For centuries in western culture, opera has become the greatest show on the planet. Historian Lucy Worsley explores how animation and history go hand in hand. She visits the terrific European cities where a few of the most famous operas were written, tells the stories of the colourful characters who composed them, and shows how they revealed the turbulent times these were composed in and the lifestyles, hopes and anxieties of the folks who lived in them. Whilst Lucy and opera houses and the cities visit, Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera of London, helps us know some of those operas' greatest seconds.