In the first episode of a new series, art historian Kate Bryan traces the origins of portraiture and the National Portrait gallery itself. She starts by chatting to the NPG director Nicholas Cullinan about the massive refurbishment project now reaching its final few weeks. With the help of in-house curators, Kate then explores the Tudors and the Stuarts in portraiture: from Hans Holbein and Elizabeth I to William Shakespeare and Anthony van Dyck. She finds out how portraiture became its own genre in the 16th century and was used to project power and status by the Tudor dynasty. In addition, we discover the little-known story of John Blanke, a black trumpeter for Henry VIII captured in the Westminster Tournament Roll. The episode ends in the 17th century with Kate uncovering the stories of Anthony van Dyke and Peter Lely: European masters who set up studios in London and fulfilled commissions with the help studio assistants.