,600 --> 01:01:44,960 branches spitting out fire. 1115 01:01:44,960 --> 01:01:48,720 Yes. And have you any idea how they would've put that together 1116 01:01:48,720 --> 01:01:51,520 at the Globe? Well, a dragon spitting out fire 1117 01:01:51,520 --> 01:01:53,520 is another firework effect 1118 01:01:53,520 --> 01:01:56,200 which they might have used in the theatres of the time. 1119 01:01:56,200 --> 01:02:00,440 In John Bates' instruction manual, he actually gives you instructions, 1120 01:02:00,440 --> 01:02:02,680 how to make flying dragons. 1121 01:02:02,680 --> 01:02:04,960 How to build a dragon. How to make a flying dragon. 1122 01:02:04,960 --> 01:02:06,880 A flying dragon, even better. Yes. 1123 01:02:06,880 --> 01:02:09,040 Fantastic. Oh, and he's spitting out fire, isn't he? 1124 01:02:09,040 --> 01:02:11,520 He's spitting out fire. He's got fire coming out of his mouth 1125 01:02:11,520 --> 01:02:15,200 and out of his tail, and it's on a similar thing to a swivel. 1126 01:02:15,200 --> 01:02:16,920 And what's he made out of, then? 1127 01:02:16,920 --> 01:02:19,120 Zoe's going to need to know the details. 1128 01:02:19,120 --> 01:02:22,000 Well, he's made out of wood or whalebone. 1129 01:02:22,000 --> 01:02:25,600 It says, "Thin whalebones..." Yes. "..covered with glass." 1130 01:02:25,600 --> 01:02:27,800 With glass, yes. And painted over. And then painted, 1131 01:02:27,800 --> 01:02:29,760 so he would be quite spectacular and colourful. 1132 01:02:29,760 --> 01:02:32,160 He would look like a lantern. Yes. Glowing. Yes. 1133 01:02:32,160 --> 01:02:33,600 Wonderful. Oh, dear. 1134 01:02:33,600 --> 01:02:37,400 Look at this. It says that he is, "Somewhat troublesome to compose." 1135 01:02:37,400 --> 01:02:39,040 THEY LAUGH 1136 01:02:39,040 --> 01:02:42,400 Yeah, good luck with that. I'll take that as a challenge. 1137 01:02:42,400 --> 01:02:45,800 Yeah, there's this display and we've been looking at this one... 1138 01:02:45,800 --> 01:02:50,200 As I suspected, Zoe wasn't going to be put off. 1139 01:02:50,200 --> 01:02:55,240 My proposition is that we take this dragon and we incorporate it to then 1140 01:02:55,560 --> 01:02:57,800 make this kind of display, 1141 01:02:57,800 --> 01:03:02,080 where we have our dragon entering in down a zip wire. 1142 01:03:02,080 --> 01:03:04,000 And what happens if he catches fire and burns up? 1143 01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:07,560 Is that a problem? I think that could be part of the drama of it. 1144 01:03:07,560 --> 01:03:10,560 You know, the dragon should be destroyed at the end. 1145 01:03:10,560 --> 01:03:12,200 I was only half joking with Lucy, 1146 01:03:12,200 --> 01:03:16,200 this is a unique challenge that combines sculpting skills with 1147 01:03:16,200 --> 01:03:20,360 pyrotechnics. But where can you find this unusual skill set? 1148 01:03:26,080 --> 01:03:28,120 The annual Bonfire Night celebrations in 1149 01:03:28,120 --> 01:03:31,880 Lewes, East Sussex, are undoubtedly the craziest in Britain. 1150 01:03:33,280 --> 01:03:35,760 Effigies are paraded through the town and burnt 1151 01:03:35,760 --> 01:03:38,160 in a broad celebration of political satire. 1152 01:03:41,320 --> 01:03:45,200 So I've asked members of the Lewes Borough Bonfire Society and artist 1153 01:03:45,200 --> 01:03:50,240 Bec Britain to add their know-how to the dragon's design. 1154 01:03:50,600 --> 01:03:53,960 We've taking a more practical approach than John Bates' whalebone 1155 01:03:53,960 --> 01:03:56,680 and glass that Lucy discovered at the Globe, 1156 01:03:56,680 --> 01:03:58,480 but I hope it's as effective. 1157 01:03:59,720 --> 01:04:02,600 This is all willow. Lovely, smooth finish, 1158 01:04:02,600 --> 01:04:04,880 which is so good for sculpting. 1159 01:04:04,880 --> 01:04:08,480 Bec has constructed the skeleton by bending willow, 1160 01:04:08,480 --> 01:04:11,520 a technique that has been used for thousands of years. 1161 01:04:13,520 --> 01:04:17,040 And the team from Lewes Borough Bonfire Society are helping to apply 1162 01:04:17,040 --> 01:04:20,880 the skin. So these are sheets of paper impregnated with glue 1163 01:04:20,880 --> 01:04:23,880 and water, which makes them very malleable. 1164 01:04:23,880 --> 01:04:26,360 That's right. It's a wet strength tissue, 1165 01:04:26,360 --> 01:04:28,720 it's the kind of thing you'd find in an '80s perm, 1166 01:04:28,720 --> 01:04:32,000 because it can get wet and not fall apart. 1167 01:04:33,680 --> 01:04:37,080 The dragon is less controversial than the effigies or tableau that 1168 01:04:37,080 --> 01:04:39,040 they usually make. 1169 01:04:39,040 --> 01:04:41,200 Obviously, we want to wow the crowd, 1170 01:04:41,200 --> 01:04:45,040 very much like this dragon would've absolutely knocked them for six 1171 01:04:45,040 --> 01:04:48,680 in Tudor times, yeah. And the tableau is a bit of a black art. 1172 01:04:48,680 --> 01:04:50,720 It can represent anything. 1173 01:04:50,720 --> 01:04:52,120 Last year, Humpty Trumpty. 1174 01:04:52,120 --> 01:04:53,960 Humpty Trumpty? Humpty Trumpty. 1175 01:04:53,960 --> 01:04:55,200 He was sitting on a wall. 1176 01:04:55,200 --> 01:04:57,600 I can imagine who that was. HE LAUGHS 1177 01:04:57,600 --> 01:04:59,200 If you take the top two corners. 1178 01:05:00,880 --> 01:05:02,520 That's it. Go up there? 1179 01:05:02,520 --> 01:05:05,360 Yeah, try up there. Right. We're going to do a layer 1180 01:05:05,360 --> 01:05:08,560 of French enamel varnish, which is going to give it really 1181 01:05:08,560 --> 01:05:09,760 iridescent colour. 1182 01:05:11,600 --> 01:05:13,400 Once we've applied the skin, 1183 01:05:13,400 --> 01:05:16,440 a coat of paint in Dudley's colours will complete the look. 1184 01:05:17,560 --> 01:05:20,320 So this is the cage in which we're going to put a gerb or 1185 01:05:20,320 --> 01:05:22,320 maybe a fountain. 1186 01:05:22,320 --> 01:05:26,120 And then that leaves the fireworks to be inserted into the dragon's 1187 01:05:26,120 --> 01:05:27,600 various orifices. 1188 01:05:27,600 --> 01:05:29,040 I've always wanted to light a fart! 1189 01:05:33,640 --> 01:05:35,880 Now for the final touches. 1190 01:05:35,880 --> 01:05:38,440 We're going to sprinkle some stars on proceedings. 1191 01:05:44,680 --> 01:05:48,000 Stars were one of the features mentioned in the accounts 1192 01:05:48,000 --> 01:05:50,360 of the original Kenilworth display. 1193 01:05:50,360 --> 01:05:54,000 They describe an explosion of beautiful sparks that rained down 1194 01:05:54,000 --> 01:05:57,200 from the night sky after the rockets exploded. 1195 01:05:57,200 --> 01:05:58,680 So are these going to be stars? 1196 01:05:58,680 --> 01:06:01,200 Yes. We want these stars to be... 1197 01:06:01,200 --> 01:06:03,520 You don't want them to just disappear quickly, 1198 01:06:03,520 --> 01:06:06,160 you want them to sort of like flitter and come down, 1199 01:06:06,160 --> 01:06:09,800 so by making it burn a bit slower, that's how you'll start to do that. 1200 01:06:09,800 --> 01:06:12,480 OK. It's like your aniseed ball in your mouth. 1201 01:06:12,480 --> 01:06:15,000 It slowly but surely disappears. 1202 01:06:15,000 --> 01:06:20,040 Tudor stars are made out of compressed pellets of gunpowder. 1203 01:06:20,720 --> 01:06:23,480 And you'll be pleased to hear this is a nice, safe technique, 1204 01:06:23,480 --> 01:06:26,800 because it is wet, this is something that you can have a go at. 1205 01:06:26,800 --> 01:06:29,680 What we're doing is we're ramming that compound into the tube. 1206 01:06:29,680 --> 01:06:31,160 It's a lovely thing, isn't it? 1207 01:06:31,160 --> 01:06:33,280 It's lovely, yes. Proper old-fashioned tooling. 1208 01:06:34,720 --> 01:06:36,200 Now, you can feel when it gets full, 1209 01:06:36,200 --> 01:06:37,960 then it's a couple more once it's full. 1210 01:06:37,960 --> 01:06:39,960 That's it. And then just rub it against your palm 1211 01:06:39,960 --> 01:06:41,800 and that flattens it. 1212 01:06:41,800 --> 01:06:44,000 You don't want to drop the stars excessively high... 1213 01:06:44,000 --> 01:06:47,040 I see. ..because they're still soft at this stage. Yeah. Still fragile. 1214 01:06:47,040 --> 01:06:51,080 Yeah. There it is, my first star. That's a lovely thing. 1215 01:06:52,600 --> 01:06:54,560 Beautiful little pellets. 1216 01:06:54,560 --> 01:06:56,640 How many do we need? Well, we need a lot 1217 01:06:56,640 --> 01:06:59,040 and that's why you then start to use tooling like this. 1218 01:06:59,040 --> 01:07:01,360 OK. Which is where you now have six. 1219 01:07:01,360 --> 01:07:02,920 There we go. OK. 1220 01:07:05,160 --> 01:07:06,720 That'll do. That was seven. 1221 01:07:06,720 --> 01:07:09,440 Rub your hand across and then pop it out into the thing. 1222 01:07:12,600 --> 01:07:15,040 Look at that. Bingo bongo. That's nice. That is nice. 1223 01:07:15,040 --> 01:07:18,720 There you are, you see. What you're doing now is you're pumping stars. 1224 01:07:21,760 --> 01:07:24,360 These pellets will be put into the top of the rocket. 1225 01:07:24,360 --> 01:07:25,840 When the rocket is burnt out, 1226 01:07:25,840 --> 01:07:28,720 the pellets will catch light and fall freely, 1227 01:07:28,720 --> 01:07:30,600 giving a stream effect in the sky. 1228 01:07:31,960 --> 01:07:34,200 There we go. Right, ready to make it fly. 1229 01:07:34,200 --> 01:07:37,320 Put a stick on it. Put a stick on it and then it's good to go. 1230 01:07:37,320 --> 01:07:40,880 There we have it. A rocket with a payload of stars. 1231 01:07:40,880 --> 01:07:42,800 I can't wait for it to get dark and we can test it. 1232 01:07:45,280 --> 01:07:47,640 I'm really looking forward to seeing these stars at night. 1233 01:07:47,640 --> 01:07:50,280 Now, I'm not sure how bright they're going to be. 1234 01:07:50,280 --> 01:07:52,040 So it's all connected up with a fuse 1235 01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:54,760 and then we need to connect it up to the firing system. Right. 1236 01:07:54,760 --> 01:07:57,160 You wire that in and I'll scuttle back. Perfect. 1237 01:07:59,280 --> 01:08:01,360 Right, so I've armed it, it's all ready. 1238 01:08:01,360 --> 01:08:03,040 Are you...? Am I going to do the honours? 1239 01:08:03,040 --> 01:08:04,360 You're good to go. 1240 01:08:04,360 --> 01:08:07,000 Right. Three, two, one... 1241 01:08:10,040 --> 01:08:11,160 Ooh. 1242 01:08:12,320 --> 01:08:13,600 BOTH: Oh. 1243 01:08:14,680 --> 01:08:15,960 Oh! 1244 01:08:15,960 --> 01:08:19,200 We have a firework! We do have a firework. That's fantastic! 1245 01:08:19,200 --> 01:08:20,600 Oh, I'm really pleased. 1246 01:08:20,600 --> 01:08:23,800 Good. Those stars trailed all the way down to the ground. 1247 01:08:23,800 --> 01:08:26,040 Nearly, yeah. Well, that would definitely set fire 1248 01:08:26,040 --> 01:08:28,640 to someone's house. Well, I hope not, no. No, I'm happy with that. 1249 01:08:28,640 --> 01:08:30,120 Good, good. Well done. 1250 01:08:31,520 --> 01:08:35,880 The beautiful golden trails made by the slow-burning pellets will be an 1251 01:08:35,880 --> 01:08:39,440 extra flourish for our firework extravaganza - 1252 01:08:39,440 --> 01:08:41,080 should everything go to plan. 1253 01:08:44,080 --> 01:08:45,760 During the festivities, 1254 01:08:45,760 --> 01:08:49,520 the guests were also fed with the most lavish creations 1255 01:08:49,520 --> 01:08:52,720 16th-century chefs had to offer, 1256 01:08:52,720 --> 01:08:57,080 and it will be no different for the special guests we've invited. 1257 01:08:57,080 --> 01:08:59,760 But what would've been the equivalent of a Michelin-starred 1258 01:08:59,760 --> 01:09:01,880 menu in 1575? 1259 01:09:03,800 --> 01:09:06,880 You don't get the impression that Robert Dudley was worried about 1260 01:09:06,880 --> 01:09:11,200 going over the top when it came to the food for his party. 1261 01:09:11,200 --> 01:09:13,560 It was prepared here, in the kitchens. 1262 01:09:13,560 --> 01:09:17,560 I'm standing in what was a huge cauldron for boiling things. 1263 01:09:17,560 --> 01:09:19,240 Here's a bread oven. 1264 01:09:19,240 --> 01:09:21,680 And during the course of the 19 days, 1265 01:09:21,680 --> 01:09:26,720 some of the dishes that came out of here included swan, stag, 1266 01:09:27,040 --> 01:09:29,840 seagull and peacock. 1267 01:09:29,840 --> 01:09:34,840 One meal consisted of 300 different sugary dishes designed to appeal to 1268 01:09:35,400 --> 01:09:37,960 the Queen's notoriously sweet tooth. 1269 01:09:40,320 --> 01:09:44,240 I don't think we'll be laying on seagull or swan for our guests, 1270 01:09:44,240 --> 01:09:47,880 but Tudor sweets deserve further investigation. 1271 01:09:47,880 --> 01:09:51,360 With the help of confectionery expert Andy Baxendale, 1272 01:09:51,360 --> 01:09:53,800 I'm going to find out what kind would've graced 1273 01:09:53,800 --> 01:09:56,360 the Kenilworth banquet tables. 1274 01:09:56,360 --> 01:09:58,640 Andy, what is this fabulous construction 1275 01:09:58,640 --> 01:10:00,320 that you've brought with you? 1276 01:10:00,320 --> 01:10:03,840 This is a representation of the original keep of Kenilworth Castle 1277 01:10:03,840 --> 01:10:06,520 made out of sugar-paste icing. 1278 01:10:06,520 --> 01:10:08,000 Sugar-paste icing. 1279 01:10:08,000 --> 01:10:10,480 And you've got the colour of the stone right and everything. 1280 01:10:10,480 --> 01:10:13,120 The red is from cochineal, which is made from beetles. 1281 01:10:13,120 --> 01:10:17,440 Beetles, mmm, tasty. The black is from ash. 1282 01:10:17,440 --> 01:10:19,480 From a fireplace? Anything burnt, yes. 1283 01:10:19,480 --> 01:10:22,000 What else have they got on the table that's made out of sugar? 1284 01:10:22,000 --> 01:10:25,280 Is this Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester's symbol? 1285 01:10:25,280 --> 01:10:27,560 Yes, that's the bear with the ragged staff. 1286 01:10:27,560 --> 01:10:30,840 This blue colour would have been azurite in Tudor times, 1287 01:10:30,840 --> 01:10:34,160 which is a copper mineral and quite poisonous, so... 1288 01:10:34,160 --> 01:10:36,040 Poisonous. ..you wouldn't really want to... 1289 01:10:36,040 --> 01:10:39,280 Do you think there were Tudor people who died of blue poisoning? 1290 01:10:39,280 --> 01:10:40,680 They probably didn't eat enough. 1291 01:10:40,680 --> 01:10:42,040 Oh, cos it was so expensive. 1292 01:10:42,040 --> 01:10:44,520 You couldn't afford to poison yourself. No. 1293 01:10:44,520 --> 01:10:46,720 There's a trick going on here, isn't there? 1294 01:10:46,720 --> 01:10:48,440 Well, all sugar paste. All edible. 1295 01:10:48,440 --> 01:10:50,880 I'd expect to see sweetmeats all piled up here. 1296 01:10:50,880 --> 01:10:53,080 Yes, very much so. Some sort of confits, maybe. 1297 01:10:53,080 --> 01:10:54,600 Some seeds coated in sugar. 1298 01:10:54,600 --> 01:10:55,960 Elizabeth I's favourite. 1299 01:10:55,960 --> 01:10:59,320 I think so. And then once I've eaten all of my comforts... 1300 01:10:59,320 --> 01:11:01,680 BOTH: Eat the plate. SHE LAUGHS 1301 01:11:05,120 --> 01:11:07,640 It tastes... Well, it tastes of sugar, but it also tastes a bit 1302 01:11:07,640 --> 01:11:08,840 of wallpaper paste. 1303 01:11:08,840 --> 01:11:12,240 Oh, dear. THEY CHUCKLE 1304 01:11:12,240 --> 01:11:15,600 So, we now have the feast to go with the fireworks 1305 01:11:15,600 --> 01:11:18,600 at our Kenilworth display. 1306 01:11:18,600 --> 01:11:23,040 July 1575 was the date in Queen Elizabeth's diary 1307 01:11:23,040 --> 01:11:26,400 and she was probably quite looking forward to it. 1308 01:11:26,400 --> 01:11:28,040 Only a few years earlier, 1309 01:11:28,040 --> 01:11:30,960 she began promoting the idea of fireworks 1310 01:11:30,960 --> 01:11:33,840 in order to celebrate herself. 1311 01:11:33,840 --> 01:11:38,000 Elizabeth is creating a new holiday, Accession Day, November the 17th, 1312 01:11:38,000 --> 01:11:40,280 the date that she ascended the throne, 1313 01:11:40,280 --> 01:11:42,480 and people celebrate that 1314 01:11:42,480 --> 01:11:45,280 and it's a way to get people to celebrate the monarchy. 1315 01:11:45,280 --> 01:11:47,000 And in the course of her reign, 1316 01:11:47,000 --> 01:11:49,880 people start to celebrate that with fireworks. 1317 01:11:49,880 --> 01:11:52,400 And that's pretty interesting because that predates 1318 01:11:52,400 --> 01:11:55,840 the more famous public holiday fireworks of Bonfire Night, 1319 01:11:55,840 --> 01:11:57,680 which happened in the 17th century. 1320 01:11:57,680 --> 01:12:00,200 But this kind of thing is already starting to take off 1321 01:12:00,200 --> 01:12:03,760 in Elizabeth's reign. She also did a very cunning thing, 1322 01:12:03,760 --> 01:12:07,080 she would do it at the expense of her subjects, 1323 01:12:07,080 --> 01:12:09,160 so she would set off on a progress, 1324 01:12:09,160 --> 01:12:12,760 then she would get her richest nobleman to put her up, 1325 01:12:12,760 --> 01:12:16,320 stage a magnificent feast for her - this is all at their own expense - 1326 01:12:16,320 --> 01:12:20,600 and to put on sort of competitive forms of entertainment for her, 1327 01:12:20,600 --> 01:12:23,800 outdoing each other to put on the best show for the Queen, 1328 01:12:23,800 --> 01:12:25,120 and she didn't have to pay. 1329 01:12:25,120 --> 01:12:28,320 Exactly, so it's another way for her to get around the country and be 1330 01:12:28,320 --> 01:12:29,720 seen by her subjects 1331 01:12:29,720 --> 01:12:33,760 and one might even see the nobles at this time competing with one another 1332 01:12:33,760 --> 01:12:37,600 to outdo themselves in the feasts and the entertainments that they 1333 01:12:37,600 --> 01:12:40,880 were putting on for Elizabeth. And fireworks are part of that, 1334 01:12:40,880 --> 01:12:44,520 so show a great fireworks display and you can impress Her Majesty. 1335 01:12:47,480 --> 01:12:52,320 Robert Dudley's pageant and firework display is part of this tradition, 1336 01:12:52,320 --> 01:12:54,400 but his is unique. 1337 01:12:54,400 --> 01:12:57,160 It was designed to be the biggest and the best 1338 01:12:57,160 --> 01:12:59,920 and it had by far the most at stake - 1339 01:12:59,920 --> 01:13:02,600 the hand of the Queen of England. 1340 01:13:05,200 --> 01:13:09,200 Now the day we've been working towards has finally arrived. 1341 01:13:09,200 --> 01:13:11,400 After weeks of testing and tinkering, 1342 01:13:11,400 --> 01:13:14,440 Zoe and the team can finally start putting things together 1343 01:13:14,440 --> 01:13:17,120 in the grounds of Kenilworth Castle. 1344 01:13:17,120 --> 01:13:19,560 These ones are going to take some knocking in, Don. 1345 01:13:19,560 --> 01:13:22,320 Everything rests on tonight's show. 1346 01:13:22,320 --> 01:13:26,280 We've done all we can to prepare ourselves, but is it enough? 1347 01:13:28,920 --> 01:13:31,840 As Robert Dudley may have given a preview to Queen Elizabeth 1348 01:13:31,840 --> 01:13:32,960 four centuries ago 1349 01:13:32,960 --> 01:13:35,800 to show the efforts that had gone into the preparations... 1350 01:13:35,800 --> 01:13:37,400 Here it comes. 1351 01:13:37,400 --> 01:13:41,760 ..I'm going to give Lucy a sneak preview of the set of our display. 1352 01:13:41,760 --> 01:13:44,120 Oh, look at that! 1353 01:13:44,120 --> 01:13:47,400 What a beauty. He looks magnificent. 1354 01:13:47,400 --> 01:13:50,240 Now, this is where we're going to put fireworks. Fireworks! 1355 01:13:50,240 --> 01:13:52,200 LUCY LAUGHS Fireworks in the eyes. 1356 01:13:52,200 --> 01:13:55,320 One in the mouth as well and then... And out of the backside too. 1357 01:13:55,320 --> 01:13:57,960 Yes. Come and have a look at this. There's a special hatch. 1358 01:13:57,960 --> 01:13:59,920 The hatch! SHE LAUGHS 1359 01:13:59,920 --> 01:14:02,760 That's so sweet. You've got to be able to put your hand in to fuse 1360 01:14:02,760 --> 01:14:04,840 the firework and... 1361 01:14:04,840 --> 01:14:07,760 It's going to be interesting to see whether it survives... Flames? Yes. 1362 01:14:07,760 --> 01:14:10,240 Terrible end for the dragon. Oh, it's such a shame to burn him, 1363 01:14:10,240 --> 01:14:12,680 he's so beautiful. I know. Let's take a little tour. 1364 01:14:12,680 --> 01:14:15,640 Just like Robert Dudley would have done, I think, on the morning 1365 01:14:15,640 --> 01:14:18,200 of the show, you know. Well, we've not quite finished. 1366 01:14:18,200 --> 01:14:21,000 Getting there, getting there. But there are some real highlights. 1367 01:14:21,000 --> 01:14:24,320 So, this will be illuminated. Is that gunpowder? It is. 1368 01:14:24,320 --> 01:14:27,000 And they'll all... You know, the flame will go around and ignite 1369 01:14:27,000 --> 01:14:29,200 each one of these. It will be a flaming ER. 1370 01:14:29,200 --> 01:14:30,680 Exactly. And what's this one? 1371 01:14:30,680 --> 01:14:31,760 This is the rocket box. 1372 01:14:31,760 --> 01:14:34,480 The rocket box! Akin to the Korean hwacha. 1373 01:14:34,480 --> 01:14:36,120 Oh, I like the colours as well. 1374 01:14:36,120 --> 01:14:39,000 We've got the blue and yellow chequerboard 1375 01:14:39,000 --> 01:14:40,560 from his coat of arms... Yep. 1376 01:14:40,560 --> 01:14:43,320 ..and little bits of orange... 1377 01:14:43,320 --> 01:14:45,120 Exactly. ..with its political message. 1378 01:14:45,120 --> 01:14:46,520 I'm also excited about this. Oh. 1379 01:14:46,520 --> 01:14:47,680 I know what that one is. Yeah! 1380 01:14:47,680 --> 01:14:49,480 That's the girandole. 1381 01:14:49,480 --> 01:14:51,040 The horizontal Catherine wheel. 1382 01:14:51,040 --> 01:14:53,960 Loaded with gerbs that are going to, you know, help it spin round. 1383 01:14:53,960 --> 01:14:55,200 And here comes the big boy. 1384 01:14:55,200 --> 01:14:59,320 This is our attempt at the massive rocket for the finale. 1385 01:14:59,320 --> 01:15:01,680 Do you know that this is going to work successfully? 1386 01:15:01,680 --> 01:15:03,480 Not...well... 1387 01:15:03,480 --> 01:15:05,880 No, I don't! I don't. 1388 01:15:05,880 --> 01:15:08,240 Well, I really hope that this is going to work 1389 01:15:08,240 --> 01:15:10,440 and that the whole display is a success. 1390 01:15:10,440 --> 01:15:12,480 Then I'll marry you. Thank you. 1391 01:15:16,000 --> 01:15:18,800 It's now time to arm the fireworks. 1392 01:15:18,800 --> 01:15:22,160 Once they're fused, they're ready to fire from a central control. 1393 01:15:23,680 --> 01:15:25,960 Remote ignition is a safety precaution 1394 01:15:25,960 --> 01:15:28,560 they wouldn't have had in Elizabethan times. 1395 01:15:28,560 --> 01:15:31,000 In the Tudor period, there'd be some chap standing with 1396 01:15:31,000 --> 01:15:33,440 a torch or a red-hot poker, and as soon as he put it in there, 1397 01:15:33,440 --> 01:15:36,480 that's it, he's covered in sparks and so he's got to try and light 1398 01:15:36,480 --> 01:15:38,440 all of them. Incredibly dangerous work. 1399 01:15:38,440 --> 01:15:40,560 Yeah, but it would be young children doing it anyhow 1400 01:15:40,560 --> 01:15:42,720 and there was plenty of them, so that's fine. 1401 01:15:45,960 --> 01:15:47,560 Although it's sunny now, 1402 01:15:47,560 --> 01:15:51,600 rain could quickly ruin fireworks made to Tudor specifications, 1403 01:15:51,600 --> 01:15:55,320 so we're taking no chances and covering them up as we fuse them. 1404 01:15:58,680 --> 01:16:01,360 And according to Don, the weather isn't the only thing that could 1405 01:16:01,360 --> 01:16:02,880 scupper a Tudor display. 1406 01:16:04,080 --> 01:16:06,000 So this is one of the rocket boxes. 1407 01:16:06,000 --> 01:16:09,160 That's coming along nicely. It holds all the small rockets. 1408 01:16:09,160 --> 01:16:11,560 But you can see the risk that's within these displays. 1409 01:16:11,560 --> 01:16:13,600 One single spark landing from something else, 1410 01:16:13,600 --> 01:16:14,640 landing on one of this, 1411 01:16:14,640 --> 01:16:16,960 and it'll light the whole lot. 1412 01:16:16,960 --> 01:16:19,640 It could be an eight-minute display or an eight-second display, 1413 01:16:19,640 --> 01:16:21,720 depending which way the wind blows the sparks. 1414 01:16:21,720 --> 01:16:24,120 SHE LAUGHS 1415 01:16:24,120 --> 01:16:28,080 Factory-made fireworks modified to Tudor specifications 1416 01:16:28,080 --> 01:16:30,080 will supplement our prototypes, 1417 01:16:30,080 --> 01:16:32,320 helping to recreate the sheer spectacle 1418 01:16:32,320 --> 01:16:34,120 and scale of Dudley's display. 1419 01:16:35,680 --> 01:16:37,640 The modifications we've made, how you feeling? 1420 01:16:37,640 --> 01:16:39,840 I can promise you you'll be getting a big bang 1421 01:16:39,840 --> 01:16:41,280 at some point this evening... 1422 01:16:41,280 --> 01:16:44,400 whether it's up there or down here. But trust me, 1423 01:16:44,400 --> 01:16:46,640 it will be a spectacular finale come what may. 1424 01:16:46,640 --> 01:16:48,560 Oh, Don, it's not the answer I want. 1425 01:16:48,560 --> 01:16:49,760 It will be fine, Zoe. 1426 01:16:49,760 --> 01:16:51,800 That's not the answer I wanted. It will be fine. 1427 01:16:55,600 --> 01:16:59,160 Everything is set for the start of the evening's entertainment. 1428 01:16:59,160 --> 01:17:02,600 The guests have arrived in the spirit of the occasion, 1429 01:17:02,600 --> 01:17:05,400 including some friends who have helped us along the way. 1430 01:17:06,760 --> 01:17:10,720 The set is complete, resplendent in Dudley's colours, 1431 01:17:10,720 --> 01:17:12,840 and the pyrotechnics are primed 1432 01:17:12,840 --> 01:17:16,280 for the start of a Tudor fireworks spectacular. 1433 01:17:17,400 --> 01:17:19,720 What could possibly go wrong? 1434 01:17:19,720 --> 01:17:21,840 THUNDER CLAPS 1435 01:17:26,040 --> 01:17:31,000 Less than an hour before our start time, a torrential rainstorm hits. 1436 01:17:31,240 --> 01:17:34,240 It's a problem that even Queen Elizabeth I wouldn't have 1437 01:17:34,240 --> 01:17:35,760 been able to prevent. 1438 01:17:37,240 --> 01:17:40,160 Our Tudor fireworks display could genuinely be turned 1439 01:17:40,160 --> 01:17:41,200 into a damp squib. 1440 01:17:43,040 --> 01:17:45,400 The last thing we want to happen has happened 1441 01:17:45,400 --> 01:17:48,800 and we have rain and quite severe wind. 1442 01:17:48,800 --> 01:17:51,360 We have soggy Tudors but, most importantly, 1443 01:17:51,360 --> 01:17:53,280 I'm worried about our fireworks, 1444 01:17:53,280 --> 01:17:56,160 so, really, it's critical that that gunpowder stay dry. 1445 01:17:57,160 --> 01:17:58,720 This is a Tudor recipe - 1446 01:17:58,720 --> 01:18:00,760 it's not as stable as the modern stuff. 1447 01:18:00,760 --> 01:18:02,720 Any moisture and it's game over, 1448 01:18:02,720 --> 01:18:03,960 that stuff won't work. 1449 01:18:16,320 --> 01:18:18,560 TUDOR DANCE MUSIC PLAYS 1450 01:18:18,560 --> 01:18:21,760 Eventually, there's a ray of hope. 1451 01:18:21,760 --> 01:18:24,080 The rain finally stops 1452 01:18:24,080 --> 01:18:27,800 and our Tudor guests get their chance to show us their moves. 1453 01:18:29,880 --> 01:18:33,040 Their spirits have not been dampened. 1454 01:18:33,040 --> 01:18:36,160 Let's hope our fireworks haven't either. 1455 01:18:36,160 --> 01:18:37,360 Whey! 1456 01:18:48,960 --> 01:18:51,360 There's no turning back now. 1457 01:18:51,360 --> 01:18:54,680 As night falls, the set is finally complete. 1458 01:18:58,440 --> 01:19:02,520 From Babington's original design, we've handmade the rockets, 1459 01:19:02,520 --> 01:19:04,360 the gerbs, the girandole, 1460 01:19:04,360 --> 01:19:07,640 and we've faithfully brought the dragon to life. 1461 01:19:07,640 --> 01:19:09,440 We've even made his big rocket. 1462 01:19:12,280 --> 01:19:15,160 They're all primed and ready to fire... 1463 01:19:15,160 --> 01:19:19,120 after the arrival of one final illustrious guest. 1464 01:19:19,120 --> 01:19:21,520 Ladies and gentlemen, your Queen. TRUMPETS PLAY 1465 01:19:22,680 --> 01:19:24,160 Thank you, my good people. 1466 01:19:28,440 --> 01:19:31,400 How's your view? It's acceptable, thank you. 1467 01:19:31,400 --> 01:19:34,280 I think maybe for the display you might enjoy standing 1468 01:19:34,280 --> 01:19:35,760 right at the front with me. 1469 01:19:35,760 --> 01:19:37,560 Is it...is it perfectly safe? 1470 01:19:37,560 --> 01:19:40,440 Yeah, it's perfectly safe. All right, then. 1471 01:19:44,880 --> 01:19:47,600 This is the moment of truth. 1472 01:19:47,600 --> 01:19:50,720 These fireworks aren't just unpredictable, 1473 01:19:50,720 --> 01:19:54,720 they could be filled with damp gunpowder after all that rain. 1474 01:19:54,720 --> 01:19:59,360 I'm nervous. Now that one has gone to the trouble of dressing up, 1475 01:19:59,360 --> 01:20:02,680 one really does hope this works. 1476 01:20:02,680 --> 01:20:05,080 OK, we'd like to fire the cannon. Cannons fire. 1477 01:20:06,120 --> 01:20:08,120 And...fire! 1478 01:20:12,880 --> 01:20:14,160 And so it begins. 1479 01:20:16,000 --> 01:20:19,040 OK, we're firing gerbs either side of the set. 1480 01:20:22,160 --> 01:20:23,360 Oh, oh, oh! Here we go! Yeah! 1481 01:20:25,040 --> 01:20:28,400 These are the gerbs. These are the first fireworks that I made. 1482 01:20:28,400 --> 01:20:30,520 So far, so good. 1483 01:20:30,520 --> 01:20:33,880 The gerbs have produced beautiful fountains of light, 1484 01:20:33,880 --> 01:20:38,440 setting the stage for an emotional roller-coaster for Dudley's 1485 01:20:38,440 --> 01:20:39,880 esteemed audience. 1486 01:20:43,640 --> 01:20:45,800 What a fantastic start. 1487 01:20:45,800 --> 01:20:47,280 Falling stars. 1488 01:20:47,280 --> 01:20:48,880 To an Elizabethan, 1489 01:20:48,880 --> 01:20:53,120 rockets and stars would've brought to mind comets and portents of great 1490 01:20:53,120 --> 01:20:58,080 events. And even to me, with my 21st century mind, 1491 01:20:58,080 --> 01:20:59,880 they are incredibly touching. 1492 01:21:01,240 --> 01:21:04,320 Oh, fizgigs! Oh! Yeah! 1493 01:21:04,320 --> 01:21:06,960 We've added a surprise element, fizgigs, 1494 01:21:06,960 --> 01:21:09,920 rockets without the stability of sticks, 1495 01:21:09,920 --> 01:21:12,640 firing much closer to the ground than a modern display. 1496 01:21:14,880 --> 01:21:17,600 It looks like they're fighting each other. Yeah! 1497 01:21:20,440 --> 01:21:24,560 They're sort of psychopath fireworks, aren't they? They are. 1498 01:21:24,560 --> 01:21:26,200 More rockets. 1499 01:21:26,200 --> 01:21:27,840 Or as Shakespeare would have it, 1500 01:21:27,840 --> 01:21:32,080 artificial meteors representing signs from God. 1501 01:21:32,080 --> 01:21:34,400 Whoa! 1502 01:21:34,400 --> 01:21:36,800 And if Dudley wanted to create impact, 1503 01:21:36,800 --> 01:21:39,200 what better than the star of our show? 1504 01:21:43,680 --> 01:21:45,400 Dragon! Hey, the Dragon! 1505 01:21:48,280 --> 01:21:50,080 Go, Dragon! THEY CHEER 1506 01:21:50,080 --> 01:21:53,200 The Dragon is a show stopper in more ways than one. 1507 01:21:56,120 --> 01:21:59,080 We always feared a rogue spark could ignite the rocket box. 1508 01:22:02,280 --> 01:22:05,840 Oh, my God! OK, the Dragon has kicked up so much smoke... 1509 01:22:11,560 --> 01:22:13,440 Well, come on, Dragon, make it to the castle! 1510 01:22:13,440 --> 01:22:16,240 He is, he is, he's still going! He's still going. 1511 01:22:16,240 --> 01:22:18,040 Come on, Dragon! 1512 01:22:24,880 --> 01:22:26,080 Oh... 1513 01:22:26,080 --> 01:22:28,000 Oh! 1514 01:22:28,000 --> 01:22:30,280 THEY CHEER 1515 01:22:31,640 --> 01:22:35,120 That was really exciting because the Dragon set off a rocket box! 1516 01:22:35,120 --> 01:22:39,040 THEY LAUGH Yes! It did, didn't it? 1517 01:22:39,040 --> 01:22:41,760 And now the personal touch. 1518 01:22:41,760 --> 01:22:43,520 Just in case anyone had forgotten 1519 01:22:43,520 --> 01:22:45,600 who this was all designed for... 1520 01:22:45,600 --> 01:22:48,040 Oh, no, the ER! It's the ER. 1521 01:22:48,040 --> 01:22:50,320 Erm, that's me, you know. Yeah. 1522 01:22:50,320 --> 01:22:52,360 That's my personal firework, thank you very much. 1523 01:22:57,840 --> 01:22:59,880 Way! Ooh. Here we go. Oh! 1524 01:22:59,880 --> 01:23:02,000 Girandole! 1525 01:23:02,000 --> 01:23:06,520 Witnessing these weeping willows of sparks must have made a profound 1526 01:23:06,520 --> 01:23:08,680 impression on Elizabeth I. 1527 01:23:10,640 --> 01:23:13,520 Oh. Way! Oh, they're going again! 1528 01:23:13,520 --> 01:23:15,760 Oh! Just a little surprise up my sleeve. 1529 01:23:15,760 --> 01:23:18,240 LUCY LAUGHS 1530 01:23:20,080 --> 01:23:24,840 A crescendo of fizgigs and rockets builds to the finale of the show, 1531 01:23:24,840 --> 01:23:27,280 the most unpredictable firework of them all, 1532 01:23:27,280 --> 01:23:30,160 the one I know is worrying Zoe. 1533 01:23:30,160 --> 01:23:32,360 And then the finale rockets right in the middle. 1534 01:23:33,400 --> 01:23:34,800 Here comes the big rocket! 1535 01:23:39,440 --> 01:23:40,680 Oh, my...! 1536 01:23:43,960 --> 01:23:45,920 SHE LAUGHS 1537 01:23:45,920 --> 01:23:47,760 Oh! 1538 01:23:47,760 --> 01:23:50,960 Sights like this must have been otherworldly. 1539 01:23:52,120 --> 01:23:56,840 I can really feel the mix of terror and wonder this spectacle would have 1540 01:23:56,840 --> 01:23:58,800 created in the crowd. 1541 01:24:00,000 --> 01:24:01,440 What do you think? Hey! 1542 01:24:01,440 --> 01:24:04,760 What do you think? The dragon wasn't entirely as planned, was he? 1543 01:24:04,760 --> 01:24:07,160 He had set off all the other fireworks on his way, hadn't he? 1544 01:24:07,160 --> 01:24:09,840 Yeah! There was some fantastic cross-ignition, 1545 01:24:09,840 --> 01:24:11,600 when the Dragon set off the fire box. 1546 01:24:18,440 --> 01:24:21,160 I did fear that maybe the entire display might go up, 1547 01:24:21,160 --> 01:24:24,800 but it created a huge amount of smoke, I loved the smoke! 1548 01:24:24,800 --> 01:24:27,200 And I think that things going a tiny bit wrong is very Tudor, 1549 01:24:27,200 --> 01:24:29,080 that would have happened to them. Yeah, yeah. 1550 01:24:29,080 --> 01:24:31,160 Shall we go down there and just set fire to them? 1551 01:24:31,160 --> 01:24:33,840 I know! THEY LAUGH 1552 01:24:38,080 --> 01:24:39,760 And what about the big rocket at the end? 1553 01:24:39,760 --> 01:24:43,080 Because we had designed it to go up and explode simultaneously, 1554 01:24:43,080 --> 01:24:45,240 so it didn't do a big explosion in the sky, 1555 01:24:45,240 --> 01:24:48,240 but happened right there, front and centre, at the end of the display. 1556 01:24:51,280 --> 01:24:52,840 Oh! 1557 01:24:52,840 --> 01:24:55,360 I'm pleased that worked. That was the highlight. Yeah. 1558 01:24:55,360 --> 01:24:58,400 Apart from the dragon, we like the dragon too! Ha! 1559 01:24:58,400 --> 01:24:59,600 By all accounts, 1560 01:24:59,600 --> 01:25:03,280 the display was magnificent and captured the imaginations 1561 01:25:03,280 --> 01:25:05,640 of the watching guests. 1562 01:25:05,640 --> 01:25:09,160 But did it succeed in Dudley's real purpose, 1563 01:25:09,160 --> 01:25:12,320 which was getting the Queen to marry him? 1564 01:25:12,320 --> 01:25:13,960 Well, no, it didn't. 1565 01:25:15,080 --> 01:25:18,680 Elizabeth kept her nickname, the Virgin Queen, 1566 01:25:18,680 --> 01:25:21,080 and Dudley had to look elsewhere. 1567 01:25:22,280 --> 01:25:26,560 But we won't let that dampen the fact that we did manage to recreate 1568 01:25:26,560 --> 01:25:31,600 a truly memorable Tudor firework spectacular. 1569 01:25:32,000 --> 01:25:34,080 THEY CHEER 1570 01:25:39,760 --> 01:25:43,640 Maybe Robert Dudley's firework display didn't have quite the effect 1571 01:25:43,640 --> 01:25:44,880 that he'd hoped, 1572 01:25:44,880 --> 01:25:48,920 but I think that our recreation of it was brilliant as a way 1573 01:25:48,920 --> 01:25:51,240 inside Tudor people's minds. 1574 01:25:52,520 --> 01:25:55,640 They had a different attitude to health and safety, that's clear, 1575 01:25:55,640 --> 01:25:58,240 but more importantly, for them, 1576 01:25:58,240 --> 01:26:00,520 fireworks weren't just entertainment. 1577 01:26:02,960 --> 01:26:06,240 When they lit up the black Tudor sky, 1578 01:26:06,240 --> 01:26:09,400 they saw propaganda and storytelling, 1579 01:26:09,400 --> 01:26:14,080 they elevated spectacle into the realm of the gods. 1580 01:26:14,080 --> 01:26:19,120 We still follow in Tudor footsteps by having fireworks at big live 1581 01:26:19,560 --> 01:26:23,480 events today, and perhaps ours are more spectacular, 1582 01:26:23,480 --> 01:26:28,480 but I think that they lack dragons and comets and portents. 1583 01:26:29,600 --> 01:26:33,280 I think that Tudor fireworks perhaps had more soul. 1584 01:26:55,960 --> 01:26:58,200 Whoa!