Introduction

Heroes and Villains is a 2007–2008 BBC Television drama series looking at key moments in the lives and reputations of some of the greatest warriors of history.

Each hour-long episode features a different historical figure, including Napoleon I of France, Attila the Hun, Spartacus, Hernán Cortés, Richard I of England, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The statements at the beginning of each episode read: “This film depicts real events and real characters. It is based on the accounts of writers of the time. It has been written with the advice of modern historians.”

In the United States the show was aired on The Military Channel and was called “Warriors”.

Outline of Series 01, Episode 05

During the Third Crusade, the crusaders arrive in Jaffa and find it destroyed. Amidst uneasiness in the ranks and an attack that leaves one of his close friends dead, Richard hopes to marry off his sister to Al Adil and create an alliance. However, Al Adil will not agree and the crusaders begin to suffer from a lack of supplies. Finally, Richard decides not to attack Jerusalem and the coalition falls apart. Eventually he must face the decision of protecting his kingdom from his brother or completing his oath to God. In the end, Richard plans to return home but when Jaffa is assaulted, he returns to rescue his men.

Heroes and Villains Series

• Episode 01: Napoleon.
• Episode 02: Attila the Hun.
• Episode 03: Spartacus.
• Episode 04: Cortes.
• Episode 05: Richard the Lionheart.
• Episode 06: Shogun.

Production & Filming Details

• Directors: Nick Murphy, Tim Dunn, Nick Green, Andrew Grieve, Gareth Edwards, and Arif Nurmohamed.
• Writers: Clare Saxby, Tony Etchells, Nick Murphy, James Wood, Andrew Grieve, Lyall B. Watson, and Colin Heber-Percy.
• Historical Consultant: Professor John Gillingham.
• Production: BBC.
• Distributor: BBC (UK) and Military Channel (US).
• Release Date: 22 March 2008.
• Running time: 60 minutes.
• Country: UK and US.
• Language: English.

YouTube Link