Created as an attempt to shift history programming away from the ‘lone presenter giving a lecture standing in a field’ style, Robin co-created Armada: 12 Days to Conquer England as a high-octane adventure story, mixing Dan Snow following in the wake of the Armada in a yacht in the Channel; with a team of historians plotting out the route and battles on a full-size war map; with high-end drama scenes starring Anita Dobson as Elizabeth I. The result was a popular (higher ratings than BBC1 in the BBC2 9pm Sunday slot) and critical hit.

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‘Gripping’  Daily Mail

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‘Masterful’  Radio Times

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‘Exciting … captivating … something quite special’  Sunday Times

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‘Fascinating’  The Guardian

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‘I am awarding 500 house points to Armada: 12 Days to Save England, which, over three episodes turned a dull paragraph of third-form history into a nail-biting saga’  Daily Express