Of all the Kings of England, none captured the public imagination quite like Richard 1, the Lionheart. To his subjects, Richard was tall, handsome and athletic, a true hero, a fitting monarch and for more modern enthusiasts, the legendary protector of the much-loved outlaw Robin Hood and his band of merry men. Where Richard the Lionheart's concerned, it has however been a case of the truth never being allowed to get in the way of a good story, because this is an incredible tale of a Plantagenet King who was not necessarily quite what history would have us believe. Of the ten years Richard was on the throne, he literally spent only seven months in England and he cost the nation an abolute fortune, firstly to fight the Crusades in the Holy Land and secondly for payment of a King's Ransom when he was captured. ''Richard the Lionheart'' is a programme designed to take you on a journey of discovery to follow in the footsteps of this powerful, Royal, Crusader Knight who convinced the world, past, present, and probably future, that he truly was the best King of England that money could buy.