Sir Francis Drake (TV series) Sir Francis Drake (TV series) Sir Francis Drake (aka The Adventures of Sir Francis Drake) is a 1961-1962 British adventure television series starring Terence Morgan as Sir Francis Drake, commander of the sailing ship the "Golden Hind". As well as battles at sea and sword fights, the series also deals with intrigue at Queen Elizabeth's court. The series was a joint ABC/ATV production, made at Elstree Studios and on historical sites in England. A replica of the "Golden Hind" was constructed at a cost of £25,000 and was used for filming in and around the bays of Torbay and Dartmouth.
Francis Drake were to become the Queen's secrets of the Realm, and Drake and the other participants of his voyages on the pain of death sworn to their secrecy; she intended to keep Drake's activities away from the eyes of rival Spain. Drake presented the Queen with a jewel token commemorating the circumnavigation. Taken as a prize off the Pacific coast of Mexico, it was made of enamelled gold and bore an African diamond and a ship with an ebony hull. For her part, the Queen gave Drake a jewel with her portrait, an unusual gift to bestow upon a commoner, and