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.
Thomas Doughty (explorer) established the idea that a ship's captain was its absolute ruler, regardless of the rank or social class of its passengers. Doughty befriended Drake during Drake's military actions in Ireland. Drake, Doughty and John Wynter left Plymouth, England in 1577, purportedly on a simple trip to Alexandria. Drake's real mission was to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets in the New World; whether he proceeded with the full knowledge and sanction of Queen Elizabeth I, and whether his original intent was the circumnavigation of the globe are still topics of scholarly debate (see Kelsey, "Sir Francis Drake: the Queen's Pirate.") The