Lucy Worsley's Fireworks for a Tudor Queen

0:00:03 > 0:00:04Fireworks.

0:00:06 > 0:00:08They've been enthralling us Brits for centuries.

0:00:09 > 0:00:11Ooh!

0:00:11 > 0:00:14But the use of fireworks for entertainment really got going

0:00:14 > 0:00:18during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

0:00:18 > 0:00:21By far the most spectacular of these displays

0:00:21 > 0:00:25took place at Kenilworth Castle in 1575.

0:00:25 > 0:00:29Onlookers described seeing thunderbolts and lightnings of fire

0:00:29 > 0:00:31that surged the waters and shook the earth.

0:00:32 > 0:00:34So, it was certainly a night to remember.

0:00:36 > 0:00:40In this programme, we're going to return to Kenilworth Castle in an

0:00:40 > 0:00:43ambitious attempt to recreate that display

0:00:43 > 0:00:45in all its Tudor glory.

0:00:49 > 0:00:53The fireworks were part of a three-week extravaganza,

0:00:53 > 0:00:57including bear-baiting and dancing and feasting,

0:00:57 > 0:00:59but the fireworks were the centrepiece.

0:01:00 > 0:01:04It was all designed for one very special member of the audience -

0:01:04 > 0:01:07Queen Elizabeth I.

0:01:07 > 0:01:09THEY SHOUT AND CHEER

0:01:09 > 0:01:12For Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester,

0:01:12 > 0:01:14the fireworks were his last throw of the dice

0:01:14 > 0:01:17in his attempt to win the Queen's hand in marriage.

0:01:19 > 0:01:23To pull off our re-creation of what his lavish display of love

0:01:23 > 0:01:25and affection might've looked like,

0:01:25 > 0:01:28I'll be scouring historical documents for clues.

0:01:28 > 0:01:32And I'm enlisting the help of artist and materials scientist

0:01:32 > 0:01:34Doctor Zoe Laughlin.

0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Oh, look at it go! - Wow! We put too much!- Yeah!

0:01:37 > 0:01:41Her job is to rebuild the Tudor fireworks that no longer exist,

0:01:41 > 0:01:44using 400-year-old techniques.

0:01:44 > 0:01:48- Ooh, a stiff Christmas cracker.- It's a Christmas cracker from hell.- Yeah.

0:01:48 > 0:01:52From the manufacturer of Elizabethan gunpowder from buckets of urine...

0:01:52 > 0:01:54It was incredibly valuable.

0:01:54 > 0:01:57..to the construction of a huge dragon that spits fire

0:01:57 > 0:01:58from every orifice...

0:01:58 > 0:02:03- He's got flames gushing out of his bottom!- Yeah!

0:02:03 > 0:02:06..the display has the potential to be as dangerous

0:02:06 > 0:02:08as it is spectacular.

0:02:09 > 0:02:11It's made out of gunpowder, after all.

0:02:14 > 0:02:19I also want to look under the surface of the spectacle to discover

0:02:19 > 0:02:22why fireworks played such an important part in Tudor life.

0:02:22 > 0:02:25They wouldn't have been used to seeing lavish fireworks,

0:02:25 > 0:02:29so they would've caused a bit of wonder and awe and fear.

0:02:30 > 0:02:34We're trying to reconstruct an event that had the potential to change

0:02:34 > 0:02:36the history of England,

0:02:36 > 0:02:38with the help of scattered evidence

0:02:38 > 0:02:40and some very experimental science.

0:02:43 > 0:02:44If we get it wrong,

0:02:44 > 0:02:47our display will just be a smouldering hole in the ground.

0:02:47 > 0:02:49If we get it right, though,

0:02:49 > 0:02:52we'll have recreated one of the most magnificent nights

0:02:52 > 0:02:54in Tudor history,

0:02:54 > 0:02:57and a firework display fit for a queen.

0:03:14 > 0:03:17The firework display at Kenilworth Castle

0:03:17 > 0:03:20put on by Robert Dudley in 1575

0:03:20 > 0:03:22has gone down in history as one of the earliest

0:03:22 > 0:03:26and most impressive ever seen.

0:03:26 > 0:03:29Unfortunately, direct evidence for what the firework display looked

0:03:29 > 0:03:31like is a bit thin on the ground,

0:03:31 > 0:03:34but we aren't completely out of luck.

0:03:34 > 0:03:36This is what claims to be an eyewitness account

0:03:36 > 0:03:40by somebody who was there in the audience with Queen Elizabeth I.

0:03:40 > 0:03:43A friend of Robert Dudley's called Robert Laneham.

0:03:43 > 0:03:47"Lightnings of wildfire shoots at the thunderbolts

0:03:47 > 0:03:52"and it was all so terrifying and violent that the heavens thundered,

0:03:52 > 0:03:55"the waters surged and the earth shook."

0:03:55 > 0:03:58Sounds like we've set ourselves quite a challenge.

0:03:58 > 0:04:01But this isn't the only piece of evidence for the display,

0:04:01 > 0:04:03and we need to go searching for clues.

0:04:06 > 0:04:08To track down these scraps of evidence,

0:04:08 > 0:04:13Doctor Zoe Laughlin and I are going on an historical treasure hunt.

0:04:13 > 0:04:15We'll be grilling historians of science

0:04:15 > 0:04:19and experts in historical pyrotechnics.

0:04:19 > 0:04:23That is a wheel of fire. What the Italians called a girandole.

0:04:23 > 0:04:27Where we don't have the answers, we'll be relying on the expertise

0:04:27 > 0:04:30of Zoe, with her skills as both scientist and artist,

0:04:30 > 0:04:34to formulate experiments of her own, in our attempt

0:04:34 > 0:04:37to recreate a night to remember.

0:04:37 > 0:04:39- Whoa!- Whoa!

0:04:40 > 0:04:43And what I also hope from this journey is something more -

0:04:43 > 0:04:46a chance to have a better understanding

0:04:46 > 0:04:48of the Elizabethan mind.

0:04:48 > 0:04:50I want to find out why fireworks

0:04:50 > 0:04:53were such a vital part of Tudor life,

0:04:53 > 0:04:56and why this particular display at Kenilworth

0:04:56 > 0:05:00was the pinnacle of power and pageantry in the Elizabethan era.

0:05:07 > 0:05:11To set Zoe on her way, I'm taking her to the British Library.

0:05:12 > 0:05:16Tucked away in its vaults, there's a very special book.

0:05:16 > 0:05:18Look at this!

0:05:18 > 0:05:22Now, what you've got there is the first edition of a book called

0:05:22 > 0:05:25Pyrotechnia, which is the first proper English book

0:05:25 > 0:05:28about how to make fireworks.

0:05:28 > 0:05:30"By John Babington, gunner and student."

0:05:30 > 0:05:34- He's a man who knows how to make things go bang.- Yeah, yeah.

0:05:36 > 0:05:40Not only is Pyrotechnia packed with scientific detail,

0:05:40 > 0:05:44it contains something even more useful.

0:05:44 > 0:05:45Oh, what a treat.

0:05:45 > 0:05:48Every area has something sparking or fizzing.

0:05:49 > 0:05:53This is the earliest plan of a British firework display

0:05:53 > 0:05:55fit for a monarch,

0:05:55 > 0:05:58and historical records suggest it probably had the same attractions

0:05:58 > 0:06:01as the display put on for Elizabeth's visit to Kenilworth.

0:06:03 > 0:06:06- I like the wheels.- Do you think these whizzed around like that?

0:06:06 > 0:06:07I do think... Yeah.

0:06:07 > 0:06:09In fact, this one's even got sparks coming out of it,

0:06:09 > 0:06:12implying that it's going round and round.

0:06:12 > 0:06:14This one's really important...

0:06:14 > 0:06:19The plan laid out in Pyrotechnia is full of fireworks forgotten

0:06:19 > 0:06:21in the mists of time.

0:06:21 > 0:06:24There are gerbs, which produced fountains of sparks,

0:06:24 > 0:06:28locket boxes that launch fireworks simultaneously

0:06:28 > 0:06:32and terrifying-looking horizontal spinning wheels.

0:06:32 > 0:06:34I love this. Look, there's a ginormous...

0:06:34 > 0:06:37- Look at the front.- He's a whopper! He's massive!- What a big boy.

0:06:37 > 0:06:39That's ginormous.

0:06:39 > 0:06:40So, here's the big question -

0:06:40 > 0:06:44do you think you can make something along these lines?

0:06:44 > 0:06:46Will it work? Will it be safe?

0:06:46 > 0:06:48Are we all going to die? Will it be spectacular? ZOE GIGGLES

0:06:48 > 0:06:51This is really exciting. This is a great starting point.

0:06:51 > 0:06:54This is something that we can use as a master plan.

0:06:59 > 0:07:03While Zoe's getting to grips with Babington's instructions,

0:07:03 > 0:07:07Laneham very usefully tells us how the display kicked off.

0:07:07 > 0:07:10He says that there was "a great peal of guns,

0:07:10 > 0:07:13"and lightening by firework."

0:07:13 > 0:07:15He says that "the noise and the flame could be heard

0:07:15 > 0:07:18"and seen 20 miles off."

0:07:18 > 0:07:21Sounds like we're going to need some cannons.

0:07:23 > 0:07:27As this is the only major element of our display that Zoe isn't planning

0:07:27 > 0:07:29to reconstruct from scratch,

0:07:29 > 0:07:33I want to source one for myself.

0:07:33 > 0:07:36It turns out that it's not that easy to get your hands on

0:07:36 > 0:07:39a working Elizabethan cannon.

0:07:39 > 0:07:42I'm hoping that these gentlemen might be able to help.

0:07:42 > 0:07:44A MAN SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY

0:07:44 > 0:07:47BLAST

0:07:47 > 0:07:52Surviving cannons, and even period replicas, are something of a rarity,

0:07:52 > 0:07:56as their antiquated design means they have a tendency to explode.

0:07:56 > 0:07:58HE SHOUTS AGAIN

0:07:58 > 0:08:01Let's hope experts in Tudor artillery,

0:08:01 > 0:08:04Nat Bond and Alex Compiani, have a solution.

0:08:06 > 0:08:08- Hello!- Hello, there!

0:08:08 > 0:08:10Lots of guns you've got here.

0:08:10 > 0:08:13What we've actually got is a kind of timeline of guns, showing the

0:08:13 > 0:08:16evolution. This gun here is what's referred to as a gungeon gun.

0:08:16 > 0:08:18This is a copy of one that was recovered off the deck

0:08:18 > 0:08:21- of the Mary Rose.- Ah! So that's 1540s.

0:08:21 > 0:08:24- It is.- That's a bit early for me, is it?- Well, this period

0:08:24 > 0:08:26is a transitional period where these guns are becoming

0:08:26 > 0:08:29obsolete, where the new corned powder is coming into use,

0:08:29 > 0:08:32and the corned powder burned much faster, with much more power.

0:08:32 > 0:08:34What happened if you put the new powder into the old gun?

0:08:34 > 0:08:37Chances are it would explode and kill you and your crew.

0:08:37 > 0:08:39Oh, dear!

0:08:39 > 0:08:41Moving on the line, though, you've got what is called a rabonet.

0:08:41 > 0:08:44These were just coming in in the Elizabethan period,

0:08:44 > 0:08:47so this is fairly new technology for the Elizabethan period, because it's

0:08:47 > 0:08:49- a cast iron barrel.- Mm.

0:08:49 > 0:08:52The longer the barrel is, the more room there is for those gases to

0:08:52 > 0:08:54expand and the faster the ball flies.

0:08:54 > 0:08:56And would you be able to hear the sound of it 20 miles off,

0:08:56 > 0:08:59which is in the description of the entertainment at Kenilworth?

0:08:59 > 0:09:02You would. This one actually has quite a sharp crack to it.

0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Gunners refer to it as the voice of the gun.- The voice?- Yes.

0:09:05 > 0:09:06So, if you were 20 miles away,

0:09:06 > 0:09:09you could hear that it was your gun talking to you?

0:09:09 > 0:09:12- An experienced gunner who'd fired the gun a lot, yes.- Oh!

0:09:12 > 0:09:13Did the guns have names?

0:09:13 > 0:09:15This one's called Jennifer.

0:09:15 > 0:09:17SHE LAUGHS

0:09:17 > 0:09:19I named it after my wife!

0:09:20 > 0:09:21What about this one, then?

0:09:21 > 0:09:25Big Red fires a large six pound cast-iron cannonball.

0:09:25 > 0:09:29You could just about touch the two-mile range with this gun.

0:09:29 > 0:09:32By the time you heard it, you'd already be hit.

0:09:32 > 0:09:35- Oh!- If you want to impress people, this one.

0:09:35 > 0:09:36The big bazooka.

0:09:36 > 0:09:39- If I was hosting Elizabeth I...- Mm.

0:09:39 > 0:09:43..I'd want to show off just how wealthy and how well-armed I was.

0:09:43 > 0:09:45- Is he more expensive than her? - Oh, yes.

0:09:45 > 0:09:48This is the equivalent of having a gold-plated Aston Martin

0:09:48 > 0:09:49on your driveway.

0:09:50 > 0:09:52- Search the piece.- Clear.

0:09:52 > 0:09:53Swab.

0:09:53 > 0:09:57So, if we're talking Tudor bling, there's really only one choice.

0:09:57 > 0:09:58Place the charge.

0:09:58 > 0:10:01And if you're going to invest in the Elizabethan equivalent

0:10:01 > 0:10:03of a gold-plated Aston Martin...

0:10:03 > 0:10:04HE SHOUTS A WARNING

0:10:04 > 0:10:07..you might as well give it a test drive.

0:10:07 > 0:10:08That at the end.

0:10:09 > 0:10:11Lift! FIRE!

0:10:13 > 0:10:15BANG

0:10:17 > 0:10:18It's OK, everybody jumps!

0:10:18 > 0:10:21SHE LAUGHS

0:10:21 > 0:10:25Brilliant! So, it's this cannon, Big Red,

0:10:25 > 0:10:27which is set to open our festivities.

0:10:29 > 0:10:31As a cannon, it's, of course, different to the other,

0:10:31 > 0:10:35more spectacular, fireworks we're hoping to reconstruct

0:10:35 > 0:10:38for our display, but it does have one vital element

0:10:38 > 0:10:41in common with them - gunpowder.

0:10:41 > 0:10:44Learning about the secrets of gunpowder

0:10:44 > 0:10:45is Zoe's first step on her quest

0:10:45 > 0:10:48to recreate our Tudor fireworks.

0:10:48 > 0:10:50According to some of the old text,

0:10:50 > 0:10:53lesson one in becoming a successful pyrotechnician

0:10:53 > 0:10:55is know your gunpowder.

0:10:55 > 0:10:59In its day, it was considered a bit of a dark art, but today

0:10:59 > 0:11:01I'm going to unravel some of the mysteries.

0:11:03 > 0:11:05Also, it's the same composition we use now.

0:11:05 > 0:11:09Nowadays, we think nothing of buying our own ready-made fireworks from

0:11:09 > 0:11:11the supermarket, but in Tudor times,

0:11:11 > 0:11:14owning a firework began with the process

0:11:14 > 0:11:17of sourcing and refining the ingredients,

0:11:17 > 0:11:19which could take years.

0:11:19 > 0:11:22- Wood and heat.- And heat.

0:11:22 > 0:11:25And as a job, it was potentially lethal.

0:11:25 > 0:11:28With the help of chemist Andreas Tretiakov

0:11:28 > 0:11:31in the safe confines of the science lab, I'm going to explore

0:11:31 > 0:11:35the process, and make gunpowder to the Elizabethan recipe.

0:11:35 > 0:11:37So, I'm done on the gas.

0:11:37 > 0:11:38OK.

0:11:38 > 0:11:41Firstly, we're turning wood into charcoal

0:11:41 > 0:11:43in our home-made micro-kiln.

0:11:43 > 0:11:46That's what you can see burning orange now, are the gases coming out

0:11:46 > 0:11:49- of the can.- Yes. Those gases are toxic, like carbon monoxide,

0:11:49 > 0:11:52- carbon dioxide and methane.- Mm.

0:11:52 > 0:11:55- It's really going some now. - Really going, yes.

0:11:55 > 0:11:59Restricting the oxygen as it burns produces almost

0:11:59 > 0:12:01pure carbon in the form of charcoal.

0:12:01 > 0:12:05Beautiful, pure nuggets of carbon.

0:12:06 > 0:12:09This is the first element in our recipe.

0:12:09 > 0:12:11Here's our charcoal.

0:12:11 > 0:12:14The most important ingredient in gunpowder was saltpetre,

0:12:14 > 0:12:18but we now know that as potassium nitrate.

0:12:18 > 0:12:21To the Tudors, saltpetre was really difficult to make,

0:12:21 > 0:12:24and required this ingredient - urine.

0:12:24 > 0:12:26It was incredibly valuable.

0:12:26 > 0:12:28They had to get whole households peeing into buckets

0:12:28 > 0:12:31and gathering the stuff up.

0:12:31 > 0:12:36Tudor gunpowder-makers combined the urine with soil and manure,

0:12:36 > 0:12:39and hoped for a bacterial reaction over 18 months,

0:12:39 > 0:12:41leading to an end product of saltpetre.

0:12:43 > 0:12:46Nowadays, we can take a short cut,

0:12:46 > 0:12:49mixing premade industrial chemicals.

0:12:49 > 0:12:53Right, so we're making an ice bath so that we can rapidly cool this,

0:12:53 > 0:12:56and help the potassium nitrate crystals form.

0:12:58 > 0:13:01- Oh!- Oh... I can see something. - I can see them! OK.

0:13:04 > 0:13:05Look at that.

0:13:05 > 0:13:08This is potassium nitrate that would have been produced

0:13:08 > 0:13:10from hundreds of people's urine.

0:13:10 > 0:13:12This is the Tudor saltpetre.

0:13:15 > 0:13:18Now we're refining raw sulphur.

0:13:18 > 0:13:21I can now see a thick tier

0:13:21 > 0:13:24of red sulphur

0:13:24 > 0:13:26trickling down the nozzle.

0:13:26 > 0:13:29- Look. It is rubbery!- Yes.

0:13:30 > 0:13:33It's almost like something you'd find in the sea.

0:13:33 > 0:13:34Wow.

0:13:34 > 0:13:36With time, this plastic sulphur

0:13:36 > 0:13:39will solidify, and can be crushed into a fine powder.

0:13:42 > 0:13:46So, now, we have the three ingredients we need for gunpowder.

0:13:46 > 0:13:49The charcoal, the sulphur,

0:13:49 > 0:13:51the potassium nitrate.

0:13:51 > 0:13:54All that's left for us to do now is grind them into a fine powder.

0:13:56 > 0:13:59The magic comes from how these three ingredients

0:13:59 > 0:14:02all work together when mixed.

0:14:02 > 0:14:04The charcoal is the fuel.

0:14:04 > 0:14:07- Right, next up, potassium nitrate. - Potassium nitrate.

0:14:07 > 0:14:11The potassium nitrate provides the oxygen for the fuel to burn.

0:14:11 > 0:14:13And finally the sulphur.

0:14:13 > 0:14:16The main role of sulphur is to be a catalyst,

0:14:16 > 0:14:18lowering the temperature needed to ignite the mix.

0:14:21 > 0:14:25- Is this the dangerous part? - Potentially, yes.- OK.

0:14:25 > 0:14:27Right, glasses on. Right.

0:14:27 > 0:14:29Mixing them will give us gunpowder,

0:14:29 > 0:14:33and that's when things get really dangerous.

0:14:33 > 0:14:35Right, 15% charcoal.

0:14:35 > 0:14:39A tiny spark could literally blow the whole lot up.

0:14:39 > 0:14:41I feel a bit nervous.

0:14:42 > 0:14:45It's really important that we're using a wooden stick for this,

0:14:45 > 0:14:49because we just do not want to generate anything

0:14:49 > 0:14:51that will ignite this mixture.

0:14:52 > 0:14:54It's very soft.

0:14:56 > 0:14:57Ooh.

0:14:57 > 0:14:58THEY CHUCKLE SOFTLY

0:14:59 > 0:15:01Let's give it a test.

0:15:01 > 0:15:03SHE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY

0:15:03 > 0:15:06Are you going to light one end and I'm going to light the other?

0:15:06 > 0:15:07That's a very good idea.

0:15:09 > 0:15:11OK.

0:15:11 > 0:15:12- OK.- One, two, three.

0:15:14 > 0:15:15Yes!

0:15:16 > 0:15:18- Oh, look at it go!- Ah!

0:15:21 > 0:15:23- Wow!- Wow! - Quite a lot of smoke.- Wow!

0:15:23 > 0:15:26- And it's still burning. - We made gunpowder!

0:15:26 > 0:15:28- We did it!- Wow!

0:15:28 > 0:15:31What's incredible is I was expecting a bang,

0:15:31 > 0:15:33- but obviously it's not in a confined space.- No.

0:15:33 > 0:15:37So it's not going to create a kind of classic firework bang,

0:15:37 > 0:15:39but that has got some oomph to it.

0:15:39 > 0:15:41SHE COUGHS

0:15:41 > 0:15:43Mission accomplished.

0:15:43 > 0:15:45Following an archaic recipe,

0:15:45 > 0:15:47we have created Elizabethan gunpowder.

0:15:49 > 0:15:50And quite a lot of smoke!

0:15:50 > 0:15:53So this is the first step on the road to recreating

0:15:53 > 0:15:56those Tudor fireworks, and we've proved it's possible.

0:16:00 > 0:16:03We've now created gunpowder,

0:16:03 > 0:16:07the power behind the first element in our display, the cannon.

0:16:09 > 0:16:13Together, these two elements played a vital role

0:16:13 > 0:16:15in the wars fought by Tudor England.

0:16:16 > 0:16:19From sea battles with the Spanish Armada

0:16:19 > 0:16:23to fighting in the Netherlands on behalf of the Protestants,

0:16:23 > 0:16:25the Elizabethan era was an age of conflict.

0:16:27 > 0:16:31And it was here, within the walls of the Tower of London,

0:16:31 > 0:16:35where you'd find the marriage of pyrotechnics and the art of war.

0:16:37 > 0:16:39There's really a lot at stake in this period.

0:16:39 > 0:16:40It's very, very tense.

0:16:40 > 0:16:43There would have been thousands of people around here,

0:16:43 > 0:16:45all trying to make this work to get these ships supplied,

0:16:45 > 0:16:49to get the army supplied and fight these battles.

0:16:49 > 0:16:52Makes you think of Bletchley Park in World War II or something.

0:16:52 > 0:16:56- Everybody working together.- Exactly. It's a really crucial centre.

0:16:56 > 0:17:00It's like an arsenal and a Ministry of Defence all rolled into one.

0:17:00 > 0:17:02Who were these gunners, then?

0:17:02 > 0:17:05There were about 100 people who were referred to as gunners, and they

0:17:05 > 0:17:09were the people who learnt how to shoot this new technology,

0:17:09 > 0:17:11which is gunpowder,

0:17:11 > 0:17:13fireworks and cannon,

0:17:13 > 0:17:16and some of the first books on gunnery and fireworks

0:17:16 > 0:17:19appear at this time. This is a fire lance,

0:17:19 > 0:17:22a rocket attached to the end of a pike,

0:17:22 > 0:17:26and you fire it in the face of the enemy close-up,

0:17:26 > 0:17:27so it's really nasty.

0:17:27 > 0:17:29What's a ball of wildfire?

0:17:29 > 0:17:33Well, they would put metal balls filled with gunpowder

0:17:33 > 0:17:37and incendiary liquids into a crossbow and fire them at you.

0:17:37 > 0:17:39That's not something you want to be hit by.

0:17:39 > 0:17:42Do you think once they'd finished their serious business of inventing

0:17:42 > 0:17:43new weapons, the gunners thought,

0:17:43 > 0:17:46- "Right, let's have a bit of fun now"?- Yes, exactly.

0:17:46 > 0:17:49So, they're not just going out and shooting and firing the cannon,

0:17:49 > 0:17:51they're also creative artists.

0:17:51 > 0:17:54They were interested in using fireworks for peaceful means,

0:17:54 > 0:17:58for pageants and plays and festivals, from very early on.

0:17:58 > 0:18:01This is quite a pattern throughout history, isn't it?

0:18:01 > 0:18:04Like battlefields turning into jousting.

0:18:04 > 0:18:08Something very serious and deadly becomes ritualised

0:18:08 > 0:18:11and made into a sort of play version of itself later on.

0:18:11 > 0:18:12Yes, that's right.

0:18:12 > 0:18:15That's something that the gunners are really proud of.

0:18:15 > 0:18:19So, one of them wrote a book where he included a self-portrait,

0:18:19 > 0:18:22and there's a little motto at the top

0:18:22 > 0:18:24and it says "Arte et Marte".

0:18:24 > 0:18:28So, art and war, and the idea is that these are two sides

0:18:28 > 0:18:31of what he does - the peaceful and the military.

0:18:34 > 0:18:37So, it was at the Tower of London,

0:18:37 > 0:18:39home to the endlessly inventive gunners,

0:18:39 > 0:18:43where firework-making for entertainment really took off.

0:18:43 > 0:18:48They had everything they needed to experiment and create their own new

0:18:48 > 0:18:50and exciting pyrotechnics.

0:18:50 > 0:18:55It's now up to Zoe to see if she can match them and come up with

0:18:55 > 0:18:56some magic of her own.

0:18:59 > 0:19:03But firework-making is a specialised and dangerous art,

0:19:03 > 0:19:06so Zoe's going to need some expert help.

0:19:06 > 0:19:09- Hello?- Hello!- Hi, are you Don? - I am, indeed.- Hi, I'm Zoe.

0:19:09 > 0:19:12- Hello, Zoe. Nice to meet you. - Hello, Zoe, I'm Mike.- Mike, hello.

0:19:12 > 0:19:15- And this is John.- Hi, John. Nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.

0:19:15 > 0:19:18I've heard you're the crack team that I should come to

0:19:18 > 0:19:20if I want to get some bespoke fireworks made.

0:19:21 > 0:19:23Don, Mike and John are artisans,

0:19:23 > 0:19:27devoted to handcrafting pyrotechnics for modern-day events,

0:19:27 > 0:19:32with a sense of adventure to take on any pyrotechnical challenge.

0:19:32 > 0:19:36And so this is the kind of display that we're attempting to recreate.

0:19:36 > 0:19:38There's obviously these fantastic rockets.

0:19:38 > 0:19:41I love the fact that there's an absolutely giant beast of a rocket

0:19:41 > 0:19:44- at the front.- A huge one there, yeah.- That's going to be taller

0:19:44 > 0:19:47than me, probably. And then these kind of Catherine wheel type ones.

0:19:47 > 0:19:50- Is that something we can have a go at?- Yeah, we'll certainly have a go

0:19:50 > 0:19:52at it. I mean, horizontal wheel,

0:19:52 > 0:19:55we don't really use in displays that much any more.

0:19:55 > 0:19:57It throws up tonnes of sparks. So, if you imagine,

0:19:57 > 0:20:00you've got fireworks all around you, the last thing you want

0:20:00 > 0:20:03is tonnes of sparks flying around your display site and setting fire

0:20:03 > 0:20:04to everything else, so not ideal.

0:20:04 > 0:20:09Creating a truly authentic display is going to expose us to the risk

0:20:09 > 0:20:11that it could all go up in flames,

0:20:11 > 0:20:14but our best hope is working with these experts,

0:20:14 > 0:20:17who are willing to take on this challenge,

0:20:17 > 0:20:19all in the name of history.

0:20:21 > 0:20:25The display that Zoe and these chaps will be attempting to put together

0:20:25 > 0:20:29was part of a three-week pageant said to have cost Robert Dudley,

0:20:29 > 0:20:33Earl of Leicester, the modern equivalent of £24 million.

0:20:36 > 0:20:39But who was this man who was willing to spend a fortune

0:20:39 > 0:20:42in his attempt to woo his queen?

0:20:42 > 0:20:46Well, he was her adviser, friend,

0:20:46 > 0:20:48very possibly lover.

0:20:48 > 0:20:51There were lots of rumours at court about this,

0:20:51 > 0:20:53despite the fact that he was married.

0:20:53 > 0:20:56This is what the Spanish ambassador had to say.

0:20:56 > 0:21:00"Her Majesty visits him in his chamber day and night.

0:21:00 > 0:21:02"People talk of this freely.

0:21:02 > 0:21:05"They go so far as to say that his wife has a malady

0:21:05 > 0:21:07"in one of her breasts,

0:21:07 > 0:21:10"and that the Queen is only waiting for her to die

0:21:10 > 0:21:12"so that she can marry Lord Robert."

0:21:13 > 0:21:15Dudley's wife, Amy, did die.

0:21:15 > 0:21:18She fell down some stairs in mysterious circumstances.

0:21:18 > 0:21:22Some people said that Dudley was responsible.

0:21:22 > 0:21:24But even once they were both free,

0:21:24 > 0:21:29the Queen didn't take the final step of agreeing to marry him.

0:21:29 > 0:21:33You can see the three weeks of festivities and fireworks

0:21:33 > 0:21:36at Kenilworth Castle as a sort of last roll of the dice

0:21:36 > 0:21:40for Dudley in this long-running game of trying to get

0:21:40 > 0:21:42the Queen to marry him.

0:21:45 > 0:21:49But why was it that Dudley put so much faith in fireworks

0:21:49 > 0:21:52as a way to win the heart of his queen?

0:21:54 > 0:21:58Well, he was living in the Golden Age of English history,

0:21:58 > 0:22:01with a flowering of music, literature and theatre.

0:22:04 > 0:22:09Perhaps I can get to the bottom of the emotional power of our display

0:22:09 > 0:22:14from the greatest dramatist of this, or indeed of any other, era.

0:22:14 > 0:22:19Farah, what can the Globe Theatre tell us about Tudor pyrotechnics?

0:22:19 > 0:22:22Well, in Shakespeare's original Globe of 1599,

0:22:22 > 0:22:25he would've staged plays, like Julius Caesar and Macbeth,

0:22:25 > 0:22:28which actually had stage directions that call for fireworks.

0:22:28 > 0:22:32Set off within this wooden thatched building?

0:22:32 > 0:22:36Yes, and, miraculously, it didn't burn down, at least not until 1613.

0:22:36 > 0:22:38They were that committed to fireworks

0:22:38 > 0:22:40that they actually burned down their theatre and destroyed it?

0:22:40 > 0:22:43Accidentally, yes.

0:22:43 > 0:22:47I think the most famous scene with a storm is the opening of Macbeth,

0:22:47 > 0:22:48isn't it? Act I, Scene I?

0:22:48 > 0:22:51Yes. There's a stage direction there that calls for...

0:22:51 > 0:22:53"Thunder and lightning."

0:22:53 > 0:22:55"And then enter the witches."

0:22:55 > 0:22:57So, how did they actually do that?

0:22:57 > 0:23:00You can see there's a trap in the heavens there,

0:23:00 > 0:23:03and there's a reference in the period to sort of stagehands

0:23:03 > 0:23:07being up there lighting squibs so that it looks like you get flashes

0:23:07 > 0:23:09of lightning coming out of the heavens.

0:23:09 > 0:23:12Or they might have used swivels to create other kinds

0:23:12 > 0:23:16- of storm or cosmic events.- A swivel?

0:23:16 > 0:23:19Well, there were manuals that instructed people how to make

0:23:19 > 0:23:21fireworks in that time period.

0:23:21 > 0:23:25So the example that I have here is The Mysteries Of Nature And Art

0:23:25 > 0:23:27by John Bate, published in 1634.

0:23:27 > 0:23:31But a lot of the techniques he talks about in here would have been around

0:23:31 > 0:23:33for a long time. Medieval theatre

0:23:33 > 0:23:35used a lot of these techniques, as well.

0:23:35 > 0:23:39And a swivel is simply a rocket that sits on top of a rope

0:23:39 > 0:23:42that's tied between - here it's showing two trees but, actually,

0:23:42 > 0:23:45- it could be the two pillars on the stage.- Oh, it could have

0:23:45 > 0:23:48- zipped across here, then? - Exactly.- It travels along, does it?

0:23:48 > 0:23:50Yes, once you light it, it just zings across,

0:23:50 > 0:23:52and it looks like some kind of flying fire,

0:23:52 > 0:23:55like a comet or some kind of lightning effect.

0:23:55 > 0:23:58- So, if I were a Tudor person sitting out there...- Mm.

0:23:58 > 0:24:02..I live in a very quiet world, there are no cars or loud noises.

0:24:02 > 0:24:04I live in quite a dark world,

0:24:04 > 0:24:07- lit mainly by candlelight and firelight...- Yes.

0:24:07 > 0:24:10..and then I hear this amazing rolling, rumbling thunder,

0:24:10 > 0:24:14I see a flash of lightning coming out of there, then I see possibly

0:24:14 > 0:24:17- three witches coming up from the underworld.- Yes, in a puff of smoke.

0:24:17 > 0:24:20- It must've been terrific! - It would've been, it would've been.

0:24:20 > 0:24:25So, if members of the audience for our display at Kenilworth

0:24:25 > 0:24:28had been to the theatre, seen a Shakespeare production,

0:24:28 > 0:24:31they would already have this in their minds

0:24:31 > 0:24:35that when you hear or see thunder and lightning or flashes of light,

0:24:36 > 0:24:37it's a very powerful moment.

0:24:37 > 0:24:41It's like the universe is moving in some way.

0:24:41 > 0:24:44Absolutely. And Shakespeare knew this very well,

0:24:44 > 0:24:48which is why it becomes part of the poetry of his plays as well.

0:24:48 > 0:24:51And what's the significance in Shakespeare's plays

0:24:51 > 0:24:55when something like that appears, a comet, a shooting star?

0:24:55 > 0:24:58Well, often, it is about prophecy.

0:24:58 > 0:25:02In that time period, they read the heavens or the cosmos as having

0:25:02 > 0:25:06great meaning. And, so, God was trying to send them messages.

0:25:06 > 0:25:09So, one of the messages of Robert Dudley's display to the Queen

0:25:09 > 0:25:12could have been, "Our love is written in the stars."

0:25:12 > 0:25:14Literally, yes!

0:25:23 > 0:25:25Coming back to the Globe at night,

0:25:25 > 0:25:28it's hard to appreciate what London must have been like

0:25:28 > 0:25:314.5 centuries ago,

0:25:31 > 0:25:35to the people walking along the banks of the Thames after having

0:25:35 > 0:25:37experienced one of Shakespeare's masterpieces.

0:25:41 > 0:25:44It was a very different world,

0:25:44 > 0:25:47compared to how it's all lit up today.

0:25:48 > 0:25:49I think, in Tudor times,

0:25:49 > 0:25:53we'd have to picture the sky being pitch-y black,

0:25:53 > 0:25:57maybe just the moon picking out the rooftops,

0:25:57 > 0:26:00maybe the occasional gleam of a candle in a window.

0:26:00 > 0:26:02Which means that the pyrotechnics

0:26:02 > 0:26:06that the original audience would have seen at the Globe

0:26:06 > 0:26:09must have made a profound impression upon them.

0:26:12 > 0:26:16And it's that impact that I hope to experience,

0:26:16 > 0:26:21if we manage to light up the night sky over Kenilworth Castle.

0:26:22 > 0:26:26If we can evoke these emotions of awe and wonder,

0:26:26 > 0:26:29then we will have got to the heart and soul

0:26:29 > 0:26:33of a genuine Tudor firework display.

0:26:36 > 0:26:41It will all come down to how well we manage to recreate the fireworks

0:26:41 > 0:26:42that have been lost to history.

0:26:42 > 0:26:45And Zoe's getting down to work,

0:26:45 > 0:26:49beginning with the most versatile of the fireworks in our plan,

0:26:49 > 0:26:53the fountain, or the gerb, as it's known in the trade.

0:26:55 > 0:26:59The gerb is the unsung hero of any Tudor display.

0:26:59 > 0:27:02It produces a beautiful fountain of sparks,

0:27:02 > 0:27:05and I'm determined that every step I take in building it

0:27:05 > 0:27:08is as authentic as it can be.

0:27:08 > 0:27:11In Babington's guide, the old firemaster offers us

0:27:11 > 0:27:14a series of instructions on how to make the tools for the job.

0:27:16 > 0:27:18Mike and I are making them out of wood,

0:27:18 > 0:27:21according to our Tudor specifications.

0:27:21 > 0:27:22So, what's the first step?

0:27:22 > 0:27:25Right, so we need to turn it down into a cylinder shape.

0:27:26 > 0:27:30Our gerb tool comprises two wooden cylinders.

0:27:30 > 0:27:33One is used to create the shape of the firework's paper tube...

0:27:33 > 0:27:36I've used a lathe lots of times but I've never made a firework on one.

0:27:36 > 0:27:38This is exciting.

0:27:38 > 0:27:41..the other cylinder has a spindle on it.

0:27:41 > 0:27:44When the paper tube is packed with gunpowder,

0:27:44 > 0:27:47the spindle leaves a small void

0:27:47 > 0:27:49in which combustion takes place.

0:27:50 > 0:27:52There we have it, our first gerb tool.

0:27:52 > 0:27:55Excellent, that's absolutely perfect.

0:27:55 > 0:27:58- That is a perfect nipple. - Thanks very much!

0:27:58 > 0:28:01Precision is everything.

0:28:01 > 0:28:03These tools must fit together perfectly

0:28:03 > 0:28:07if they're going to be used to make fireworks in Babington's style.

0:28:07 > 0:28:09So, this is like the rammer?

0:28:09 > 0:28:12Exactly, this is the drift that's going to compress all the powder

0:28:12 > 0:28:15into that gerb tube, so that should match up.

0:28:15 > 0:28:16So, does your thing fit in my slot?

0:28:19 > 0:28:22I can't when you say that!

0:28:22 > 0:28:24Armed with the right tools for the job,

0:28:24 > 0:28:27we can now start to roll the paper casing

0:28:27 > 0:28:31that will house the gunpowder in our first firework.

0:28:31 > 0:28:34- No pressure.- No pressure. - No, I mean lots of pressure.

0:28:35 > 0:28:38It's like baking meets...

0:28:38 > 0:28:41some sort of cigarette-making process.

0:28:41 > 0:28:43Actually, this is going...

0:28:43 > 0:28:45- This is really good.- This is going quite well!

0:28:45 > 0:28:49Modern firework-making is a simpler process using wet paper,

0:28:49 > 0:28:51which is more manageable.

0:28:51 > 0:28:54But we're staying authentic to Babington's guide.

0:28:54 > 0:28:56So dry rolling is the Tudor technique?

0:28:56 > 0:28:59- Yeah, that's right.- More difficult.

0:29:00 > 0:29:02When you've dry rolled the tube, what we're going to do

0:29:02 > 0:29:05- is we've got to crimp this tube. - So, to make a kind of collar in it?

0:29:05 > 0:29:07- Exactly, that's going to be our choke.- In fact,

0:29:07 > 0:29:08in Babington's guide,

0:29:08 > 0:29:11there's this picture here of a tube with this collar.

0:29:11 > 0:29:14- So, is that the choke? - That's the choke, yeah.- Right.

0:29:14 > 0:29:19The choke helps the gerb produce its spectacular fountain effect.

0:29:20 > 0:29:23So, in use, it'll be that way up.

0:29:23 > 0:29:25You want a fountain of sparks coming out of the top?

0:29:25 > 0:29:26Yes, very much so.

0:29:26 > 0:29:30And this collar helps you produce, you know, a nice arc of sparks?

0:29:30 > 0:29:33Yes. Think of a garden hose squirting water out.

0:29:33 > 0:29:36If you've just got the hosepipe, the water just wells out,

0:29:36 > 0:29:38but if you then restrict the end of that hose and tighten it,

0:29:38 > 0:29:41it turns into a tight jet and goes harder and faster,

0:29:41 > 0:29:43so that's exactly what that's doing.

0:29:43 > 0:29:46We're going to get some string, and we've got to pull it

0:29:46 > 0:29:48really tight around that cardboard,

0:29:48 > 0:29:50and the only way to do this is body weight.

0:29:50 > 0:29:53- That's what's happening here?- That's exactly what's happening there.

0:29:53 > 0:29:56People are using their body weight to pull on the string?

0:29:56 > 0:29:58Right, if you want to...

0:29:58 > 0:30:00Thank you. That goes onto one end.

0:30:00 > 0:30:03I'm going to tie you onto a post so that you can pull against...

0:30:03 > 0:30:06- He's stood there? - So, he's got that higher,

0:30:06 > 0:30:08and he's sitting into it.

0:30:08 > 0:30:11- Keep going, keep going, that's it. - There!

0:30:11 > 0:30:14Oh, I'm making... It's like a really...

0:30:14 > 0:30:17- stiff Christmas cracker.- The Christmas cracker from hell.- Yeah.

0:30:19 > 0:30:21- Right.- Yeah?- And another bit there.

0:30:21 > 0:30:23- And then you can pull out your... - There we have it.

0:30:23 > 0:30:25There's our choke hole.

0:30:25 > 0:30:28All that's left now is to fill it with gunpowder.

0:30:28 > 0:30:32- Funnel goes on top.- Yep. - Literally that much is plenty.

0:30:34 > 0:30:37And, unfortunately, it's at this point you're going to

0:30:37 > 0:30:39- have to walk away.- Oh. This is the dangerous bit?

0:30:39 > 0:30:41- This is the dangerous bit. - Fair enough, OK!

0:30:41 > 0:30:44Fireworks factory manager Don Mansfield is going to use

0:30:44 > 0:30:46the cylinder from the gerb tool

0:30:46 > 0:30:48to compress the powder into the tube,

0:30:48 > 0:30:50which will make it burn evenly.

0:30:50 > 0:30:51Can we watch?

0:30:51 > 0:30:54The problem is, compressing the gunpowder with the mallet

0:30:54 > 0:30:56introduces energy which could ignite it.

0:30:56 > 0:30:59- And this is dangerous because...? - It could explode.

0:31:00 > 0:31:03After all, a firework is, essentially,

0:31:03 > 0:31:06a bomb with a paper casing rather than a metal one.

0:31:13 > 0:31:16As a pyrotechnician with years of experience,

0:31:16 > 0:31:20Don knows that every strike of the mallet is potentially lethal.

0:31:22 > 0:31:26- Right, so that's that full, you can come in now.- Lovely.

0:31:26 > 0:31:28Twist that and pull that off.

0:31:28 > 0:31:29There we go.

0:31:29 > 0:31:32- There's our gerb!- Yep.

0:31:32 > 0:31:33- Whoa.- It's all ready for use.

0:31:35 > 0:31:38Now is a milestone moment in our mission.

0:31:38 > 0:31:42Our first firework, made to Tudor design.

0:31:42 > 0:31:45- We're pretty close. - We are. You'll be fine.

0:31:46 > 0:31:48Will it work?

0:31:48 > 0:31:50I'll just go here.

0:31:51 > 0:31:53- How are you firing it? - Just a normal battery.

0:31:55 > 0:31:58Three, two, one, firing.

0:32:01 > 0:32:03FIZZING

0:32:04 > 0:32:06That's fantastic!

0:32:06 > 0:32:08What a great colour. Really rich orange.

0:32:08 > 0:32:13- I love it!- It's very pretty, isn't it? The iron's lovely, it sparkles.

0:32:13 > 0:32:15Our first firework! Yes!

0:32:15 > 0:32:17- Well done.- Oh, I'm really pleased.

0:32:17 > 0:32:20- We're on our way.- More to make. - Yeah. Better get hammering.

0:32:27 > 0:32:30So, we've successfully made a firework fountain,

0:32:30 > 0:32:33or gerb, as Babington called it.

0:32:33 > 0:32:37Next are the frightening-looking horizontal spinning wheels.

0:32:37 > 0:32:39Now, Simon,

0:32:39 > 0:32:41- Zoe is off making fireworks...- Mm.

0:32:41 > 0:32:45..but she's given me this page from Babington's book,

0:32:45 > 0:32:49and she's set me the task of finding out a bit more

0:32:49 > 0:32:52- what that one is there.- Right. Well, that's a fantastic firework,

0:32:52 > 0:32:56so that is a wheel of fire, what the Italians called a girandole.

0:32:56 > 0:32:59And it's basically a cartwheel,

0:32:59 > 0:33:01it's a big wheel that's got fireworks

0:33:01 > 0:33:04put around the perimeter, and then you put it on to a pole,

0:33:04 > 0:33:07and you either put it horizontally or vertically,

0:33:07 > 0:33:09and then it spins around,

0:33:09 > 0:33:12and it shoots out flames and sparks, and stars,

0:33:12 > 0:33:14and it's really exciting to see.

0:33:14 > 0:33:16It shoots out sparks into the crowd?

0:33:16 > 0:33:18Well, yes, exactly. So, it's, quite close, you know,

0:33:18 > 0:33:21you're quite close up to these fireworks, and, uh,

0:33:21 > 0:33:23so it's a really impressive effect.

0:33:23 > 0:33:25And then it could be quite dangerous.

0:33:25 > 0:33:29Do you think that these English gunners writing about fireworks

0:33:29 > 0:33:31perhaps read this Italian book?

0:33:31 > 0:33:33They may well have done.

0:33:33 > 0:33:36One of them refers to these wheels as girandole,

0:33:36 > 0:33:38so they use the term that the Italians used,

0:33:38 > 0:33:42and the Italians were famous then, as now, for their fireworks,

0:33:42 > 0:33:45so it's quite possible the English gunners might have looked

0:33:45 > 0:33:49to them as a model for how to do their practice.

0:33:49 > 0:33:51And then they reproduced them in their displays.

0:33:51 > 0:33:53But if you want to find out about it,

0:33:53 > 0:33:57- you're going to need to go to Italy. - Oh, do I need to go to Italy?

0:33:57 > 0:33:59- What a shame!- Well, someone's got to do it.

0:34:07 > 0:34:10As per Simon's strict instructions,

0:34:10 > 0:34:12I'm in Italy -

0:34:12 > 0:34:15firework capital of Europe in the Middle Ages.

0:34:18 > 0:34:21Now, this might not be your idea of the gently rolling

0:34:21 > 0:34:23Tuscan countryside,

0:34:23 > 0:34:25but there's a reason that you might very well build

0:34:25 > 0:34:28a fireworks factory in the middle of a desolate plain,

0:34:28 > 0:34:31with no other houses nearby.

0:34:32 > 0:34:34There's a risk that it might blow up.

0:34:43 > 0:34:46- Ah, buongiorno!- Buongiorno.

0:34:46 > 0:34:48You must be Paola!

0:34:48 > 0:34:51- Paola.- Oh, very lovely to meet you. - Welcome, Lucy.

0:34:51 > 0:34:54I've come here to just outside Pisa

0:34:54 > 0:34:57to meet a small, family-run fireworks firm

0:34:57 > 0:35:00that's been going for four generations.

0:35:01 > 0:35:05And girandole, things that go round, are in their blood.

0:35:07 > 0:35:11Now, I hear you've been researching the girandole firework?

0:35:11 > 0:35:14- Si.- For many years?

0:35:26 > 0:35:28That's him!

0:35:30 > 0:35:33No way! That's 17 children?

0:35:33 > 0:35:37Three wives? He had three wives, he had 17 children!

0:35:39 > 0:35:43He was a pyrotechnical man, in his work, in his life. PAOLA LAUGHS

0:35:43 > 0:35:45He had the world's biggest mortar,

0:35:45 > 0:35:48and this is his notebook of firework recipes.

0:35:52 > 0:35:56- So, this is the recipe to make the fountain of the girandole?- Si.

0:35:56 > 0:35:58That's the light part?

0:36:04 > 0:36:05They're jumped!

0:36:09 > 0:36:11- You push it down?- Yeah.- Yeah.

0:36:20 > 0:36:21Let's go!

0:36:27 > 0:36:30The girandola. Vecchia.

0:36:37 > 0:36:40Firework from the '60s.

0:36:45 > 0:36:48OK. And where does...? Are these the fireworks?

0:36:48 > 0:36:49So they go?

0:36:57 > 0:36:59I think we want many.

0:37:00 > 0:37:02- Si.- Multi, multi, multi!- OK!

0:37:04 > 0:37:07- OK?- OK. What sort of shape is it supposed to make?

0:37:07 > 0:37:09What's it supposed to look like?

0:37:13 > 0:37:14A willow?

0:37:23 > 0:37:25That's rather beautiful. It's supposed to look like

0:37:25 > 0:37:28- a white weeping willow tree?- White.

0:37:28 > 0:37:31I can't wait to see you burning it up later on!

0:37:42 > 0:37:45The anticipation, as Paola and her team use the skills

0:37:45 > 0:37:48that have been in her family for four generations,

0:37:48 > 0:37:51to resurrect a firework from history,

0:37:51 > 0:37:54is really rather overwhelming.

0:37:54 > 0:37:56How will this antique perform?

0:37:56 > 0:38:01There's a reason you don't see so many of these girandole in displays

0:38:01 > 0:38:04any more, because sparks literally fly.

0:38:04 > 0:38:07They come whizzing out in this horizontal plane,

0:38:07 > 0:38:09right into the spectators.

0:38:09 > 0:38:11- So, when we press fire, we're going to run?- Yes.

0:38:11 > 0:38:13Are we ready?

0:38:13 > 0:38:15- Shall we go?- Yeah.

0:38:15 > 0:38:17- BOTH:- Three, two, one...

0:38:17 > 0:38:19Fire!

0:38:22 > 0:38:24IT SIZZLES

0:38:24 > 0:38:26THEY CHEER

0:38:46 > 0:38:48Seeing the girandola in action,

0:38:48 > 0:38:51it's not quite such a mystery why you don't see them any more.

0:38:53 > 0:38:57Any show with a girandola risks setting off everything else

0:38:57 > 0:39:00with its huge arc of beautiful sparks.

0:39:05 > 0:39:09So, in our display, we'll have to handle this rare firework

0:39:09 > 0:39:10with extreme care.

0:39:13 > 0:39:17The next star of our show is the rocket.

0:39:17 > 0:39:23These were the flying favourites of the Tudor firework display.

0:39:25 > 0:39:27- How are we doing, Mike? Are we all set up?- Very good.

0:39:27 > 0:39:30It's all set up and ready for you.

0:39:30 > 0:39:33The rocket is essentially an upside-down gerb,

0:39:33 > 0:39:35but with one slight difference.

0:39:35 > 0:39:39It's made with a long channel running through the gunpowder.

0:39:39 > 0:39:43This creates a greater combustible area inside the tube.

0:39:44 > 0:39:46More powder burns more quickly,

0:39:46 > 0:39:49generating thrust to drive the rocket upwards.

0:39:51 > 0:39:54To make that channel, we need the help of a Tudor tool

0:39:54 > 0:39:56with an extra long spindle.

0:39:56 > 0:39:59So, we're just going to make a sort of pointy stick, aren't we?

0:39:59 > 0:40:02A pointy stick, exactly right, out of brass, so it's non-sparking.

0:40:02 > 0:40:05And that's the spindle?

0:40:05 > 0:40:07That's the spindle, that's right.

0:40:07 > 0:40:10So, we put the spindle in first and then pack the gunpowder

0:40:10 > 0:40:14- in around it...- That's it.- And then take it out to leave that void?

0:40:14 > 0:40:16Perfect, yeah.

0:40:16 > 0:40:18- Yeah, that will do for the first cut.- That's enough? OK.- Yeah.

0:40:19 > 0:40:21Here it comes.

0:40:21 > 0:40:24Yes! Look at that, what a beauty!

0:40:24 > 0:40:26Our perfect spindle, love it.

0:40:30 > 0:40:33So now we have the spindle, the rest of the process

0:40:33 > 0:40:34is identical to making a gerb.

0:40:34 > 0:40:37Dry-rolling paper to fabricate a tube.

0:40:39 > 0:40:41- Right.- There we go.- Ta-da, a tube!

0:40:41 > 0:40:44And this is where our spindle comes in.

0:40:44 > 0:40:46So this is what makes the difference between the rocket

0:40:46 > 0:40:48- and the gerb?- Yes.- Terrific.

0:40:48 > 0:40:50So, when we pack this in and take it out,

0:40:50 > 0:40:54we'll leave a void that will increase the surface area inside,

0:40:54 > 0:40:56and then create more gas.

0:41:01 > 0:41:03- A perfect stick for you.- Lovely.

0:41:03 > 0:41:05Thank you.

0:41:05 > 0:41:07- Nice.- Terrific.

0:41:07 > 0:41:08Right. How do we know if this is the right length?

0:41:08 > 0:41:12Right, so there's a balance point, and the balance point is always

0:41:12 > 0:41:13- where the exit of the motor is.- OK.

0:41:13 > 0:41:16So, if you put your finger on there, is it balanced?

0:41:16 > 0:41:20- No.- Not in the slightest. So, we need to chop some of the stick off.

0:41:20 > 0:41:24Yeah, more, please. Without a perfectly balanced stick,

0:41:24 > 0:41:27the rocket could careen out of control.

0:41:27 > 0:41:30There we have it, a perfectly balanced rocket.

0:41:30 > 0:41:33And, in theory, this should fly straight and true.

0:41:37 > 0:41:42There's only one way to find out - testing in the field.

0:41:42 > 0:41:44No, literally, a cow field.

0:41:45 > 0:41:50We've set up our first Elizabethan rocket to put it through its paces.

0:41:50 > 0:41:53Right, a firework we've made following Babington's

0:41:53 > 0:41:57design and referencing other manuals of the day

0:41:57 > 0:41:59is now primed and ready to go.

0:41:59 > 0:42:01It's about 30 metres from us, that way.

0:42:03 > 0:42:05Rockets with sticks are now considered too dangerous

0:42:05 > 0:42:07for public displays in the UK,

0:42:07 > 0:42:10so safety goggles and a 30-metre exclusion zone

0:42:10 > 0:42:13are absolutely essential.

0:42:14 > 0:42:18After all, we are making what is effectively an Elizabethan missile,

0:42:18 > 0:42:20based on a 400-year-old instruction manual.

0:42:20 > 0:42:24The honest truth is we don't know what's going to happen.

0:42:24 > 0:42:27This is a test, and the only way we're going to find out

0:42:27 > 0:42:30- is by setting it off.- Great, so, I've armed it, it's ready to go...

0:42:30 > 0:42:32- Yep.- ..all you have to do is press the button.

0:42:32 > 0:42:36Right. Three, two, one...

0:42:37 > 0:42:39- Whoa-ho-ho!- Ooh!

0:42:39 > 0:42:40Oh, my God!

0:42:42 > 0:42:43- It...it...- It blew up!

0:42:43 > 0:42:46- It didn't lift much. - Nothing went up!

0:42:50 > 0:42:52It didn't even make it off the launchpad.

0:42:53 > 0:42:56Luckily, we rigged multiple high-speed cameras

0:42:56 > 0:42:59so we could figure out the science behind what went wrong.

0:43:03 > 0:43:05- Oh!- Oh! - THEY LAUGH

0:43:05 > 0:43:07- Very quick.- Yeah.

0:43:07 > 0:43:09This is a thousand frames a second,

0:43:09 > 0:43:12and, within about a second, it was...

0:43:12 > 0:43:15- Blown to smithereens.- ..dust.- Yeah.

0:43:15 > 0:43:17You can see, it ignites, and then it starts to lift,

0:43:17 > 0:43:20- it's literally two inches off there. Boom.- And it goes, yeah.

0:43:20 > 0:43:24The pressure was just building up so much in that case.

0:43:28 > 0:43:32We think the rocket blew up because the channel made by the spindle

0:43:32 > 0:43:36was just too long. This means that too big a surface area

0:43:36 > 0:43:38of gunpowder was exposed,

0:43:38 > 0:43:41resulting in an excess of hot, expanding gases,

0:43:41 > 0:43:44vainly attempting to escape through the tiny choke.

0:43:47 > 0:43:49The rapidly expanding gases

0:43:49 > 0:43:52simply blew the casing to pieces.

0:43:58 > 0:44:01To counteract this, we need to make the channel shorter...

0:44:02 > 0:44:06exposing a smaller surface area of gunpowder inside the rocket.

0:44:10 > 0:44:14The last one was, let's face it, a bit of a disaster.

0:44:14 > 0:44:16So, we've made some adjustments and, hopefully,

0:44:16 > 0:44:19this one will hit the spot.

0:44:19 > 0:44:21- Let's give it a go. - Give it a go.- Ready?

0:44:23 > 0:44:25Three, two, one...

0:44:27 > 0:44:29Ooh! Oh!

0:44:29 > 0:44:31And it's still going!

0:44:31 > 0:44:34- Wow.- I think that was a big improvement.

0:44:37 > 0:44:39With our design modifications,

0:44:39 > 0:44:42we've achieved our goal and created a rocket

0:44:42 > 0:44:44that flies straight and true.

0:44:45 > 0:44:47Now, that's a confident takeoff.

0:44:47 > 0:44:51That's a confident takeoff, that's a nice jet of gas coming out.

0:44:51 > 0:44:53I think that's quite a good effort.

0:44:57 > 0:45:00I think we've cracked it. We have a working rocket.

0:45:00 > 0:45:05And very much in the spirit of the traditional Babington firework.

0:45:05 > 0:45:08That is an entirely handmade Tudor-style rocket.

0:45:08 > 0:45:11It's a spectacular achievement,

0:45:11 > 0:45:13and it must have delighted and terrified

0:45:13 > 0:45:17Dudley and his audience to see something flying so high

0:45:17 > 0:45:20into the skies above.

0:45:20 > 0:45:24What was the meaning of a rocket to the Tudor viewer?

0:45:24 > 0:45:28Rockets are what they called artificial meteors.

0:45:28 > 0:45:31These effects are considered to be portents,

0:45:31 > 0:45:34they're considered to be signs sent by God.

0:45:34 > 0:45:36I learnt about this from Shakespeare.

0:45:36 > 0:45:39If you see a shooting star or a comet,

0:45:39 > 0:45:43it means that something very profound is about to happen.

0:45:43 > 0:45:46Exactly. Now, imagine taking that outside

0:45:46 > 0:45:50and putting it into a display on a huge scale.

0:45:50 > 0:45:53This is a combination of the theatre and the military,

0:45:53 > 0:45:56so you go in the field, you have rockets,

0:45:56 > 0:46:01you can send these things up, you know, high up into the air,

0:46:01 > 0:46:03and that's going to have a really big effect on people.

0:46:03 > 0:46:07So, I think that's something that Elizabeth might have appreciated

0:46:07 > 0:46:08from her suitor.

0:46:10 > 0:46:12Three! Two!

0:46:12 > 0:46:13One...

0:46:14 > 0:46:17The elements of our display are coming together.

0:46:17 > 0:46:19We've built our first rocket,

0:46:19 > 0:46:21we've found our cannon,

0:46:21 > 0:46:23we've made the gerb

0:46:23 > 0:46:25and tracked down the girandola.

0:46:25 > 0:46:27THEY CHEER

0:46:28 > 0:46:31Now, here, at the centre of Babington's plan,

0:46:31 > 0:46:34are some rather ambitious-looking fireworks.

0:46:34 > 0:46:36The name says it all.

0:46:36 > 0:46:38It's a simple but effective idea.

0:46:38 > 0:46:43You take a rocket, then fire a box of them all at the same time.

0:46:48 > 0:46:52As with the girandola, details of how it works are scarce,

0:46:52 > 0:46:54at least in the UK.

0:46:55 > 0:46:59To find out, Zoe has travelled to the other side of the world,

0:46:59 > 0:47:00to South Korea.

0:47:02 > 0:47:06It's the only place where you can still find the Hwacha,

0:47:06 > 0:47:08a multiple rocket launcher,

0:47:08 > 0:47:11developed in the Far East over 600 years ago.

0:47:11 > 0:47:13And it's remarkably similar

0:47:13 > 0:47:16to the rocket boxes in our Tudor display.

0:47:16 > 0:47:20For its time, it was an exceptionally advanced piece

0:47:20 > 0:47:21of military weaponry,

0:47:21 > 0:47:25firing up to 200 rocket-powered arrows simultaneously.

0:47:30 > 0:47:32I've come to an explosives factory

0:47:32 > 0:47:34in a remote western province.

0:47:34 > 0:47:37Dr Chae?

0:47:37 > 0:47:40..where I tracked down one of the best authorities

0:47:40 > 0:47:42on ancient Korean rockets.

0:47:44 > 0:47:47So, we're making a traditional rocket, is that the singijeon?

0:47:47 > 0:47:49Singijeon.

0:47:49 > 0:47:50- Singijeon?- Yes.

0:47:58 > 0:48:02It's been used since the 1400s? Wow.

0:48:02 > 0:48:04And this is a weapon more than a firework.

0:48:04 > 0:48:06- This is to fire at your enemies. - Mm-hmm.

0:48:11 > 0:48:15Look at these tools. These tools are amazing. Are they steel?

0:48:17 > 0:48:19These are...

0:48:19 > 0:48:21The spitting image of the tools

0:48:21 > 0:48:23we've seen in Babington's manual.

0:48:24 > 0:48:27Yet they're made of steel.

0:48:27 > 0:48:29We are now thousands of miles from Britain,

0:48:29 > 0:48:31and the same objects are being used,

0:48:31 > 0:48:33albeit in a different material,

0:48:33 > 0:48:35but the principle is the same.

0:48:35 > 0:48:37These are the tools you need for making fireworks,

0:48:37 > 0:48:39and they have been so for hundreds of years.

0:48:41 > 0:48:42Ooh!

0:48:49 > 0:48:51You're making me nervous!

0:48:51 > 0:48:53OK, so, here comes the gunpowder.

0:48:53 > 0:48:54Uh-huh, this is gunpowder.

0:48:54 > 0:48:56This is when I stand back.

0:48:56 > 0:48:57OK. That's good idea.

0:48:58 > 0:49:00This is the dangerous part,

0:49:00 > 0:49:03when they start filling the rocket with the gunpowder and compacting

0:49:03 > 0:49:05it down. Now, they are using steel tools,

0:49:05 > 0:49:08this is something we would never do in Britain because steel tools can

0:49:08 > 0:49:12generate a spark and that spark can ignite the gunpowder.

0:49:12 > 0:49:16But they have assured me it's safe because we are in 80% humidity

0:49:16 > 0:49:19and that means the gunpowder is slightly damp and can't set on fire.

0:49:19 > 0:49:21But...I'm still going to stand back.

0:49:24 > 0:49:25Ooh!

0:49:25 > 0:49:26God!

0:49:29 > 0:49:31It's like an instinct, just to feel anxious at this moment.

0:49:35 > 0:49:38That hammer just tapping that metal rod then,

0:49:38 > 0:49:40that could set the whole thing alight

0:49:40 > 0:49:42and we would have an explosion on our hands.

0:49:50 > 0:49:53So it would have had a large arrowhead on the end,

0:49:53 > 0:49:55but we're using smaller,

0:49:55 > 0:49:57blunter tips for these arrows.

0:49:57 > 0:50:01Imagine a snooker cue coming at you at 100mph.

0:50:01 > 0:50:02That's... Yeah, deadly.

0:50:03 > 0:50:07So, now we're using string to bind the engine,

0:50:07 > 0:50:10the gunpowder-filled chamber, onto the arrow.

0:50:11 > 0:50:13OK. Yeah.

0:50:14 > 0:50:17Here we have it, our singijeon.

0:50:17 > 0:50:20And these are going to fly out of our hwacha.

0:50:21 > 0:50:23So this is where fireworks cross over to the battlefield.

0:50:29 > 0:50:33Doctor Chae's team have one of just 20 working hwachas in existence.

0:50:33 > 0:50:38So now we're privileged to see what the enemy would have faced four

0:50:38 > 0:50:39centuries ago.

0:50:47 > 0:50:50When the hwacha deploys, it's a fearsome sight.

0:50:51 > 0:50:54I definitely want these in our display,

0:50:54 > 0:50:56although I'm getting rather nervous.

0:50:56 > 0:51:00If a stray spark finds its way into the rocket box,

0:51:00 > 0:51:05our entire arsenal of Tudor fireworks could go up in flames.

0:51:11 > 0:51:15Both Zoe and I know this is going to be a challenge,

0:51:15 > 0:51:17but we aren't deterred.

0:51:17 > 0:51:18Halfway through our quest,

0:51:18 > 0:51:23there's still plenty to do to create a display fit for a queen.

0:51:24 > 0:51:28To recreate the celebrations put on for Elizabeth I as faithfully as

0:51:28 > 0:51:32possible, we need to do it at the castle

0:51:32 > 0:51:35where it all happened in 1575.

0:51:35 > 0:51:39It's time to base ourselves near Kenilworth Castle itself,

0:51:39 > 0:51:44the grand backdrop to arguably the most high-profile marriage proposal

0:51:44 > 0:51:48in history. It was gifted to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,

0:51:48 > 0:51:52by the object of his affections, Elizabeth I,

0:51:52 > 0:51:56so it was fitting that he should choose it as a backdrop for his most

0:51:56 > 0:52:00extravagant attempt to win her hand in marriage.

0:52:00 > 0:52:05Remember that £24 million that Robert Dudley spent on his party?

0:52:05 > 0:52:08Well, he didn't blow it all on the fireworks.

0:52:08 > 0:52:14He spent the few years running up to the event transforming his castle.

0:52:14 > 0:52:17He completely remodelled a four-storey tower

0:52:17 > 0:52:18for the Queen to stay in

0:52:18 > 0:52:24and he added this magnificent garden that's been lovingly recreated

0:52:24 > 0:52:26to his original specifications.

0:52:29 > 0:52:31During three weeks of celebrations,

0:52:31 > 0:52:35Dudley laid on some truly elaborate entertainment to try and woo

0:52:35 > 0:52:41Elizabeth - notably, bear-baiting, Tudor dancing and, of course,

0:52:41 > 0:52:43the spectacular fireworks.

0:52:43 > 0:52:47Reports are quite sketchy as to where exactly the pyrotechnics

0:52:47 > 0:52:51took place, but it's highly likely that the Earl would have framed them

0:52:51 > 0:52:54in the striking silhouette of Kenilworth.

0:52:54 > 0:52:57It's here where we will watch our Tudor fireworks,

0:52:57 > 0:53:02as Elizabeth may have viewed them herself over 400 years ago.

0:53:06 > 0:53:09But first a chance to catch up with Zoe,

0:53:09 > 0:53:13who I know has got big plans for our display.

0:53:13 > 0:53:17Now, I've always been intrigued by the utterly gigantic rocket at

0:53:17 > 0:53:21- the front here.- I'm really up for having the big rocket

0:53:21 > 0:53:24front and centre as the climax of our display.

0:53:24 > 0:53:26I've done some rocket making...

0:53:26 > 0:53:28- Have you now?- Yeah.

0:53:28 > 0:53:30And I have not made something this big.

0:53:30 > 0:53:32You don't make rockets this big.

0:53:32 > 0:53:34- Why not? Because it's dangerous? - Because it's dangerous.

0:53:34 > 0:53:35- Yeah.- Oh, really? Perfect.

0:53:35 > 0:53:39It is true that at a firework display in 1572,

0:53:39 > 0:53:43a stray firework set fire to somebody's house, killed two people

0:53:43 > 0:53:46and the village had to be compensated to the tune of

0:53:46 > 0:53:47£25 by the Queen.

0:53:47 > 0:53:50Well, that's what we face if this...

0:53:50 > 0:53:52What, a bill of £25? THEY LAUGH

0:53:52 > 0:53:56One of the unusual features of Tudor displays is that the set itself

0:53:56 > 0:53:58would have been viewed as a work of art.

0:54:00 > 0:54:03As you can see on the chequerboard floor, there's contrast there.

0:54:03 > 0:54:05I'll go off and do a bit of research, then.

0:54:05 > 0:54:07It needs to look good

0:54:07 > 0:54:10by daylight, before it gets blown up, basically,

0:54:10 > 0:54:13- so you can see what it is that's about to be destroyed.- Yeah.

0:54:15 > 0:54:18So what colours might Robert Dudley have painted his Tudor fireworks

0:54:18 > 0:54:22set in order both to make a personal statement

0:54:22 > 0:54:24and to impress Elizabeth I?

0:54:25 > 0:54:30Searching for clues at Kenilworth is a challenge, as most of Dudley's

0:54:30 > 0:54:32personal possessions have long been lost

0:54:32 > 0:54:36and the castle was destroyed in 1649,

0:54:36 > 0:54:42so I'm meeting an authority on Robert Dudley, Elizabeth Goldring,

0:54:42 > 0:54:45on the trail of the few scraps of evidence about his life,

0:54:45 > 0:54:47which could lead me to the solution.

0:54:50 > 0:54:53So, Elizabeth, it's a tapestry.

0:54:53 > 0:54:55What is it showing?

0:54:55 > 0:54:57Well, in the centre is

0:54:57 > 0:54:59Dudley's coat of arms

0:54:59 > 0:55:03and it is surmounted by a muzzled

0:55:03 > 0:55:06bear holding a ragged staff.

0:55:06 > 0:55:09The colours of the tapestry are a little bit faded.

0:55:09 > 0:55:10I'm interested in the colours.

0:55:10 > 0:55:14- Can I see your...- Yes. - ..sort of freshened-up version?

0:55:14 > 0:55:20The dominant colours are blue, red and gold, or azure, gules and ore.

0:55:20 > 0:55:22- Oh, OK, the language of heraldry. - I believe so.

0:55:22 > 0:55:26- I think so, yes.- He's very well colour-coordinated, isn't he,

0:55:26 > 0:55:29because he's got his blue Order of the Garter...

0:55:29 > 0:55:31- Yes.- ..he's got his red and gold earl's cap...- Yes.

0:55:31 > 0:55:33..and then his family colours are the same.

0:55:33 > 0:55:35- Yes, it's very striking. - They're blue, they're red,

0:55:35 > 0:55:37- they're gold. - Very striking, isn't it?

0:55:37 > 0:55:40If I were Robert Dudley putting on a fireworks display and I wanted to

0:55:40 > 0:55:44paint my set, then I might do it in my own colours.

0:55:44 > 0:55:46Might to be a good idea.

0:55:46 > 0:55:48That's a pretty good steer.

0:55:48 > 0:55:51But the Tudors loved a broad mix of bright colours,

0:55:51 > 0:55:56so I wonder if there are any more clues hidden in these exhibits.

0:55:57 > 0:56:01So here we've got some stained glass from the castle

0:56:01 > 0:56:07- and this is an interesting colour. We haven't seen it this far...- No.

0:56:07 > 0:56:10..and it's not a standard Tudor colour, by any means, is it?

0:56:10 > 0:56:12In Dudley's Circle, orange, as a colour,

0:56:12 > 0:56:15was sort of code for William of Orange.

0:56:15 > 0:56:20Dudley was absolutely obsessed with getting the Queen to send him to the

0:56:20 > 0:56:23Netherlands as the head of an English expeditionary force to help

0:56:23 > 0:56:27- out the Dutch.- So he's saying, "I'm on your side, Dutch people.

0:56:27 > 0:56:29"I'm a hot Protestant.

0:56:29 > 0:56:30"Come on, Queenie, how about it?

0:56:30 > 0:56:32"Send me over to help them."

0:56:33 > 0:56:37From the few clues still in existence from Dudley's life,

0:56:37 > 0:56:38we've managed to pinpoint

0:56:38 > 0:56:41some of what would have been his favoured colours.

0:56:41 > 0:56:43Our set will be made up of the colours

0:56:43 > 0:56:45from the Earl's coat of arms -

0:56:45 > 0:56:47blue...

0:56:47 > 0:56:48gold...

0:56:48 > 0:56:49and red.

0:56:49 > 0:56:53And to show his political support for the Protestant Dutch against the

0:56:53 > 0:56:56Catholic Spanish, we're adding a touch of orange.

0:57:04 > 0:57:06As I told Lucy over tea,

0:57:06 > 0:57:08one of the most exciting elements in the show,

0:57:08 > 0:57:12which I'm really looking forward to testing, is Babington's big rocket.

0:57:14 > 0:57:18Positioned at the front of our display, it's simply bonkers.

0:57:19 > 0:57:23Judging from the scale, it's ten times the size of the normal rockets

0:57:23 > 0:57:25and we've seen how unpredictable they can be.

0:57:29 > 0:57:33Very few have been mad enough to make gunpowder rockets this size

0:57:33 > 0:57:35for centuries.

0:57:36 > 0:57:37Until now.

0:57:39 > 0:57:43Babington never specified just how big a rocket could be,

0:57:43 > 0:57:46so we're going to test his principles and just scale it up.

0:57:46 > 0:57:48We've got some great big cardboard tubes,

0:57:48 > 0:57:50an old broom handle as the stick

0:57:50 > 0:57:53and we're using more gunpowder than we have in any of our fireworks so

0:57:53 > 0:57:55far, and we're going to see how it flies.

0:58:01 > 0:58:04We're significantly further back than last time, aren't we?

0:58:04 > 0:58:06A lot further back. So it'd be really dangerous if I pressed

0:58:06 > 0:58:07the button right now, yeah?

0:58:07 > 0:58:10- THEY LAUGH - Don't do it!

0:58:10 > 0:58:11All eyes on the rocket.

0:58:15 > 0:58:17- OK.- All good?- Yeah.

0:58:17 > 0:58:19Why are you standing behind me, then?

0:58:19 > 0:58:22THEY CHUCKLE

0:58:22 > 0:58:24Yeah, let's do it. OK.

0:58:27 > 0:58:30Five...four...

0:58:30 > 0:58:32three...two...

0:58:32 > 0:58:33one...

0:58:37 > 0:58:39ZOE GASPS

0:58:41 > 0:58:43THEY CHUCKLE

0:58:43 > 0:58:44Oh, jeez!

0:58:45 > 0:58:46Look at that tube.

0:58:48 > 0:58:50- The broomstick hasn't moved! - THEY LAUGH

0:58:50 > 0:58:53- The top came off. - Shall we go and have a look?

0:58:53 > 0:58:55- Yeah.- I think it's clear. - Let me turn this off.

0:58:55 > 0:58:58Look at that fantastic cloud of smoke.

0:58:58 > 0:59:01- It's lovely, isn't it?- Look at that.

0:59:01 > 0:59:02It smells like November the 5th.

0:59:04 > 0:59:06- It's blown the top clean off.- Mm.

0:59:06 > 0:59:08I think it's back to the drawing board if we want to make a big one.

0:59:08 > 0:59:10Yeah.

0:59:11 > 0:59:13Right. Workshop, here we come.

0:59:15 > 0:59:19Scaling the rocket up meant we needed to add more gunpowder to help

0:59:19 > 0:59:21it take off.

0:59:21 > 0:59:25This is a careful balance of the thrust to weight ratio.

0:59:25 > 0:59:29As the rocket gets bigger, you need more gunpowder.

0:59:29 > 0:59:30But that increases the weight.

0:59:31 > 0:59:34And with all that gas being produced at once,

0:59:34 > 0:59:37it couldn't escape fast enough and...

0:59:39 > 0:59:42Not only is the display just days away,

0:59:42 > 0:59:45we've also invited a select audience of people who have helped us.

0:59:45 > 0:59:49The last thing we want is a pyrotechnic disaster like this.

0:59:50 > 0:59:54But I'm hopeful that, with a bit more experimentation,

0:59:54 > 0:59:55we'll nail it in time.

0:59:59 > 1:00:00It's some journey we've been on

1:00:00 > 1:00:04and we've almost all the elements we need for our display.

1:00:04 > 1:00:07We've sourced gerbs and girandole.

1:00:07 > 1:00:09We've found the secret to flying rockets.

1:00:11 > 1:00:16In Korea, Zoe tracked down a lethal version of the rocket box.

1:00:16 > 1:00:18We've tested Babington's big rocket

1:00:18 > 1:00:22and I've found a cannon from the correct period to set off the

1:00:22 > 1:00:23celebrations with a bang.

1:00:26 > 1:00:29But there's one last challenge I've got for Zoe.

1:00:29 > 1:00:32I came across it in a proposal for the display,

1:00:32 > 1:00:35written by an Italian pyrotechnician,

1:00:35 > 1:00:38that describes something on a very different scale

1:00:38 > 1:00:41to all other challenges.

1:00:41 > 1:00:45Farah, this is a list of ideas for Robert Dudley.

1:00:45 > 1:00:49So we think this was actually under his nose and he went through this.

1:00:49 > 1:00:51And this catches my eye.

1:00:51 > 1:00:55It looks like he was considering, in his display, having a dragon.

1:00:55 > 1:00:59"A dragon as big as an ox which will fly twice or thrice as high as the

1:00:59 > 1:01:01- "tower of St Paul's."- Mm.

1:01:01 > 1:01:03There's St Paul's. SHE LAUGHS

1:01:03 > 1:01:06We're talking about the old St Paul's, but, nevertheless,

1:01:06 > 1:01:08- that's pretty high...- Pretty high. - ..for a dragon to fly.

1:01:08 > 1:01:12- Yes.- So I'm thinking this would be a great thing for us to include,

1:01:12 > 1:01:13a flying dragon.

1:01:13 > 1:01:15Have you got any Shakespearean

1:01:15 > 1:01:17references that'll help us to plan it?

1:01:17 > 1:01:20Yes, actually, there's a play by another playwright

1:01:20 > 1:01:23named Robert Greene, which was written around 1594,

1:01:23 > 1:01:26known as Friar Bacon And Friar Bungay.

1:01:26 > 1:01:29And in it, the stage direction reads,

1:01:29 > 1:01:32"Bungay utters his spell and a golden tree rises from the ground,

1:01:32 > 1:01:35"with a dragon in its branches, spitting out fire."

1:01:35 > 1:01:37So, hang on, this is crazy.

1:01:37 > 1:01:42A golden tree arises from the ground in the theatre with a dragon in its

1:01:42 > 1:01:44branches spitting out fire.

1:01:44 > 1:01:48- Yes.- And have you any idea how they would've put that together

1:01:48 > 1:01:51- at the Globe? - Well, a dragon spitting out fire

1:01:51 > 1:01:53is another firework effect

1:01:53 > 1:01:56which they might have used in the theatres of the time.

1:01:56 > 1:02:00In John Bates' instruction manual, he actually gives you instructions,

1:02:00 > 1:02:02how to make flying dragons.

1:02:02 > 1:02:04- How to build a dragon. - How to make a flying dragon.

1:02:04 > 1:02:06- A flying dragon, even better.- Yes.

1:02:06 > 1:02:08Fantastic. Oh, and he's spitting out fire, isn't he?

1:02:08 > 1:02:11He's spitting out fire. He's got fire coming out of his mouth

1:02:11 > 1:02:15and out of his tail, and it's on a similar thing to a swivel.

1:02:15 > 1:02:16And what's he made out of, then?

1:02:16 > 1:02:18Zoe's going to need to know the details.

1:02:18 > 1:02:21Well, he's made out of wood or whalebone.

1:02:21 > 1:02:25- It says, "Thin whalebones..." - Yes.- "..covered with glass."

1:02:25 > 1:02:27- With glass, yes.- And painted over. - And then painted,

1:02:27 > 1:02:29so he would be quite spectacular and colourful.

1:02:29 > 1:02:32- He would look like a lantern. - Yes.- Glowing.- Yes.

1:02:32 > 1:02:33- Wonderful.- Oh, dear.

1:02:33 > 1:02:37- Look at this.- It says that he is, "Somewhat troublesome to compose."

1:02:37 > 1:02:38THEY LAUGH

1:02:38 > 1:02:42- Yeah, good luck with that. - I'll take that as a challenge.

1:02:42 > 1:02:45Yeah, there's this display and we've been looking at this one...

1:02:45 > 1:02:50As I suspected, Zoe wasn't going to be put off.

1:02:50 > 1:02:55My proposition is that we take this dragon and we incorporate it to then

1:02:55 > 1:02:57make this kind of display,

1:02:57 > 1:03:01where we have our dragon entering in down a zip wire.

1:03:01 > 1:03:03And what happens if he catches fire and burns up?

1:03:03 > 1:03:07- Is that a problem?- I think that could be part of the drama of it.

1:03:07 > 1:03:10You know, the dragon should be destroyed at the end.

1:03:10 > 1:03:12I was only half joking with Lucy,

1:03:12 > 1:03:16this is a unique challenge that combines sculpting skills with

1:03:16 > 1:03:20pyrotechnics. But where can you find this unusual skill set?

1:03:25 > 1:03:28The annual Bonfire Night celebrations in

1:03:28 > 1:03:31Lewes, East Sussex, are undoubtedly the craziest in Britain.

1:03:33 > 1:03:35Effigies are paraded through the town and burnt

1:03:35 > 1:03:38in a broad celebration of political satire.

1:03:41 > 1:03:45So I've asked members of the Lewes Borough Bonfire Society and artist

1:03:45 > 1:03:50Bec Britain to add their know-how to the dragon's design.

1:03:50 > 1:03:53We've taking a more practical approach than John Bates' whalebone

1:03:53 > 1:03:56and glass that Lucy discovered at the Globe,

1:03:56 > 1:03:58but I hope it's as effective.

1:03:59 > 1:04:02- This is all willow. - Lovely, smooth finish,

1:04:02 > 1:04:04which is so good for sculpting.

1:04:04 > 1:04:08Bec has constructed the skeleton by bending willow,

1:04:08 > 1:04:11a technique that has been used for thousands of years.

1:04:13 > 1:04:16And the team from Lewes Borough Bonfire Society are helping to apply

1:04:16 > 1:04:20the skin. So these are sheets of paper impregnated with glue

1:04:20 > 1:04:23and water, which makes them very malleable.

1:04:23 > 1:04:26That's right. It's a wet strength tissue,

1:04:26 > 1:04:28it's the kind of thing you'd find in an '80s perm,

1:04:28 > 1:04:31because it can get wet and not fall apart.

1:04:33 > 1:04:37The dragon is less controversial than the effigies or tableau that

1:04:37 > 1:04:38they usually make.

1:04:38 > 1:04:41Obviously, we want to wow the crowd,

1:04:41 > 1:04:44very much like this dragon would've absolutely knocked them for six

1:04:44 > 1:04:48in Tudor times, yeah. And the tableau is a bit of a black art.

1:04:48 > 1:04:50It can represent anything.

1:04:50 > 1:04:52Last year, Humpty Trumpty.

1:04:52 > 1:04:53- Humpty Trumpty?- Humpty Trumpty.

1:04:53 > 1:04:55He was sitting on a wall.

1:04:55 > 1:04:57- I can imagine who that was. - HE LAUGHS

1:04:57 > 1:04:59If you take the top two corners.

1:05:00 > 1:05:02- That's it.- Go up there?

1:05:02 > 1:05:05- Yeah, try up there.- Right. - We're going to do a layer

1:05:05 > 1:05:08of French enamel varnish, which is going to give it really

1:05:08 > 1:05:09iridescent colour.

1:05:11 > 1:05:13Once we've applied the skin,

1:05:13 > 1:05:16a coat of paint in Dudley's colours will complete the look.

1:05:17 > 1:05:20So this is the cage in which we're going to put a gerb or

1:05:20 > 1:05:22maybe a fountain.

1:05:22 > 1:05:26And then that leaves the fireworks to be inserted into the dragon's

1:05:26 > 1:05:27various orifices.

1:05:27 > 1:05:28I've always wanted to light a fart!

1:05:33 > 1:05:35Now for the final touches.

1:05:35 > 1:05:38We're going to sprinkle some stars on proceedings.

1:05:44 > 1:05:47Stars were one of the features mentioned in the accounts

1:05:47 > 1:05:50of the original Kenilworth display.

1:05:50 > 1:05:53They describe an explosion of beautiful sparks that rained down

1:05:53 > 1:05:57from the night sky after the rockets exploded.

1:05:57 > 1:05:58So are these going to be stars?

1:05:58 > 1:06:01Yes. We want these stars to be...

1:06:01 > 1:06:03You don't want them to just disappear quickly,

1:06:03 > 1:06:06you want them to sort of like flitter and come down,

1:06:06 > 1:06:09so by making it burn a bit slower, that's how you'll start to do that.

1:06:09 > 1:06:12- OK.- It's like your aniseed ball in your mouth.

1:06:12 > 1:06:14It slowly but surely disappears.

1:06:14 > 1:06:20Tudor stars are made out of compressed pellets of gunpowder.

1:06:20 > 1:06:23And you'll be pleased to hear this is a nice, safe technique,

1:06:23 > 1:06:26because it is wet, this is something that you can have a go at.

1:06:26 > 1:06:29What we're doing is we're ramming that compound into the tube.

1:06:29 > 1:06:31It's a lovely thing, isn't it?

1:06:31 > 1:06:33It's lovely, yes. Proper old-fashioned tooling.

1:06:34 > 1:06:36Now, you can feel when it gets full,

1:06:36 > 1:06:37then it's a couple more once it's full.

1:06:37 > 1:06:39That's it. And then just rub it against your palm

1:06:39 > 1:06:41and that flattens it.

1:06:41 > 1:06:43You don't want to drop the stars excessively high...

1:06:43 > 1:06:46- I see.- ..because they're still soft at this stage.- Yeah. Still fragile.

1:06:46 > 1:06:51- Yeah.- There it is, my first star. That's a lovely thing.

1:06:52 > 1:06:54Beautiful little pellets.

1:06:54 > 1:06:56- How many do we need? - Well, we need a lot

1:06:56 > 1:06:58and that's why you then start to use tooling like this.

1:06:58 > 1:07:01- OK.- Which is where you now have six.

1:07:01 > 1:07:02- There we go.- OK.

1:07:05 > 1:07:06- That'll do.- That was seven.

1:07:06 > 1:07:09Rub your hand across and then pop it out into the thing.

1:07:12 > 1:07:14- Look at that. Bingo bongo. - That's nice. That is nice.

1:07:14 > 1:07:18There you are, you see. What you're doing now is you're pumping stars.

1:07:21 > 1:07:24These pellets will be put into the top of the rocket.

1:07:24 > 1:07:25When the rocket is burnt out,

1:07:25 > 1:07:28the pellets will catch light and fall freely,

1:07:28 > 1:07:30giving a stream effect in the sky.

1:07:31 > 1:07:34- There we go. - Right, ready to make it fly.

1:07:34 > 1:07:37- Put a stick on it.- Put a stick on it and then it's good to go.

1:07:37 > 1:07:40There we have it. A rocket with a payload of stars.

1:07:40 > 1:07:42I can't wait for it to get dark and we can test it.

1:07:45 > 1:07:47I'm really looking forward to seeing these stars at night.

1:07:47 > 1:07:50Now, I'm not sure how bright they're going to be.

1:07:50 > 1:07:51So it's all connected up with a fuse

1:07:51 > 1:07:54- and then we need to connect it up to the firing system.- Right.

1:07:54 > 1:07:57- You wire that in and I'll scuttle back.- Perfect.

1:07:59 > 1:08:01Right, so I've armed it, it's all ready.

1:08:01 > 1:08:03- Are you...? - Am I going to do the honours?

1:08:03 > 1:08:04You're good to go.

1:08:04 > 1:08:06Right. Three, two, one...

1:08:10 > 1:08:11Ooh.

1:08:12 > 1:08:13- BOTH:- Oh.

1:08:14 > 1:08:15Oh!

1:08:15 > 1:08:19- We have a firework!- We do have a firework.- That's fantastic!

1:08:19 > 1:08:20Oh, I'm really pleased.

1:08:20 > 1:08:23- Good.- Those stars trailed all the way down to the ground.

1:08:23 > 1:08:25- Nearly, yeah.- Well, that would definitely set fire

1:08:25 > 1:08:28- to someone's house.- Well, I hope not, no.- No, I'm happy with that.

1:08:28 > 1:08:30- Good, good.- Well done.

1:08:31 > 1:08:35The beautiful golden trails made by the slow-burning pellets will be an

1:08:35 > 1:08:39extra flourish for our firework extravaganza -

1:08:39 > 1:08:41should everything go to plan.

1:08:44 > 1:08:45During the festivities,

1:08:45 > 1:08:49the guests were also fed with the most lavish creations

1:08:49 > 1:08:5216th-century chefs had to offer,

1:08:52 > 1:08:56and it will be no different for the special guests we've invited.

1:08:56 > 1:08:59But what would've been the equivalent of a Michelin-starred

1:08:59 > 1:09:01menu in 1575?

1:09:03 > 1:09:06You don't get the impression that Robert Dudley was worried about

1:09:06 > 1:09:11going over the top when it came to the food for his party.

1:09:11 > 1:09:13It was prepared here, in the kitchens.

1:09:13 > 1:09:17I'm standing in what was a huge cauldron for boiling things.

1:09:17 > 1:09:19Here's a bread oven.

1:09:19 > 1:09:21And during the course of the 19 days,

1:09:21 > 1:09:26some of the dishes that came out of here included swan, stag,

1:09:26 > 1:09:29seagull and peacock.

1:09:29 > 1:09:35One meal consisted of 300 different sugary dishes designed to appeal to

1:09:35 > 1:09:37the Queen's notoriously sweet tooth.

1:09:40 > 1:09:44I don't think we'll be laying on seagull or swan for our guests,

1:09:44 > 1:09:47but Tudor sweets deserve further investigation.

1:09:47 > 1:09:51With the help of confectionery expert Andy Baxendale,

1:09:51 > 1:09:53I'm going to find out what kind would've graced

1:09:53 > 1:09:56the Kenilworth banquet tables.

1:09:56 > 1:09:58Andy, what is this fabulous construction

1:09:58 > 1:10:00that you've brought with you?

1:10:00 > 1:10:03This is a representation of the original keep of Kenilworth Castle

1:10:03 > 1:10:06made out of sugar-paste icing.

1:10:06 > 1:10:07Sugar-paste icing.

1:10:07 > 1:10:10And you've got the colour of the stone right and everything.

1:10:10 > 1:10:13The red is from cochineal, which is made from beetles.

1:10:13 > 1:10:17- Beetles, mmm, tasty. - The black is from ash.

1:10:17 > 1:10:19- From a fireplace? - Anything burnt, yes.

1:10:19 > 1:10:21What else have they got on the table that's made out of sugar?

1:10:21 > 1:10:25Is this Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester's symbol?

1:10:25 > 1:10:27Yes, that's the bear with the ragged staff.

1:10:27 > 1:10:30This blue colour would have been azurite in Tudor times,

1:10:30 > 1:10:34which is a copper mineral and quite poisonous, so...

1:10:34 > 1:10:35- Poisonous. - ..you wouldn't really want to...

1:10:35 > 1:10:39Do you think there were Tudor people who died of blue poisoning?

1:10:39 > 1:10:40They probably didn't eat enough.

1:10:40 > 1:10:41Oh, cos it was so expensive.

1:10:41 > 1:10:44- You couldn't afford to poison yourself.- No.

1:10:44 > 1:10:46There's a trick going on here, isn't there?

1:10:46 > 1:10:48Well, all sugar paste. All edible.

1:10:48 > 1:10:50I'd expect to see sweetmeats all piled up here.

1:10:50 > 1:10:52Yes, very much so. Some sort of confits, maybe.

1:10:52 > 1:10:54Some seeds coated in sugar.

1:10:54 > 1:10:55Elizabeth I's favourite.

1:10:55 > 1:10:59- I think so.- And then once I've eaten all of my comforts...

1:10:59 > 1:11:01- BOTH:- Eat the plate. - SHE LAUGHS

1:11:05 > 1:11:07It tastes... Well, it tastes of sugar, but it also tastes a bit

1:11:07 > 1:11:08of wallpaper paste.

1:11:08 > 1:11:12- Oh, dear. - THEY CHUCKLE

1:11:12 > 1:11:15So, we now have the feast to go with the fireworks

1:11:15 > 1:11:18at our Kenilworth display.

1:11:18 > 1:11:22July 1575 was the date in Queen Elizabeth's diary

1:11:22 > 1:11:26and she was probably quite looking forward to it.

1:11:26 > 1:11:27Only a few years earlier,

1:11:27 > 1:11:30she began promoting the idea of fireworks

1:11:30 > 1:11:33in order to celebrate herself.

1:11:33 > 1:11:37Elizabeth is creating a new holiday, Accession Day, November the 17th,

1:11:37 > 1:11:40the date that she ascended the throne,

1:11:40 > 1:11:42and people celebrate that

1:11:42 > 1:11:45and it's a way to get people to celebrate the monarchy.

1:11:45 > 1:11:46And in the course of her reign,

1:11:46 > 1:11:49people start to celebrate that with fireworks.

1:11:49 > 1:11:52And that's pretty interesting because that predates

1:11:52 > 1:11:55the more famous public holiday fireworks of Bonfire Night,

1:11:55 > 1:11:57which happened in the 17th century.

1:11:57 > 1:12:00But this kind of thing is already starting to take off

1:12:00 > 1:12:03- in Elizabeth's reign. - She also did a very cunning thing,

1:12:03 > 1:12:07she would do it at the expense of her subjects,

1:12:07 > 1:12:09so she would set off on a progress,

1:12:09 > 1:12:12then she would get her richest nobleman to put her up,

1:12:12 > 1:12:16stage a magnificent feast for her - this is all at their own expense -

1:12:16 > 1:12:20and to put on sort of competitive forms of entertainment for her,

1:12:20 > 1:12:23outdoing each other to put on the best show for the Queen,

1:12:23 > 1:12:25and she didn't have to pay.

1:12:25 > 1:12:28Exactly, so it's another way for her to get around the country and be

1:12:28 > 1:12:29seen by her subjects

1:12:29 > 1:12:33and one might even see the nobles at this time competing with one another

1:12:33 > 1:12:37to outdo themselves in the feasts and the entertainments that they

1:12:37 > 1:12:40were putting on for Elizabeth. And fireworks are part of that,

1:12:40 > 1:12:44so show a great fireworks display and you can impress Her Majesty.

1:12:47 > 1:12:52Robert Dudley's pageant and firework display is part of this tradition,

1:12:52 > 1:12:54but his is unique.

1:12:54 > 1:12:57It was designed to be the biggest and the best

1:12:57 > 1:12:59and it had by far the most at stake -

1:12:59 > 1:13:02the hand of the Queen of England.

1:13:05 > 1:13:09Now the day we've been working towards has finally arrived.

1:13:09 > 1:13:11After weeks of testing and tinkering,

1:13:11 > 1:13:14Zoe and the team can finally start putting things together

1:13:14 > 1:13:16in the grounds of Kenilworth Castle.

1:13:16 > 1:13:19These ones are going to take some knocking in, Don.

1:13:19 > 1:13:22Everything rests on tonight's show.

1:13:22 > 1:13:26We've done all we can to prepare ourselves, but is it enough?

1:13:28 > 1:13:31As Robert Dudley may have given a preview to Queen Elizabeth

1:13:31 > 1:13:32four centuries ago

1:13:32 > 1:13:35to show the efforts that had gone into the preparations...

1:13:35 > 1:13:37Here it comes.

1:13:37 > 1:13:41..I'm going to give Lucy a sneak preview of the set of our display.

1:13:41 > 1:13:44Oh, look at that!

1:13:44 > 1:13:47What a beauty. He looks magnificent.

1:13:47 > 1:13:50- Now, this is where we're going to put fireworks.- Fireworks!

1:13:50 > 1:13:52- LUCY LAUGHS - Fireworks in the eyes.

1:13:52 > 1:13:55- One in the mouth as well and then... - And out of the backside too.

1:13:55 > 1:13:57Yes. Come and have a look at this. There's a special hatch.

1:13:57 > 1:13:59The hatch! SHE LAUGHS

1:13:59 > 1:14:02- That's so sweet.- You've got to be able to put your hand in to fuse

1:14:02 > 1:14:04the firework and...

1:14:04 > 1:14:07- It's going to be interesting to see whether it survives...- Flames?- Yes.

1:14:07 > 1:14:10- Terrible end for the dragon. - Oh, it's such a shame to burn him,

1:14:10 > 1:14:12- he's so beautiful. - I know.- Let's take a little tour.

1:14:12 > 1:14:15Just like Robert Dudley would have done, I think, on the morning

1:14:15 > 1:14:18- of the show, you know. - Well, we've not quite finished.

1:14:18 > 1:14:20- Getting there, getting there. - But there are some real highlights.

1:14:20 > 1:14:24- So, this will be illuminated. - Is that gunpowder?- It is.

1:14:24 > 1:14:26And they'll all... You know, the flame will go around and ignite

1:14:26 > 1:14:29- each one of these. - It will be a flaming ER.

1:14:29 > 1:14:30- Exactly.- And what's this one?

1:14:30 > 1:14:31This is the rocket box.

1:14:31 > 1:14:34- The rocket box! - Akin to the Korean hwacha.

1:14:34 > 1:14:35Oh, I like the colours as well.

1:14:35 > 1:14:38We've got the blue and yellow chequerboard

1:14:38 > 1:14:40- from his coat of arms...- Yep.

1:14:40 > 1:14:43..and little bits of orange...

1:14:43 > 1:14:45- Exactly. - ..with its political message.

1:14:45 > 1:14:46- I'm also excited about this.- Oh.

1:14:46 > 1:14:47- I know what that one is.- Yeah!

1:14:47 > 1:14:49That's the girandole.

1:14:49 > 1:14:50The horizontal Catherine wheel.

1:14:50 > 1:14:53Loaded with gerbs that are going to, you know, help it spin round.

1:14:53 > 1:14:55And here comes the big boy.

1:14:55 > 1:14:59This is our attempt at the massive rocket for the finale.

1:14:59 > 1:15:01Do you know that this is going to work successfully?

1:15:01 > 1:15:03Not...well...

1:15:03 > 1:15:05No, I don't! I don't.

1:15:05 > 1:15:08Well, I really hope that this is going to work

1:15:08 > 1:15:10and that the whole display is a success.

1:15:10 > 1:15:12- Then I'll marry you.- Thank you.

1:15:15 > 1:15:18It's now time to arm the fireworks.

1:15:18 > 1:15:22Once they're fused, they're ready to fire from a central control.

1:15:23 > 1:15:25Remote ignition is a safety precaution

1:15:25 > 1:15:28they wouldn't have had in Elizabethan times.

1:15:28 > 1:15:30In the Tudor period, there'd be some chap standing with

1:15:30 > 1:15:33a torch or a red-hot poker, and as soon as he put it in there,

1:15:33 > 1:15:36that's it, he's covered in sparks and so he's got to try and light

1:15:36 > 1:15:38- all of them. - Incredibly dangerous work.

1:15:38 > 1:15:40Yeah, but it would be young children doing it anyhow

1:15:40 > 1:15:42and there was plenty of them, so that's fine.

1:15:45 > 1:15:47Although it's sunny now,

1:15:47 > 1:15:51rain could quickly ruin fireworks made to Tudor specifications,

1:15:51 > 1:15:55so we're taking no chances and covering them up as we fuse them.

1:15:58 > 1:16:01And according to Don, the weather isn't the only thing that could

1:16:01 > 1:16:02scupper a Tudor display.

1:16:04 > 1:16:05So this is one of the rocket boxes.

1:16:05 > 1:16:09- That's coming along nicely. - It holds all the small rockets.

1:16:09 > 1:16:11But you can see the risk that's within these displays.

1:16:11 > 1:16:13One single spark landing from something else,

1:16:13 > 1:16:14landing on one of this,

1:16:14 > 1:16:16and it'll light the whole lot.

1:16:16 > 1:16:19It could be an eight-minute display or an eight-second display,

1:16:19 > 1:16:21depending which way the wind blows the sparks.

1:16:21 > 1:16:23SHE LAUGHS

1:16:23 > 1:16:28Factory-made fireworks modified to Tudor specifications

1:16:28 > 1:16:29will supplement our prototypes,

1:16:29 > 1:16:32helping to recreate the sheer spectacle

1:16:32 > 1:16:34and scale of Dudley's display.

1:16:35 > 1:16:37The modifications we've made, how you feeling?

1:16:37 > 1:16:39I can promise you you'll be getting a big bang

1:16:39 > 1:16:41at some point this evening...

1:16:41 > 1:16:44whether it's up there or down here. But trust me,

1:16:44 > 1:16:46it will be a spectacular finale come what may.

1:16:46 > 1:16:48Oh, Don, it's not the answer I want.

1:16:48 > 1:16:49It will be fine, Zoe.

1:16:49 > 1:16:51- That's not the answer I wanted. - It will be fine.

1:16:55 > 1:16:58Everything is set for the start of the evening's entertainment.

1:16:58 > 1:17:02The guests have arrived in the spirit of the occasion,

1:17:02 > 1:17:05including some friends who have helped us along the way.

1:17:06 > 1:17:10The set is complete, resplendent in Dudley's colours,

1:17:10 > 1:17:12and the pyrotechnics are primed

1:17:12 > 1:17:16for the start of a Tudor fireworks spectacular.

1:17:17 > 1:17:19What could possibly go wrong?

1:17:19 > 1:17:21THUNDER CLAPS

1:17:25 > 1:17:31Less than an hour before our start time, a torrential rainstorm hits.

1:17:31 > 1:17:34It's a problem that even Queen Elizabeth I wouldn't have

1:17:34 > 1:17:35been able to prevent.

1:17:37 > 1:17:40Our Tudor fireworks display could genuinely be turned

1:17:40 > 1:17:41into a damp squib.

1:17:42 > 1:17:45The last thing we want to happen has happened

1:17:45 > 1:17:48and we have rain and quite severe wind.

1:17:48 > 1:17:51We have soggy Tudors but, most importantly,

1:17:51 > 1:17:53I'm worried about our fireworks,

1:17:53 > 1:17:56so, really, it's critical that that gunpowder stay dry.

1:17:57 > 1:17:58This is a Tudor recipe -

1:17:58 > 1:18:00it's not as stable as the modern stuff.

1:18:00 > 1:18:02Any moisture and it's game over,

1:18:02 > 1:18:03that stuff won't work.

1:18:16 > 1:18:18TUDOR DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

1:18:18 > 1:18:21Eventually, there's a ray of hope.

1:18:21 > 1:18:24The rain finally stops

1:18:24 > 1:18:27and our Tudor guests get their chance to show us their moves.

1:18:29 > 1:18:32Their spirits have not been dampened.

1:18:32 > 1:18:36Let's hope our fireworks haven't either.

1:18:36 > 1:18:37Whey!

1:18:48 > 1:18:51There's no turning back now.

1:18:51 > 1:18:54As night falls, the set is finally complete.

1:18:58 > 1:19:02From Babington's original design, we've handmade the rockets,

1:19:02 > 1:19:04the gerbs, the girandole,

1:19:04 > 1:19:07and we've faithfully brought the dragon to life.

1:19:07 > 1:19:09We've even made his big rocket.

1:19:12 > 1:19:15They're all primed and ready to fire...

1:19:15 > 1:19:18after the arrival of one final illustrious guest.

1:19:18 > 1:19:21- Ladies and gentlemen, your Queen. - TRUMPETS PLAY

1:19:22 > 1:19:24Thank you, my good people.

1:19:28 > 1:19:31- How's your view? - It's acceptable, thank you.

1:19:31 > 1:19:34I think maybe for the display you might enjoy standing

1:19:34 > 1:19:35right at the front with me.

1:19:35 > 1:19:37Is it...is it perfectly safe?

1:19:37 > 1:19:40- Yeah, it's perfectly safe. - All right, then.

1:19:44 > 1:19:47This is the moment of truth.

1:19:47 > 1:19:50These fireworks aren't just unpredictable,

1:19:50 > 1:19:54they could be filled with damp gunpowder after all that rain.

1:19:54 > 1:19:59- I'm nervous.- Now that one has gone to the trouble of dressing up,

1:19:59 > 1:20:02one really does hope this works.

1:20:02 > 1:20:05OK, we'd like to fire the cannon. Cannons fire.

1:20:06 > 1:20:08And...fire!

1:20:12 > 1:20:14And so it begins.

1:20:15 > 1:20:19OK, we're firing gerbs either side of the set.

1:20:22 > 1:20:23- Oh, oh, oh!- Here we go!- Yeah!

1:20:24 > 1:20:28These are the gerbs. These are the first fireworks that I made.

1:20:28 > 1:20:30So far, so good.

1:20:30 > 1:20:33The gerbs have produced beautiful fountains of light,

1:20:33 > 1:20:38setting the stage for an emotional roller-coaster for Dudley's

1:20:38 > 1:20:39esteemed audience.

1:20:43 > 1:20:45What a fantastic start.

1:20:45 > 1:20:47Falling stars.

1:20:47 > 1:20:48To an Elizabethan,

1:20:48 > 1:20:52rockets and stars would've brought to mind comets and portents of great

1:20:52 > 1:20:58events. And even to me, with my 21st century mind,

1:20:58 > 1:20:59they are incredibly touching.

1:21:01 > 1:21:04- Oh, fizgigs!- Oh!- Yeah!

1:21:04 > 1:21:06We've added a surprise element, fizgigs,

1:21:06 > 1:21:09rockets without the stability of sticks,

1:21:09 > 1:21:12firing much closer to the ground than a modern display.

1:21:14 > 1:21:17- It looks like they're fighting each other.- Yeah!

1:21:20 > 1:21:24- They're sort of psychopath fireworks, aren't they?- They are.

1:21:24 > 1:21:26More rockets.

1:21:26 > 1:21:27Or as Shakespeare would have it,

1:21:27 > 1:21:31artificial meteors representing signs from God.

1:21:31 > 1:21:34Whoa!

1:21:34 > 1:21:36And if Dudley wanted to create impact,

1:21:36 > 1:21:39what better than the star of our show?

1:21:43 > 1:21:45- Dragon!- Hey, the Dragon!

1:21:48 > 1:21:49- Go, Dragon! - THEY CHEER

1:21:49 > 1:21:53The Dragon is a show stopper in more ways than one.

1:21:56 > 1:21:59We always feared a rogue spark could ignite the rocket box.

1:22:02 > 1:22:05Oh, my God! OK, the Dragon has kicked up so much smoke...

1:22:11 > 1:22:13Well, come on, Dragon, make it to the castle!

1:22:13 > 1:22:16He is, he is, he's still going! He's still going.

1:22:16 > 1:22:17Come on, Dragon!

1:22:24 > 1:22:26Oh...

1:22:26 > 1:22:27Oh!

1:22:27 > 1:22:30THEY CHEER

1:22:31 > 1:22:35That was really exciting because the Dragon set off a rocket box!

1:22:35 > 1:22:38THEY LAUGH Yes! It did, didn't it?

1:22:38 > 1:22:41And now the personal touch.

1:22:41 > 1:22:43Just in case anyone had forgotten

1:22:43 > 1:22:45who this was all designed for...

1:22:45 > 1:22:47- Oh, no, the ER!- It's the ER.

1:22:47 > 1:22:50- Erm, that's me, you know.- Yeah.

1:22:50 > 1:22:52That's my personal firework, thank you very much.

1:22:57 > 1:22:59- Way!- Ooh. Here we go.- Oh!

1:22:59 > 1:23:01Girandole!

1:23:01 > 1:23:06Witnessing these weeping willows of sparks must have made a profound

1:23:06 > 1:23:08impression on Elizabeth I.

1:23:10 > 1:23:13- Oh.- Way! Oh, they're going again!

1:23:13 > 1:23:15- Oh!- Just a little surprise up my sleeve.

1:23:15 > 1:23:18LUCY LAUGHS

1:23:19 > 1:23:24A crescendo of fizgigs and rockets builds to the finale of the show,

1:23:24 > 1:23:27the most unpredictable firework of them all,

1:23:27 > 1:23:30the one I know is worrying Zoe.

1:23:30 > 1:23:32And then the finale rockets right in the middle.

1:23:33 > 1:23:34Here comes the big rocket!

1:23:39 > 1:23:40Oh, my...!

1:23:43 > 1:23:45SHE LAUGHS

1:23:45 > 1:23:47Oh!

1:23:47 > 1:23:50Sights like this must have been otherworldly.

1:23:52 > 1:23:56I can really feel the mix of terror and wonder this spectacle would have

1:23:56 > 1:23:58created in the crowd.

1:23:59 > 1:24:01- What do you think?- Hey!

1:24:01 > 1:24:04- What do you think?- The dragon wasn't entirely as planned, was he?

1:24:04 > 1:24:07He had set off all the other fireworks on his way, hadn't he?

1:24:07 > 1:24:09Yeah! There was some fantastic cross-ignition,

1:24:09 > 1:24:11when the Dragon set off the fire box.

1:24:18 > 1:24:21I did fear that maybe the entire display might go up,

1:24:21 > 1:24:24but it created a huge amount of smoke, I loved the smoke!

1:24:24 > 1:24:27And I think that things going a tiny bit wrong is very Tudor,

1:24:27 > 1:24:28- that would have happened to them.- Yeah, yeah.

1:24:28 > 1:24:31Shall we go down there and just set fire to them?

1:24:31 > 1:24:33- I know! - THEY LAUGH

1:24:37 > 1:24:39And what about the big rocket at the end?

1:24:39 > 1:24:42Because we had designed it to go up and explode simultaneously,

1:24:42 > 1:24:45so it didn't do a big explosion in the sky,

1:24:45 > 1:24:48but happened right there, front and centre, at the end of the display.

1:24:51 > 1:24:52Oh!

1:24:52 > 1:24:55- I'm pleased that worked. - That was the highlight.- Yeah.

1:24:55 > 1:24:58Apart from the dragon, we like the dragon too! Ha!

1:24:58 > 1:24:59By all accounts,

1:24:59 > 1:25:03the display was magnificent and captured the imaginations

1:25:03 > 1:25:05of the watching guests.

1:25:05 > 1:25:09But did it succeed in Dudley's real purpose,

1:25:09 > 1:25:12which was getting the Queen to marry him?

1:25:12 > 1:25:13Well, no, it didn't.

1:25:14 > 1:25:18Elizabeth kept her nickname, the Virgin Queen,

1:25:18 > 1:25:21and Dudley had to look elsewhere.

1:25:22 > 1:25:26But we won't let that dampen the fact that we did manage to recreate

1:25:26 > 1:25:31a truly memorable Tudor firework spectacular.

1:25:31 > 1:25:33THEY CHEER

1:25:39 > 1:25:43Maybe Robert Dudley's firework display didn't have quite the effect

1:25:43 > 1:25:44that he'd hoped,

1:25:44 > 1:25:48but I think that our recreation of it was brilliant as a way

1:25:48 > 1:25:51inside Tudor people's minds.

1:25:52 > 1:25:55They had a different attitude to health and safety, that's clear,

1:25:55 > 1:25:58but more importantly, for them,

1:25:58 > 1:26:00fireworks weren't just entertainment.

1:26:02 > 1:26:06When they lit up the black Tudor sky,

1:26:06 > 1:26:09they saw propaganda and storytelling,

1:26:09 > 1:26:13they elevated spectacle into the realm of the gods.

1:26:13 > 1:26:19We still follow in Tudor footsteps by having fireworks at big live

1:26:19 > 1:26:23events today, and perhaps ours are more spectacular,

1:26:23 > 1:26:29but I think that they lack dragons and comets and portents.

1:26:29 > 1:26:33I think that Tudor fireworks perhaps had more soul.

1:26:55 > 1:26:58Whoa!