Foxtel highlights: Monday, August 19
LEGENDARY MEGASTRUCTURES HISTORY 608, 8.30PM
In this three-part series viewers are invited to take a trip to France to discover the many secrets of some the country’s most legendary megastructures. Tonight’s premiere looks at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes – or the Domain, it’s more commonly known – which came to fruition after apparitions of the Virgin Mary appeared in the Grotto of Massabielle in 1858. Today, it’s the second most visited Catholic complex in the word outside of Vatican City, with more than half a million visitors per year. Tune in to marvel at the magnificent site, which contains no fewer than 15 pools, three basilicas, a church and a 1500m-long Stations of the Cross.
SLAVERY ROUTES HISTORY 608, 10.30PM
The history of slavery did not begin in the cotton fields. It’s actually a much older tragedy that has been going on since the dawn of humanity. In fact, slavery can be traced all the way back to Africa in the 7th century, and for the next 1200 years it was the epicentre of a gigantic human-trafficking network that traversed the entire globe. In this time, more than 20 million Africans were deported, sold and enslaved, laying the foundations of empires around the world. But how did Africa end up at the heart of slavery routes? Tune in to find out.
LAMBS OF GOD STREAMING, FOXTEL ON DEMAND
This gripping four-part miniseries centres around three nuns, each a generation apart, who must defend their very existence when a young priest (Sam Reid) arrives at their dilapidated monastery with a hidden agenda. What unfolds is an epic, fantastical tale of faith, love and redemption, in what will no doubt be the Aussie series of the year. Lambs Of God is based on the novel by author Marele Day and has an all-star cast, which includes Emmy Award-winning actress Ann Dowd (The Handmaids Tale), Essie Davis (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) and Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World).
CHARLES I: DOWNFALL OF A KING HISTORY 608, 9.30PM
In this three-part special, historian Lisa Hilton (pictured) discovers how, in just 50 tempestuous days, Charles I’s rule collapsed, laying the foundations for civil war, the loss of royal power and, ultimately, the king’s head. Tonight’s series debut takes viewers back to November 1641. While King Charles I was in Edinburgh, the leader of the House of Commons, John Pym, plotted a move to limit the King’s power when he presented a document known as the Grand Remonstrance, which was ostensibly a list of 200 complaints against the king. Eventually the duel between these two men would spiral out of control, leaving the country bitterly divided. Tune in as all the drama unfolds.
AMERICAN HISTORY’S BIGGEST FIBS HISTORY 608, 7.30PM
The American Revolution. The Civil War. The American Dream. These are the moments and mottos that define America. But how much can history be trusted? And how many myths or half-truths bind together the history of the United States? In this three-part series, British historian Lucy Worsley (pictured) explores how American history has been mythologised and manipulated by generations of politicians, writers and protesters. In tonight’s series debut, Lucy examines the American Revolution – a Davidand-Goliath battle of men with high ideals taking on the might of the British Empire. If you thought you knew everything about this momentous moment in US history, it’s time to think again.