Who were the most notorious individuals ever to walk the earth? Channel 4 television presents The Masters of Darkness, the barely believable stories of four men whose sexual escapades, obsession with magic and radical ideas earned them the fear of their contemporaries and a place in modern culture.

Explore the lives of these masters of darkness, and play our fascinating Game – which lets you take a peek into the future. If you're puzzled by the weird and wonderful words used by Dr Dee, the Marquis de Sade, Grigori Rasputin or Aleister Crowley, our Glossary will explain all. You can also Find Out More about their lives.

A word of warning: you are about to enter a realm of magic and unreason, so don't be surprised if your screen occasionally plays tricks on you – it's not your computer, it's the masters of darkness!

Find the answers to your questions in our spooky game. top

What was Crowley's temple really like? How did it feel to walk in Dee's footsteps? Occult expert Aron Paramor reveals all.

Rasputin: Devil in the Flesh

The Wickedest Man in the World

The Marquis de Sade: Pornographer or Prophet?
First shown on Channel 4 in February 2002

Queen Elizabeth's Magician
First shown on Channel 4 in March 2002