In the opening episode, James explores how the Renaissance arrived, with a handful of influential European artists bringing ideas from the continent in the early 16th century - from the inspiration of Torrigiano, who fled Florence after a fist fight with Michelangelo, to Holbein and his influence on painter John Bettes - thought to be the first English Renaissance-trained artist.

In the final episode, he explores how the tension between two cultures - one courtly, classical and European, the other home-grown, innovative and vital - helped bring the country to civil war.