Leonardo

Latest Episodes

• Season 1 Episode 3: The Secret Life of the Mona Lisa

  Alan Yentob concludes his series on Leonardo da Vinci by telling the story of how the Mona Lisa became the most famous painting in the world. Admired by six million tourists every year, surrounded by bodyguards and encased in a humidified, air-conditioned box protected by bullet-proof glass, the enigmatic masterpiece has been stolen, vandalised and exploited over the centuries. With the help of leading scholars and original research, the Mona Lisa's identity is finally revealed, as is the reason behind her inscrutable smile

• Season 1 Episode 2: Dangerous Liaisons

  In the second part of Alan Yentob's dramatised documentary, Leonardo da Vinci proposes revolutionary ideas on submarine warfare to the Venetians and works on military projects for Cesare Borgia before returning to Florence, where he designs his first flying machine. It is against this backdrop that he paints the Mona Lisa, arguably the most famous portrait of all time, and becomes locked in a bitter rivalry with sculptor Michaelangelo

• Season 1 Episode 1: The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything

  Alan Yentob presents a biography of Leonardo da Vinci, revealing the extraordinary story, vision and unfulfilled dreams of the Renaissance genius. He begins by chronicling the artist's early years, from his illegitimate birth in 1452 to his apprenticeship in Florence to master craftsman Andrea del Verrocchio. In his twenties, he made a name for himself by painting an angel and later moved to Milan where he won the patronage of the powerful Duke. During this period he painted masterpieces including The Last Supper and the Madonna of the Rocks, and designed a parachute, which leading skydiver Adrian Nicholas has built using Leonardo's original designs. Featuring a series of performances by actor Mark Rylance as the artist