On the morning of 14 December 1825, members of Russia's top noble families assembled armed troops in Senate Square, St. Petersburg in an attempt to start a revolution against the Tsar. By nightfall, however, after unsuccessful negotiations and several rounds of artillery fire, it was all over. The organizers of the revolt, later called the Decembrists, were arrested and accused of high treason. Five of them were sentenced to death by hanging, the others condemned to penal servitude. Although the plot was a complete failure, it was to have an important and lasting effect on social and economic life in Russia for at least the next fifty years. The story of the Decembrists is full of contradictions and has never been fully unraveled since then. There were professional military men and experienced combat officers among the conspirators, but their actions lacked planning and organization, with everything happening spontaneously and illogically. Instead of killing Nicholas I, as had been planned, the rebels ended up killing instead, for some unaccountable reason, General Miloradovich, the hero of the Napoleonic Wars. And this was only a small part of the "ifs" and "buts" which came to the surface in this complex and involved story. THE DECEMBRISTS is a new two-part docudrama from the creators of the multi-award-winning series, THE ROMANOVS. Together with a team of eminent historians, the producers have pieced together all the events that took place on 14 December 1825 from the beginning to the development and conclusion of the uprising, showing the parts played by the main participants and organizers. A chronologically assembled chain of historical events offers viewers the chance to conduct their own investigation into the case and work out what really happened on that fateful night in Senate Square almost two centuries ago.

《白痴》系19世纪俄国大文豪陀思妥耶夫斯基的重要作品之一。小说描写19世纪60年代出身贵族的绝色女子娜斯塔霞常年受地主托茨基蹂躏，后托茨基愿出一大笔钱要把她嫁给卑鄙无耻的加尼亚。就在女主人公的生日晚会上，被人们视为白痴的年轻的公爵梅诗金突然出现，愿无条件娶娜斯塔霞为妻，这使她深受感动。在与公爵即将举行婚礼的那天，娜斯塔霞尽管深爱着公爵，但还是跟花花公子罗果仁跑了，最后遭罗果仁杀害。小说对农奴制度改革后俄国上层社会作了广泛的描绘，涉及复杂的心理和道德问题。善良、宽容的梅诗金公爵无力对周围的人施加影响，也不能为他们造福，这个堂吉诃德式的人物的徒劳努力，表明作者企图以信仰和爱来拯救世界的幻想的破灭。

梅晓拉是一片多森林的平原，在俄罗斯的梁赞市和弗拉基米尔市之间。这里有许多城乡居民点、重要工农业中心，还有许多俄罗斯的名胜古迹。
一个偶然的机会，年近三十的帕乌斯托夫斯基来到了梅晓拉，这个俄罗斯中部的地方一下子把他迷住了，他感到这才是他的故乡，他在这里才是地道的俄罗斯人。此后，他在这里常住，并写出了《面向秋野》《森林的故事》《烟雨霏霏的黎明》等名作。
梅晓拉是他一生中“最主要的爱”，是他一直留存到生命最后一刻的“对大地的依恋”。在他的笔下，这个流淌着林间小溪、遍布着大小湖泊的地方永远闪烁着耀眼的光芒。

主人公彼乔林是一名到高加索服役的贵族青年军官。他精力充沛，才智过人，但到处找不到生活的目标，因而养成了玩世不恭的处世态度，将自己的充沛精力消耗在半真半假的恋爱游戏和冒险行动中，给别人带来痛苦和不幸。彼乔林是俄罗斯文学中继普希金的奥涅金之后又一个“多余的人”形象。小说以深刻的心理刻画和卓越的自然风景描写著称，文笔委婉优美，故事生动隽永，被公认为俄国古典文学的典范。

Lucy Worsley travels to Russia to tell the extraordinary story of the dynasty that ruled the country for more than three centuries. It’s an epic tale that includes giant figures such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, the devastating struggle against Napoleon in 1812, and the shocking murders of Nicholas II and his family in 1918 which brought the dynasty to a brutal end.
The Romanovs were the most powerful European monarchs since the Middle Ages, wielding unmatched authority into the 20th century. Lucy will see how they embraced and sponsored the arts on an astonishing scale, commissioning artworks and building spectacular palaces that still dazzle today. Yet many ordinary Russians were little better than slaves, and the failure of the Romanovs to address their condition would ultimately lead to revolution.
In this new three-part series, Lucy will apply her characteristic insight, attention to detail and wit to the Romanov dynasty. Her understanding of royal tradition and culture, and her gift for bringing historical characters vividly to life, will create a fresh and compelling account of this unique royal family.