Rocking the boat

James May debunks Sir Walter Raleigh's famous exploits

- HANNAH DAVIES, NATASHA HOLT, TESS LAMACRAFT

Explorer Sir Walter Raleigh is famous for chivalrously throwing his cloak over a puddle for Queen Elizabeth I, discovering potatoes and tobacco, and establishing England’s first colony in the Americas.

However, as James May discovers in the second episode of his series, he didn’t actually do any of those things.

REAPPRAISAL

‘The man was a complete charlatan,’ says May. ‘He was famous for lots of things he didn’t actually do, but let’s not let the facts get in the way of a good story.’