Mike Loades takes us straight to the sharp end of the history of duelling.

Imagine settling disputes in lethal combat - answering an insult with a challenge to fight to the death. From its medieval roots to the 19th century, fighting with swords was a way for the 'gentlemanly classes' to settle their arguments. Hands-on historian Mike Loades explores this extraordinary phenomenon.

Mike sets up his own sword school to investigate some famous duels and recreate the brutal, but highly skilled, reality of duelling with swords. He traces the tradition right back to the Viking Holmgang and the medieval duel of honour, solemn medieval legal proceedings, and gets his hands on an incredible 700 year old fight manual at the Royal Armouries.

The mania for duelling really took off in the 16th century, when rapiers ruled and elite sword-masters set up schools in London. With a team of duelling students, Mike examines how Shakespeare vividly captured the street language and bloody consequences of this craze in Romeo and Juliet. He also visits the prestigious College of Arms to discover the meticulous records of crude insults that could provoke a fight.

And finally Mike draws his own sword and takes on his old sparring partner, Marcello Walton, to recreate a famous duel fought in a candlelit London pub.