PBS Sets US Premiere Date for “Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution”

PBS announced today the US premiere date for new two-part docuseries, Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution.

Amongst British TV fans on this side of the pond, probably the most recognized and the most popular of British historians and documentary presenters is Lucy Worsley OBE, a former Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, best-selling author (Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman), podcaster (LadyKillers), and program host (Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths and Secrets).

She will be returning to our screens soon in Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution, a brand-new documentary series that explores one of history’s most explosive breakups: the British Empire’s loss of the American colonies.

In 1776, thirteen American colonies declared independence from one of the most powerful empires in the world, igniting a bloody eight-year war that claimed thousands of lives and ended in Britain’s humiliating defeat. The two-part docuseries, filmed on both sides of the Atlantic, sees Lucy investigate the sabotage, espionage, and unrest that led to the birth of a new nation. She also examines the Revolutionary War from the British perspective, discovering the human drama, radical ideas, and political missteps behind the seismic split, and revealing how losing America changed Britain forever.

Said Lucy Worsley:

“Digging into the past is a true joy for me. So often history gets written by the winners: lots of people know the US side of the American Revolution, but much fewer the British one. Interrogating amazing sources and meeting people who can shine a light on this hidden history, I can’t wait to share the forgotten and surprising story of how losing America affected Britain and beyond.”

Part of the PBS America @ 250 special programming lineup, and making its stateside debut in advance of America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, the first episode of Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution premieres in the US on Tuesday, April 7, at 9pm ET (check your local listings), followed by Episode 2 on April 14. Streaming will be available on PBS.org and the PBS app.

Episodes details are below.

Episode One (April 7, 2026) takes Lucy to New York’s City Hall Park, where George Washington’s troops heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud, a rallying cry that inspired rebels to destroy a statue of King George III and melt it into musket balls. At the New York Historical, Lucy examines a relic of this defiance and asks whether the rupture was inevitable. She then travels home to England to uncover the British perspective, studying King George’s maps and visiting Benjamin Franklin’s London home. She traces British and American tensions rising from Britain’s punitive taxes and the Stamp Act of 1765. In Boston, Lucy explores how the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party were flashpoints that pushed Americans toward war. Finally, Lucy reveals the radical voices — John Wilkes and Thomas Paine — whose words crystallized America’s vision of liberty and independence.

Episode Two (April 14, 2026) uncovers how the war reverberated in Britain itself. At Portsmouth Royal Dockyard, Lucy investigates James Aitken’s shocking arson plot to cripple the Royal Navy. She traces Franklin’s secret mission to Paris to secure French support, while British spy Edward Bancroft fed intelligence back to London. Lucy explores Britain’s growing fears as France, and later Spain, joined the conflict, and how Irish Volunteers forced Britain to lift trade restrictions between Ireland and America. Back in London, riots erupted, and George III agonized over the possibility of losing the empire. By 1781, Britain’s campaign collapsed at Yorktown, and two years later, Britain formally recognized American independence. Concluding her investigation at Grosvenor Square, the site of America’s first embassy in London, Lucy reflects on a revolution that created an independent America and reshaped Britain forever.

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Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley