The first hour tells the story of Churchill's early life — his aristocratic birth, his search for glory on the battlefield, his rise up the political ladder and his fall from it. By his 55th birthday in 1931, Churchill had fought in five wars, contested 14 elections and raised a family of five children. Described as "a young man in a hurry," he believed he was destined for greatness. Like his famous ancestor, the Duke of Marlborough, he searched for glory on the battlefield. At the height of Queen Victoria's reign in 1898, the 23-year-old Churchill took part, as soldier and journalist, in the last great cavalry charge of the British army in the Battle of Omdurman. He later fought in the Boer War in South Africa and in World War I. He was damned as an egotistical and unscrupulous medal-hunter, but his ruthless determination and ambition were rewarded with the political success he craved. His election to parliament in 1900 began a controversial and checkered political career that lasted 60 years. "Destiny" follows his journey from young Conservative star to leading Liberal social reformer, from the disgraced head of the British Royal Navy in WWI to the senior position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. The program ends in 1931, with Churchill no longer part of the national government.

• Ian McKellen
• Blake Woodruff