Pirates: Behind the Legends

Synopsis

From legendary John Ward, immortalized in fiction as Jack Sparrow, and English explorer Francis Drake; branded Pirates by their enemies but heroes by their comrades, to the notorious Pirates of the Caribbean shrouded in myth.

First Air Date: 2024-06-09

Last Air Date: 2024-06-30

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 8

Networks: National Geographic

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Billy Boyd as Narrator (voice)
Anne Chambers as Self - Author
Harcourt T. Fuller as Self - Historian
Iszi Lawrence as Self - Author & History Presenter
Martin Mares as Self - Historian
Richard Blakemore as Self - Historian
Hannah Cusworth as Self - Historian
Connie Kelleher as Self - Author
Mark Hanna as Self - Historian
Sinead Ferguson as Anne Bonny

Seasons

Season 1 (2024)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Francis Drake - For Queen and Country (2024-06-09)

Circumnavigation is the pinnacle of Drake's career, cementing him in history as the world's most controversial pirate.
Ep. 2: Grace O’Malley - The Pirate Queen of Ireland (2024-06-09)

Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland. Her rise from wanted pirate to Chieftain is won through a warrior’s sword and a woman’s grit.
Ep. 3: John Ward - The English Pirate of North Africa (2024-06-16)

The Englishman turned Algerian pirate starts his remarkable ascent from petty pirate to a notorious menace, becoming ruler of the Tunisian empire.
Ep. 4: Henry Morgan - The Lieutenant Pirate (2024-06-16)

A brilliant strategist, Morgan takes humans, treasure and Spanish colonial towns with no mercy later becoming Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica.
Ep. 5: William Kidd - The Treasure Hunter (2024-06-23)

Captain Kidd, the treasure hunter. When the legitimate prizes of the Red Sea are not to be found, Kidd quickly turns from pirate hunter to pirate.
Ep. 6: Blackbeard (2024-06-23)

Blackbeard is a terrifying figure with a diverse crew of pirates seeking equality and treasure, aboard the stolen flagship The Queen Anne’s Revenge.
Ep. 7: Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read: Rebel Spirits (2024-06-30)

The notorious pirate run town of Nassau is soon to be shaken by the English crackdown on lawlessness in the Caribbean. Living off plunder and raiding, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny and Mary Read form a troublesome trio who successfully rob ships and live off the spoils of the sea until they are captured by pirate hunters and tried for piracy.
Ep. 8: Roberts - The Last Great Pirate (2024-06-30)

Bartholomew Roberts aka Black Bart, the most successful pirate of the Golden Age, his fleet amassing 450 stolen ships. From his humble beginnings as a Welsh sailor, Roberts quickly becomes captain of a pirate ship, showing his shrewd captainship he writes down a pirate code. His piracy almost brings West Indies trade to a standstill until he is hunted down by the English crown.