Dr Simon highlights one film in particular as the culprit, based on the book by Robert Louis Stevenson: “Robert Newton, who played Long John Silver ... weigh down the ship. Pirates preferred ...

If you were asked to picture the most successful pirate of all time, who would you imagine? Perhaps Long John Silver complete with a perching parrot, or a swashbuckling Blackbeard? Think again!

Pirates is at National Maritime Museum in Greenwich 29 March 2025-4 January 2026. Adults £15, children £7.50. Various ...