Historian and presenter Dr. Sam Willis explores the world of the British Outlaw - the original anti-heroes in an age of swashbuckle, daring and style.
Few figures in history captured the popular imagination as much as the rogues of yesteryear. The audacious highwayman, the swashbuckling pirate and the elusive city-thief have all in their own way rocked the status quo. Their brazen escapades and flamboyance have made them the anti-heroes of their time: feared by the rich, admired by the poor and celebrated by the writers the world over.

In Episode 1, Sam Willis reveals the tale of the most glamorous, romantic and glorified outlaw of them all - the Highwayman. This is the story of the masked horseback robber who stole hard cash and admirer’s hearts in pursuit of a merry life and a short one. In an age with no police force to stop them, Highwaymen were a menace to society. And yet the public couldn’t get enough of their escapades.

Episode 2 uncovers the truth about the most famous outlaws of all - Pirates. They were criminals who inspired terror beyond compare but captured imagination across the ages. Roaming the high seas, these violent, cunning and charismatic vagabonds feared no one. They robbed with impunity and challenged the state itself.

In the final episode, Sam discovers the underworld life of the Rogue city dwelling masters of crime who threatened the life and livelihoods of the ordinary citizen, as they robbed, burgled and cheated their way into the history books. From artful dodgers to respectable gentlemen, they had one thing in common: contempt for the rule of law.