TWO University of Winchester royal experts will be featured in a documentary series about six of history’s most powerful women.

Dr Ellie Woodacre, reader in Renaissance history at the university, and Dr Gabrielle Storey, a visiting research fellow, appear in Queens That Changed the World which began its run on Channel 4 on August 5.

Each of the six episodes focuses on a different ruler and Ellie was interviewed for five of the programmes, talking about Elizabeth I, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Anne, warrior queen Boudica, and female pharaoh Hatshepsut. The other episode is about Queen Victoria.

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Ellie said: “It was very exciting to be part of this series which brings together six very different queens from ancient Egypt to the very beginning of 20th century Britain.

“These episodes not only reveal their very fascinating individual lives but demonstrate how each woman had an important impact on the eras they lived in and on generations to follow.

“Viewers will take away an understanding of both of these individual queens and how they shaped the practice of queenship.”

Meanwhile, Gabrielle was interviewed for the episode on Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Louis VII of France and Henry II of England.  Although Gabrielle has appeared online and in podcasts this will be her first time on TV.

She travelled to France to film her segment. Shooting took place at Fontevraud Abbey (Eleanor’s burial place), Chinon Castle, and Poitiers - all seats of power for Eleanor and her family.

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In addition to the various queens’ individual struggles, each programme deals with wider themes such as women’s changing position in society and what this meant across the centuries.

Speaking to Variety, series producer Angie Cox, said: “The women featured in this fascinating docu-series were the disruptors of the day – all standing out as towering figures in history and achieving incredible notoriety for their achievements and never shunning away from adversity in what was a male-dominated era.”

The first episode of Queens That Changed the World aired on Sunday, August 5 at 7.15pm on Channel 4. The episode, along with the rest of the series, is currently available to watch on the Channel 4 website.