First transmitted on Channel 4 in May 2005

Could you have survived as a colonial pioneer in 17th-century America? Channel 4's six-part series, Pioneer House, shows how a group of volunteers fared when they went 400 years back in time to create a new life for themselves in North America.

This website gives details of the series and explores the history behind the project. It takes you back to the early 17th century, and reveals why the original pioneers left England. It explains how these intrepid men, women and children set up the first American colonies and coped with their demanding daily lives, and examines their troubled relations with the Native Americans.

And there are loads of websites and books so you can find out more about the early pioneers who crossed the Atlantic from England.

Our expert, Professor Matthew Jones, gives an update on the State of the Union 400 years after the colonists crossed the Atlantic.

Series producer Sallie Clement gives you a glimpse at the blood, sweat and tears that went on behind the scenes.