The Spanish Armada, much like the Boudica's uprising against the Romans, is a pillar of British history often referred to, but rarely fully understood.

Now a new three-part docudrama, starting this Sunday on BBC Two, aims to explain just what the armada was all about, from the international tensions that led to the conflict, to the efficacy of the weapons used.

Using CGI, dramatic reconstructions and recently discovered documents, Armada: 12 Days to Save England will focus on this short but decisive period of Tudor history.

Historian Dan Snow combines his love of history and sailing as he heads out into the English Channel, where the infamous sea battle took place, while former Eastenders star Anita Dobson will play Queen Elizabeth I.

"She's awesome," Snow told the RTS. "I think it's very clever to use a former soap personality, and it's a reminder that Elizabeth wasn't always the young virgin queen.

"We've got some really interesting historians to talk about Elizabeth's life and what it was like at court, how fearful she was for her own safety, who were her close advisors, who did she hang out with. It's really cool."