In early 2003, three amateur codebreakers announced they had successfully decoded the secret correspondence of one of the most tragic characters in European history: Mary, Queen of Scots. 57 encrypted letters detail the exiled queen’s efforts to free herself from imprisonment and gain advantage over her rival, Queen Elizabeth. Now, after four centuries, Mary’s urgent pleas can be revealed.
Secrets of the Dead: Cracking the Queen’s Code is a Lion Television Scotland and GEDEON Programmes production in association with ARTE France for BBC, in association with ZDF and The WNET Group, in collaboration with SBS Austrailia, Histoire TV and SVT Sweden. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. Directed by Russell Barnes, Augustin Viatte, and Craig Collinson. Written by Augustin Viatte. Produced by Stéphane Millière, Valérie Guérin, and Helena Hunt. Executive Producers for Lion TV are Richard Bradley, Sarah Sarkhel, and Lisa Hazlehurst. For Secrets of the Dead: Julian Lim is producer; Benjamin Phelps is senior supervising producer; Stephanie Carter is executive producer; Stephen Segaller is executive in charge.
Original production funding for Cracking the Queen’s Code was provided by the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC), PROCIREP–ANGOA, and Département de l’Aveyron. Series funding for Secrets of the Dead is provided by public television viewers.