Hans Holbein, long recognised as the father of British painting, is an artistic enigma, wrapped up in historical myth and nationalist hyperbole. Holbein, so the story goes, was a child prodigy, who famously branded Henry VIII, painted his courtiers and then his brides and spied for his ministers, before ending his life in debt. But how much of this is true?

In this film, Alan Yentob goes in search of the real Hans Holbein. It's a detective trail that takes him to Basel in Switzerland, where Holbein spent his early years, as well as across the length and breadth of Britain. Alan employs the tools and science of the detective, beginning with a magnifying glass and ending in the reconstruction of the scene of Holbein's greatest exploit. Holbein's most famous painting The Ambassadors is recreated as a contemporary photograph by the renowned White Cube photographer Tom Hunter.