In a polluted Yorkshire village where life expectancy was under 25, three sheltered sisters produced some of the most enduring novels in English literature. This episode strips away the romantic myth to reveal the intense crucible that forged their genius.

We follow the family from Patrick Bronte's reinvention and devastating early deaths, through the imaginary matchbox worlds of their childhood, to their male pseudonyms, the 1847 publication of their debut novels, and the rapid tragedies that followed.

• The harsh Haworth parsonage and the deaths of their mother and sisters
• The imaginary worlds of Glass Town, Angria, and Gondal
• Working as governesses and studying in Brussels
• Publishing as Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell in 1847
• Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and the sisters' early deaths