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The Self-Access Centre - English - TV Documentaries - History

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The day after London won the Olympic bid, terrorists attacked the public transport network killing 52 people and injuring over 700. 1 7/7 One Day in London BBC 2 History 90 mins
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Documentary marking the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The day is recalled by key decision-makers including Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. 2 9/11 - Day that Changed the World ITV 1 History English 94 mins
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This brand new film tells of the emergency treatment of the injured that took place in and around the World Trade Center as the jets crashed and the towers fell on the morning of 9/11. 3 9/11: Emergency Room Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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Featuring newly-uncovered audio recordings, previously unseen home movies and powerful testimony from the victims' families, 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers tells the stories of some of the people trapped in the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. 4 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers Channel 4 History English 88 mins
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This feature-length drama-documentary tells the story of 9/11 in the words of key political and military leaders as well as ordinary people who suddenly found themselves on the frontlines of a new kind of war. 5 9/11: State of Emergency Channel 4 History English 72 mins
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The Conspiracy Files investigates the growing number of conspiracy theories surrounding the 9/11 attacks. 6 9/11: The Conspiracy Files BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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Neil Oliver continues the story of how today's Britain and its people were forged over thousands of years of ancient history. It's 4,000 BC and the first farmers arrive from Europe, with seismic consequences for the local hunter-gatherers. 7 A History of Ancient Britain - Age of Ancestors BBC History English 60 mins
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Neil Oliver reaches the end of his epic tour of our most distant past with the arrival of metals and the social revolution that ushered in a new age of social mobility, international trade, and village life. 8 A History of Ancient Britain - Age of Bronze BBC History English 60 mins
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Neil Oliver continues his journey through the world of Ancient Britain as he encounters an age of cosmological priests and some of the greatest monuments of the Stone Age, including Stonehenge itself. This is a time of elite travellers, who were inventing the very idea of Heaven itself. 9 A History of Ancient Britain - Age of Cosmology BBC History English 60 mins
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Neil Oliver travels back to ice age Britain as he begins the epic story of how our land and its people came to be over thousands of years of ancient history. This week sees a struggle for survival in a brutal world of climate change and environmental catastrope. 10 A History of Ancient Britain - Age of Ice BBC History English 60 mins
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1066 is not the best remembered date in British history for nothing. In the space of nine hours whilst the Battle of Hastings raged, everything changed. Anglo-Saxon England became Norman and, for the next 300 years, its fate was decided by dynasties of French rulers 11 A History of Britain - Conquest Simon Schama History 54 mins
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How Henry II built a great medieval empire only for his wife and son to destroy it. 12 A History of Britain - Dynasty Simon Schama History 54 mins
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Why Britain was immune to the French Revolution's call - liberty, equality and fraternity. 13 A History of Britain - Forces of Nature Simon Schama History 54 mins
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The story of Edward I who tried to force English rule on Scotland and Wales. 14 A History of Britain - Nations Simon Schama History 55 mins
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Simon Schama reveals how the noble intentions of the British Empire were undermined. 15 A History of Britain - The Empire of Good Intentions Simon Schama History 54 mins
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Simon Schama examines the lives of two figures: Winston Churchill and George Orwell. 16 A History of Britain - The Two Winstons Simon Schama History 54 mins
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Simon Schama looks at the Victorian era, and the huge impact made by women of the period. 17 A History of Britain - Victoria and Her Sisters Simon Schama History 54 mins
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Diarmaid MacCulloch explores the extraordinary rise of Roman Catholic Church. 18 A History of Christianity - Catholicism: The Unpredictable Rise of Rome BBC History English 60 mins
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Diarmaid MacCulloch examines the concept of scepticism in Western Christianity. 19 A History of Christianity - God in the Dock BBC History 60 mins
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Diarmaid MacCulloch explores Eastern Orthodox Christianity's fight for survival. 20 A History of Christianity - Orthodoxy - From Empire to Empire BBC History English 60 mins
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Diarmaid MacCulloch traces the growth of Evangelical Protestantism across the globe. 21 A History of Christianity - Protestantism - The Evangelical Explosion BBC History English 60 mins
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Diarmaid MacCulloch looks at the Reformation and its attack on the Catholic Church. 22 A History of Christianity - Reformation: The Individual Before God BBC History English 60 mins
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Mark Gatiss explores the early horror era of Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. 23 A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss - Frankenstein Goes to Hollywood BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Mark Gatiss looks at horror films from the 50s and 60s, an era dominated by Hammer Films. 24 A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss - Home Counties Horror BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Mark Gatiss explores the American horror films of the late 1960s and 70s. 25 A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss - The American Scream BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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A series of documentaries examining the history of local people, places, inventions and events that changed the world. Adam Hart-Davis tells the remarkable story of Thomas Newcomen, the Devon man who invented the world's first working steam-powered engine. 26 A History of the World - The Birth of Steam BBC 4 History English 30 mins
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A series of documentaries examining the history of local people, places, inventions and events that changed the world. Horrible Histories author Terry Deary tells the story of the country's biggest and bloodiest ever battle in which 28,000 soldiers died in a single day of slaughter during the Wars of the Roses. 27 A History of the World - Towton 1461 BBC 4 History English 30 mins
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Chris Tarrant discovers how one simple invention revolutionised the industrial heart of Britain. He travels by narrow boat to see how the Brindley Lock created a canal network that would transform the Midlands from rural backwater to industrial giant. 28 A History of the World - Unlocking the Midlands BBC 1 History English 30 mins
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From its early years until the present day, London has provided powerful, emotional inspiration to artists.This documentary evokes the city as seen by painters, photographers, film-makers and writers through the ages. 29 A Picture of London BBC 2 History 60 mins
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Documentary which sheds new light on the greatest crisis to rock the British monarchy in centuries - the abdication of King Edward VIII. Usually, it has been presented as the only possible solution to his dilemma of having to choose between the throne and the woman he loved. 30 Abdication: A Very British Coup BBC History English 60 mins
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Documentary re-assessing the reputation of American president, Abraham Lincoln. 31 Abraham Lincoln - Saint or Sinner ? BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Mark Urban tells the inside story of Britain's fight for Helmand, told with unique access to the generals and frontline troops who were there. 32 Afghanistan: The Battle for Helmand Mark Urban History English 60 mins
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In episode one Rory Stewart tells the story of British interventions in Afghanistan in the 19th century, when the British Empire became obsessed with the idea that their rival, Russia, was considering the invasion of Afghanistan as a staging post for an attack on British India. 33 Afghanistan: The Great Game: A personal view by Rory Stewart part 1 BBC History 60 mins
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Rory Stewart tells the story of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the twentieth century, and its parallels with the American-led coalition's intervention today. 34 Afghanistan: The Great Game: A personal view by Rory Stewart part 2 BBC History 60 mins
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A journey through the parts of Afghanistan that don't normally feature in news coverage to meet some amazing people and see fascinating places. Lyse Doucet uses her many years experience in Afghanistan to show a different side of a country which has been at war for 30 years. 35 Afghanistan: The Unknown Country Lyse Doucet History English 60 mins
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Coal had powered Britain's industrial rise, with her mills and furnaces, railways and steamships depending on it. In the peak years a million men laboured in the mines, many in poor and dangerous working conditions like those contributor Dick Martin found when he began as pit boy aged 14. 36 All Our Working Lives: Cutting Coal BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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A series of films about how humans have been colonised by the machines they have built. Although we don't realise it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers. 37 All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace Part 1: Love and Power Adam Curtis History 60 mins
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This looks at how the idea of nature as a self-regulating ecosystem is a machine fantasy. 38 All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace Part 2: The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts Adam Curtis History English 60 mins
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Why do humans find the machine vision so beguiling - does it excuse our failure? 39 All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace Part 3: The Monkey in the Machine and the Machine in the Monkey Adam Curtis History English 60 mins
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Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. 40 Ancient Worlds - City of Man, City of God BBC History English 60 mins
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Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles explores the roots of one of the most profound innovations in the human story - civilisation - in the first episode of an epic series that runs from the creation of the first cities in Mesopotamia some 6,000 years ago, to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. 41 Ancient Worlds - Come Together Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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n Richard Miles's epic story of civilization, there have been plenty of examples of the great men of history, but none came close to the legend of Alexander of Macedon, known to us as 'the Great'. Uniting the fractious Greek city-states, he led them on a crusade against the old enemy, Persia, and in little more than a decade created an empire that stretched from Egypt in the west to Afghanistan in the east. 42 Ancient Worlds - Return of the King BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles looks at the winners, losers and survivors of the great Bronze Age collapse, a regional catastrophe that wiped out the hard-won achievements of civilisation in the eastern Mediterranean about 3,000 years ago. In the new age of iron, civilisation would re-emerge, tempered in the flames of conflict, tougher and more resilient than ever before. 43 Ancient Worlds - The Age of Iron Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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Richard Miles explores the power and the paradox of the 'Greek Thing' - a blossoming in art, philosophy and science that went hand in hand with political discord, social injustice and endless war. 44 Ancient Worlds - The Greek Thing BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the phenomenon of the Roman Republic. 45 Ancient Worlds - The Republic of Virtue BBC History English 60 mins
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February 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini’s return to Tehran and the overthrowing of the Shah. Throughout the month, BBC World News will have news and documentary coverage assessing the impact of the revolution on modern day Iran and its relations with the rest of the world. 46 BBC World News marks 30th anniversary of Iranian revolution BBC History English 59 mins
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A stellar cast of White House insiders speak on camera about the operation to find and kill Osama Bin Laden, including the first - and extraordinary - documentary interview with President Barack Obama on the subject. 47 Bin Laden: Shoot to Kill Channel 4 History English 75 mins
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The so-called Golden Age of Piracy (1689-1718) is a storybook of rogues who robbed and murdered on the seas of the New World. One character has transcended history and sailed into legend… 48 Blackbeard: The Real Pirate Of The Carribean UKTV History History 46 mins
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The unlikely story of how, between 1929 and 1945, a group of tweed-wearing radicals and pin-striped bureaucrats created the most influential movement in the history of British film. They were the British Documentary Movement and they gave Britons a taste for watching films about real life. 49 Britain Through A Lens: The Documentary Film Mob BBC History English 60 mins
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The children of 9/11 - from those who were in the womb to those on the brink of adulthood - reveal how children come to terms with tragedy and how families confront grief. 50 Children of 9/11 Channel 4 History English 72 mins
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Documentary arguing that Deng Xiaoping's capitalist revolution created today's China. 51 China's Capitalist Revolution BBC History English 90 mins
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Documentary following the making of the British Museum's biggest exhibition in a generation and telling the story of its subject, the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi. 52 China's Terracotta Army BBC History 59 mins
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Edward III rips up the medieval rule book and crushes the flower of French knighthood at the Battle of Crecy with his low-born archers. His son, the Black Prince, conducts a campaign of terror, helping to bring France to her knees. 53 Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Year war - 1: Trouble in the Family: 1337-1360 BBC History 60 mins
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England, wracked by plague and revolt, loses the upper hand until Henry V, determined to prove his right to be king, turns the tide at the battle of Agincourt. 54 Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Year war - 2: Breaking the Bonds 1360-1415 BBC History 60 mins
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Henry V has claimed the crown of France for his heirs, but to secure it the English must conquer all of France. Potent French resistance comes in the most unlikely form - an illiterate, young peasant girl, Joan of Arc. Dr Janina Ramirez explores the longest and bloodiest divorce in history. 55 Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Year war - 3: Agents of God BBC History 60 mins
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Niall Ferguson explores how Western civilization - a clear minority of mankind - secured a lion's share of the world's resources, and examines whether the West is about to be overtaken by the rest. 56 Civilization : Is the West History Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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Using drama reconstruction, choreographed fight sequences and state-of-the-art special effects, Colosseum – Rome’s Arena Of Death takes viewers back to a time and a place where fights to the death, not penalty shootouts, made spectators’ pulses race. 57 Colosseum - Rome's Arena of Death Tilman Remme History 12 mins
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Special programme telling the dramatic story of Cutty Sark, the world famous clipper ship, from her launch in 1869 to the modern-day conservation work to save her. 58 Cutty Sark: National Treasure BBC History 60 mins
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In-depth examinion of the biggest surprise invasion of World War II, presented by Richard Holmes. 59 D-Day - The Complete Story UKTV History History 25 mins
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In September 1991 two hikers made a sensational discovery - a frozen body high in the mountains, near the border between Austria and Italy. 60 Death of the Iceman BBC History 46 mins
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What really went on at the ancient Greek oracle at Delphi, how did it get its awesome reputation and why is it still influential today? 61 Delphi: The Bellybutton of the Ancient World BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Architectural historian Jon Cannon goes in search of the clues that shed light on how our medieval forebears were able to build the wonders of their world 62 Dispatches - Immigration: The Inconvenient Truth Channel 4 History 57 mins
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Jeremy Paxman traces the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known: the British Empire. In the first programme, he asks how such a small country got such a big head, and how a tiny island in the North Atlantic came to rule over a quarter of the world's population. 63 Empire - 01 - A taste for Power BBC 1 History 60 mins
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Jeremy continues by looking at how settlers spread the British way of doing things. 64 Empire - 02 - Making Ourselves at Home BBC History 60 mins
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He continues his personal account of Britain's Empire by tracing the growth of a peculiarly British type of hero - adventurer, gentleman, amateur, sportsman and decent chap 65 Empire - 03 - Playing the Game History 60 mins
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Jeremy Paxman continues his personal account of Britain's empire, looking at how the empire began as a pirates' treasure hunt, grew into an informal empire based on trade and developed into a global financial network. 66 Empire - 04 - Making a Fortune BBC History 60 mins
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In the final part of his personal account of Britain's empire, Jeremy Paxman tells the extraordinary story of how a desire for conquest became a mission to improve the rest of mankind 67 Empire - 05 - Doing Good BBC History 60 mins
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Engineer Jem Stansfield is used to creating explosions, but in this programme he uncovers the story of how we have learnt to control them and harness their power for our own means. 68 Explosions: How We Shook the World BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Three-part documentary series on American folk music, tracing its history from the recording boom of the 1920s to the folk revival of the 1960s. 69 Folk America - Birth of a Nation BBC History English 60 mins
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In the 1960s a new generation, spearheaded by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, took folk to the top of the charts and made it the voice of youthful protest. 70 Folk America - Blowin in the Wind BBC History English 60 mins
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In the depression of the 1930s, John Lomax found convicted murderer Leadbelly in a southern jail. Leadbelly's music was never quite as pure and untouched by pop as Lomax believed, but it set a new agenda for folk music, redefining it as the voice of protest, the voice of the outsider and the oppressed. 71 Folk America - This Land is Your Land BBC History English 60 mins
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How has the Beautiful Game played into fascist ideology? BBC Four explores how the 20th century's three most prominent fascist dictators, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco, seized upon football's massive popular appeal and ruthlessly exploited it as a vehicle for propaganda. 72 Football and Fascism BBC History 60 mins
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Documentary which tells the story of a dream of happy families on wheels that the Ford Motor Company brought from Detroit to Dagenham, then sold to Britain. 73 Ford's Dagenham Dream Steve Humphries History 60 mins
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The Prussian king Frederick the Great was one of the greatest warriors and leaders in modern European history, achieving greatness through the Seven Years War and lauded as a philosopher and cultured 'Prince of the Enlightenment'. Yet the reputation of both Frederick and his Prussia was to be tarnished by association with Hitler's Nazi regime. Historian Christopher Clark re-examines the life and achievements of one of Germany's most colourful and controversial leaders. 74 Frederick the Great and the Enigma of Prussia BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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The first programme begins 350 years ago when a small group of friends, colleagues and rivals defied everything that was known about the world at that time. 75 Genius of Britain Episode 01 More 4 History English 47 mins
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Virginia Woolf said Homer's epic poem the Odyssey was 'alive to every tremor and gleam of existence'. Following the magical and strange adventures of warrior king Odysseus, inventor of the idea of the Trojan Horse, the poem can claim to be the greatest story ever told. 76 Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Paul Murton follows in the footsteps of the first tourists to Scotland.In this first journey, Paul goes in search of the romantic ideal, travelling from the Trossachs out to Iona and then the fabled Isle of Staffa. 77 Grand Tours of Scotland - 01 - The Romantic Ideal BBC History English 30 mins
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In this episode, Paul discovers how 19th-century Scotland's mountains and glens were a playground for rich gentlemen eager to test themselves against the forces of nature. 78 Grand Tours of Scotland - 02 - The Sporting Life BBC History English 30 mins
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Paul's route starts at the foot of Ben Nevis in Fort William and continues along the beautiful railway line to Mallaig and onwards to the fabled Isle of Skye. 79 Grand Tours of Scotland - 03 - In Search of the Real Scotland BBC History English 30 mins
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Paul traces the history of the great outdoors, travelling from the shores of Loch Tay in Perthshire, across the great wilderness of Rannoch Moor, climbs the iconic mountain of Buachaille Etive Mor, before ending his journey in the quaint spa town of Strathpeffer. 80 Grand Tours of Scotland - 04 - Mind, Body and Spirit BBC History English 30 mins
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In this fascinating series, Nick Crane investigates eight epic and challenging journeys, following in the footsteps of our greatest indigenous explorers.In the 1930s and 40s, HV Morton undertook the first tour of Scotland in a motor car, creating a new type of travel writing. 81 Great British Journeys Michael Waterhouse History 58 mins
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Jared Diamond embarks on a world-wide quest to understand the roots of global inequality, tracing humanity's meanderings across 13,000 years of history. 82 Guns, Germs and Steel More 4 History English 91 mins
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A dramatised documentary Chiefly centred on the Italian campaign of Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian general. 83 Hannibal - The Man, the Myth, the Mystery Edward Bazalgette History 10 mins
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The heir to the throne, Prince Hal, defies his father, King Henry, by spending his time at Mistress Quickly's tavern in the company of the dissolute Falstaff and his companions. The King is threatened by a rebellion led by Hal's rival, Hotspur, his father Northumberland and his uncle Worcester. 84 Henry IV - Part 01 BBC History 115 mins
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In the aftermath of the Battle of Shrewsbury, Northumberland learns of the death of his son. The Lord Chief Justice attempts on behalf of the increasingly frail King to separate Falstaff from Prince Hal. 85 Henry IV - Part 02 BBC History 0 mins
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Using newly-released files, concealed by the KGB in Moscow and held in archives for nearly 50 years, the programme exposes the events behind the planning and building of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Professor Gerald Fleming, a researcher into Nazi war crimes and architect Robert van Pelt, investigate these files and reveal evidence which shows how German civilian engineers and Bauhaus-trained architects deliberately colluded with the SS to plan the genocide. 86 Horizon - Auschwitz, The Blueprints of Genocide BBC History 11 mins
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Horizon investigates evidence of human sacrifice practised by the Incas. Three mummified remains of humans have been found in the Andes and this programme follows anthropologist Johan Reinhard's search for more proof on the peak of Sara Sara in the Andes 87 Horizon - Frozen in Heaven BBC History 60 mins
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A Neolithic Age farmer was discovered in the Alps by two German tourists in 1991.This programme shows how since then research groups have used the find to discover more about that archeological period 88 Horizon - Ice Mummies BBC History 60 mins
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It is said that once, the mighty King Solomon ruled an empire that stretched across the ancient world. According to Biblical lore, at the height of his powers he built the ‘First Temple’, the most magnificent building of its day, bedecked in gold, to house the Ark of the Covenant 89 Horizon - King Solomon's Tablet of Stone BBC History 50 mins
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The first in a three-part series in which Diarmaid MacCulloch, professor of church history at Oxford University and presenter of the award-winning BBC series A History of Christianity, explores both what it means to be English and what has shaped English identity. 90 How God Made the English - Part 01: A Chosen People? BBC 2 History 60 mins
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Professor MacCulloch challenges the commonly held assumption that the English have a long and glorious tradition of tolerance. Rather, history shows that until recently the English were among the least tolerant peoples in the world. 91 How God Made the English - Part 02: A Tolerant People? BBC 2 History 60 mins
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The final programme of this series examines the idea that there is an ethnic core to Englishness. Is there any basis for the claim that to be truly English you have to be Anglo-Saxon? 92 How God Made the English -Part 03: A White and Christian People? BBC 2 History 60 mins
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Documentary discovering how our medieval forebears built the wonders of their world. 93 How to Build a Cathedral BBC History 58 mins
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The demand for energy has risen relentlessly over the last 150 years in line with industrial development and population growth. 94 If the Oil Runs Out BBC History 59 mins
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Historian Dr Alixe Bovey recreates journeys through Britain as it was in the Middle Ages. She follows the trail north from York to the contested Scottish border 95 In Search of Medieval Britain BBC History 29 mins
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The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is explored, with stops in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 96 In Search of Myths and Heroes - Arthur Michael Wood History 59 mins
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The definitive story of going to the moon, told by those who went. Between 1969 and 1972 an elite group of men achieved an incredible dream. They were, and remain, the only human beings to set foot on a planet other than our own. 97 In the Shadow of the Moon Channel Four History English 95 mins
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In 1932, the Nazi party obtained more votes than any other, with forty percent of all Germans choosing to vote for Hitler as their leader. Germany was crippled by losing the First World War and as Lawrence Rees' interviews reveal, economic chaos led many to seek a strong and extreme solution to their problems 98 Inside the Nazi State - A Vision for Germany Lawrence Rees History 10 mins
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Explores the fraught but often surprisingly intimate history of Britain's relations with Iran, and asks why Iranians think that if something goes wrong in Iran then Britain must have something to do with it. 99 Iran and Britain Christopher de Bellaigue History English 60 mins
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Militant Islam enjoyed its first modern triumph with the arrival in power of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran in 1979. In this series of three programmes, key figures tell the inside story. 100 Iran and the West. Episode 01. The Man who Changed the World Dai Richards History English 59 mins
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For four centuries Ivan the Terrible has epitomized the image of a vicious, cruel despot and tyrant. In his own land he is remembered as a statesman who held his country together through difficult times 101 Ivan the Terrible Andrew Williams History 12 mins
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Author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore presents a three-part series illuminating the history of the sacred and peerlessly beautiful city of Jerusalem. 102 Jerusalem - Part 01: The Making of a Holy City - Wellspring of Holiness BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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In episode two, Simon discovers the impact on the holy city of a new faith - Islam. He explores Muhammad's relationship with Jerusalem, the construction of one of Islam's holiest shrines - the Dome of the Rock - and the crusaders' attempts to win it back for Christianity. 103 Jerusalem - Part 02: The Making of a Holy City - Invasion, Invasion, Invasion BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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In episode three, Simon explores how this unique city rose from a crumbling ruin after the crusades to be rebuilt as a world centre of Islamic pilgrimage. He explains how Jerusalem became the object of rivalry between the Christian nations of Europe, the focus of the longing of Jews from all over the world and, ultimately, the site of one of the world's most intractable conflicts. 104 Jerusalem - Part 03: The Making of a Holy City BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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On both sides of the Atlantic, John F Kennedy continues to be invoked by today's politicians in the hope that some of his magic might rub off on them. But, 50 years since Kennedy's election, Andrew Marr asks whether JFK's legacy has tarnished politics ever since. 105 JFK: The Making of Modern Politics BBC 2 History English 0 mins
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Documentary which explores the most important day in the career of the legendary Johnny Cash. 106 Johnny Cash: The Story of Folsom Prison BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Damian Lewis-narrated documentary telling the colourful story of Island Records, the Jamaican-founded record label built by maverick boss Chris Blackwell which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009. 107 Keep on Running: 50 Years of Island Records BBC History English 90 mins
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Documentary, featuring specially commissioned research, which reveals for the first time what really happened during the eruption of the volcanic island Krakatoa in 1883 108 Krakatoa Revealed Nick Petford History 11 mins
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David Attenborough visits Captain Scott's abandoned hut in Antarctica and recounts the epic story of his struggle to be the first human being to stand at the South Pole. Now there is a permanent settlement of scientists. He explains the techniques, both old and new, used to capture the images used in "Life in the Freezer." Sixth in the series 109 Life in the Freezer - 06 Footsteps in the Snow Alastair Fothergill History 25 mins
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Julien Temple's epic time-travelling voyage to the heart of his hometown. From musicians, writers and artists to dangerous thinkers, political radicals and above all ordinary people, this is the story of London's immigrants, its bohemians and how together they changed the city forever. 110 London - The Modern Babylon Julian Temple History 125 mins
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Portrait of life in London's East End, from the docks and the rag trade to market traders. 111 London on Film: The East End. BBC History 0 mins
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A look at how suburban London has been captured on film over time. 112 London on Film: The Suburbs BBC History 30 mins
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Portraits of different areas of London as seen through the eyes of film-makers. 113 London on Film: The West End BBC History 30 mins
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Dan Cruickshank follows in the footsteps of John Stow and John Strype, two of London's greatest chroniclers, to explore one of the most dramatic centuries in the history of London. 114 London: A Tale of Two Cities BBC History 60 mins
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In the Lambeyeque valley in Northern Peru lies a strange lost world - the forgotten ruins of 250 mysterious pyramids, including some of the biggest on the planet. 115 Lost Cities of the Ancients - The Cursed Valley of the Pyramids History 60 mins
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More than 3,000 years ago a mysterious and ruthless civilization rose from nothing, created a brutal and unstoppable army and built an empire that rivalled Egypt and Babylon. 116 Lost Cities of the Ancients - The Dark Lords of Hattusha BBC History 60 mins
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This episode looks at the legendary lost city of Piramesse. This magnificent ancient capital was built 3,000 years ago by the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses the Great, but long ago the whole city disappeared. 117 Lost Cities of the Ancients - The Vanished Capital of the Pharoah BBC History 60 mins
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In this series, art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores some of the richest and most vibrant histories in the world, revealing fascinating stories of four complex and sophisticated civilisations. 118 Lost Kingdoms of Africa 01 - The Kingdom of Asante BBC History 60 mins
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n this episode, Dr Casely-Hayford travels to South Africa to explore the history of one of Africa's most famous kingdoms. Visiting some of the most evocative sites in Zulu history, he examines the origins of the Zulu in the 17th century, their expansion under controversial military leader King Shaka and their brutal encounters with the Boers and the British. 119 Lost Kingdoms of Africa 02 - The Zulu Kingdom BBC History 60 mins
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It is easy to think of Islamic North Africa as Arab rather than African, but the land that is now Morocco once lay at the centre of a vast African kingdom that stretched from northern Spain to the heart of West Africa. 120 Lost Kingdoms of Africa 03 - The Berber Kingdom of Morroco BBC History 60 mins
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For centuries Bunyoro was the region's dominant power, using history and mythology to make a claim on the land. But its position was challenged by the rapid rise of Buganda, a neighbouring kingdom that had once been a collection of cultivators on the shores of Lake Victoria. 121 Lost Kingdoms of Africa 04 - Bunyoro and Buganda BBC History 60 mins
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Drama charting Margaret Thatcher's astonishing fall from power, one of the most extraordinary stories of political assassination the world has seen. It took only eleven days for Thatcher to go from being the most powerful woman in the world to the tearful figure in the back of the car. 122 Margaret BBC History English 115 mins
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Short series of biographical films showing the debt Britons owes to pioneers of multi-racial Britain. Mary Seacole was an accomplished Jamaican nurse who, on deciding to help during the Crimean War, had to travel there at her own expense and risk because Florence Nightingale's organisation rejected her for being 'too dark'. One there, she saved the lives of thousands of British soldiers. 123 Mary Seacole: A Hidden History Paul Kerr History 28 mins
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Iain Stewart follows in the footsteps of the founding father of geology, James Hutton. This Scottish rogue was a profound and original thinker who, 250 years ago, overturned ancient beliefs about how and when the world was formed. His ideas clashed with those of the most eminent scientist of his day. Lord Kelvin was determined to prove Hutton wrong. 124 Men of Rock 01 - Deep Time BBC History English 60 mins
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Michael Wood journeys through the subcontinent, tracing the incredible richness and diversity of its peoples, cultures and landscapes. Through ancient manuscripts and oral tales Michael charts the first human migrations out of Africa. He travels from the tropical backwaters of South India through lost ancient cities in Pakistan to the vibrant landscapes of the Ganges plain. 125 Michael Wood: The Story of India - Part 1: Beginnings Jeremy Jeffs History 60 mins
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Michael Wood's epic series moves on to the revolutionary years after 500BC - the Age of the Buddha. Travelling by rail to the ancient cities of the Ganges plain, by army convoy through northern Iraq and on down the Khyber Pass, he shows how Alexander the Great's invasion of India inspired her first empire. 126 Michael Wood: The Story of India - Part 2: The Power of Ideas Jeremy Jeffs History 60 mins
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Michael Wood traces India in the days of the Roman Empire. In Kerala the spice trade opened India to the world, whilst gold and silk bazaars in the ancient city of Madurai were a delight for visiting Greek traders. From the deserts of Turkmenistan, Michael travels down the Khyber Pass to Pakistan to discover a forgotten Indian Empire that opened up the Silk Road and at Peshawar built a lost Wonder of the World. 127 Michael Wood: The Story of India - Part 3: Spice Routes and Silk Roads Jeremy Jeffs History 60 mins
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Reaching the time of the Fall of Rome in the West, Michael Wood seeks out the amazing achievements of India's golden age. We learn how India discovered zero, calculated the circumference of the earth and wrote the world's first sex guide, the Kama Sutra. 128 Michael Wood: The Story of India - Part 4: Ages of Gold Jeremy Jeffs History 60 mins
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Michael Wood charts the coming of Islam to the subcontinent and one of the greatest ages of world civilisation: the Mughals. Michael visits Sufi shrines in Old Delhi, desert fortresses in Rajasthan and the cities of Lahore and Agra, where he offers a new theory on the design of the Taj Mahal. 129 Michael Wood: The Story of India - Part 5: The Meeting of Two Oceans Jeremy Jeffs History 60 mins
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The final episode examines the British Raj and India's freedom struggle. In South India, Michael sees how a global corporation, the East India Company, came to control much of the subcontinent. He visits the magical culture of Lucknow and discovers the enigmatic Briton, 'the rebel in the Raj' who helped found the freedom movement. 130 Michael Wood: The Story of India - Part 6: Freedom Jeremy Jeffs History 60 mins
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With the help of the residents, he charts events in the village leading to the people's involvement in the Civil War of Simon de Montfort. Intertwining the local and national narratives, this is a moving and informative picture of one local community through time. 131 Michael Wood's Story of England - Domesday to Magna Carta BBC History English 60 mins
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The tale reaches the dramatic events of Henry VIII's Reformation and the battles of the English Civil War. We track Kibworth's 17th century dissenters, travel on the Grand Union Canal and meet an 18th century feminist writer from Kibworth who was a pioneer of children's books. 132 Michael Wood's Story of England - Henry VIII to the Industrial Revolution BBC History English 60 mins
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Wood's gripping tale moves on to dramatic battles of conscience in the time of the Hundred Years' War. Amazing finds in the school archive help trace peasant education back to the 14th century and we see how the people themselves set up the first school for their children. 133 Michael Wood's Story of England - Peasants' Revolt to Tudors BBC History English 60 mins
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Groundbreaking series in which Michael Wood tells the story of one place throughout the whole of English history. Michael uncovers the lost history of the first thousand years of the village, featuring a Roman villa, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and graphic evidence of life on the eve of the Norman Conquest. 134 Michael Wood's Story of England - Romans to Normans BBC History English 60 mins
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Wood's fascinating tale reaches the catastrophic 14th century. Kibworth goes through the worst famine in European history, and then, as revealed in the astonishing village archive in Merton College Oxford, two thirds of the people die in the Black Death. 135 Michael Wood's Story of England - The Great Famine and the Black Death BBC History English 60 mins
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In this final episode, Michael uncovers the secret history of a Victorian village more colourful than even Dickens could have imagined. Visiting World War I battlefields with the school and recalling the Home Guard, local land girls and the bombing of the village in 1940, the series finally moves into the brave new world of 'homes for heroes' and the villagers come together to leave a reminder of their world for future generations. 136 Michael Wood's Story of England - Victoria to the Present Day BBC History English 60 mins
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The previously untold history of Britain's mixed-race community and the many love stories that created it. In the first of this three-part series, George Alagiah tells the story of romance in the First World War between female workers and foreign seamen. 137 Mixed Britannia - Episode 01: 1910 - 1939 BBC 2 History 60 mins
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In the second of this three-part series, George Alagiah tells the story of the GI babies labelled war casualties, the boom in mixed-race couples following mass migration and how Sixties trendsetters crossed the racial divide. 138 Mixed Britannia - Episode 02: 1940 -1965 BBC 2 History 60 mins
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In the last of this three-part series, George Alagiah tells the story of couples facing violence on the streets during the 70s, how adoption became a battleground and how mixed race became one of Britain's fastest growing ethnic groups. 139 Mixed Britannia - Episode 03: 1965 - 2011 BBC 2 History 60 mins
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One of the very few universal laws of history is this: whenever and wherever people of different races have been brought together they have always mixed. 140 Mixed Race Britain : How The World Got Mixed Up BBC 2 History 60 mins
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In 2009, NASA celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. This documentary series offers audiences a unique chance to glimpse an astronaut's view of spaceflight. 141 NASA: Triumph and Tragedy : One Giant Leap BBC History English 60 mins
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A chronicle of Bob Dylan's strange evolution between 1961 and 1966 from folk singer to protest singer to "voice of a generation" to rock star. 142 No Direction Home: Bob Dylan Part 1 BBC 4 History English 115 mins
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143 Norway Massacre: the Survivours Channel 5 History 45 mins
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144 Nuclear Secrets - The Terror Trader UK TV History History English 45 mins
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Clive Myrie traces the life story of Barack Obama, America's first black president.From Obama's broken home childhood in Hawaii, through his political awakening in the rough neighbourhoods of Chicago, to his arrival in Washington, Myrie follows the extraordinary journey that transformed the son of a Kenyan student into the most powerful man in the world. 145 Obama: His Story Samanatha Anstiss History 59 mins
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146 Obama's America BBC History English 60 mins
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Ten years on from the Good Friday Agreement, Declan Lawn returns to Northern Ireland to see how far lives have changed. 147 Panorama - Divide and Rule BBC History 30 mins
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On verdict day of one of the most eagerly awaited trials in recent history, this Panorama Special on the Stephen Lawrence case reveals the untold story of the murder that changed Britain. For more than a year, reporter Mark Daly and the Panorama team have exclusively followed Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence as her 18-year fight for justice for her murdered son neared its conclusion. This moving film charts the history of this iconic case through the eyes of a grieving mother, and reports the inside account of the trial of the two men accused of the black teenager's killing. 148 Panorama - Stephen Lawrence: Time For Justice BBC 1 History 60 mins
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With soldiers and police once again being killed in Northern Ireland, Panorama offers the most detailed analysis yet of the resurgent terrorist threat in Northern Ireland. 149 Panorama - The Gunmen Who Never Went Away BBC History English 30 mins
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The documentary tells the story of the eruption from the point of view of assorted inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum whose names and occupations are known, including a local politician and his family, a fuller, his wife, and two gladiators. 150 Pompeii - The Last Day Peter Nicholson History 39 mins
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Pompeii: one of the most famous volcanic eruptions in history. We know how its victims died, but this film sets out to answer another question - how did they live? 151 Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town BBC History English 60 mins
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Former cabinet minister Michael Portillo assesses the legacy and continued influence of Margaret Thatcher on the Conservative Party. 152 Portillo on Thatcher: The Lady's Not for Spurning BBC History English 90 mins
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Coverage of President Obama's Inauguration, with Huw Edwards and Matt Frei in Washington. 153 President Obama: The Inauguration BBC History 119 mins
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Documentary examines the thirteen years of Prohibition in the United States, as mandated by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. 154 Prohibition - Thirteen Years that Changed America Clive Maltby History 10 mins
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Documentary series bringing new insights to historical events. 155 Revealed - The Da Vinci Code Myth Tom Gorham History 63 mins
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Documentary series bringing new insights to historical events. 156 Revealed - The Man Behind the Da Vinci Code Ian Bremner History 46 mins
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Documentary looking into the mystery of the Mary Celeste - a ship which was found floating at sea in 1872 devoid of any people and no sign of violence. Investigates what might have happened to them or what could have caused them to abandon ship so suddenly, and theories that were going around at the time. Celeste Fowles, a descendant of the Captain of the Marie Celeste joins the investigation 157 Revealed - The Mystery of the Mary Celeste Clive Maltby History 60 mins
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The world of early 19th century England is usually seen through the eyes of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. Sue Perkins explores a dramatically different version of this world, as lived and recorded by the remarkable Anne Lister. 158 Revealing Anne Lister BBC History English 60 mins
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The exquisite Rosslyn Chapel is a masterpiece in stone. It used to be one of Scotland's best kept secrets, but it became world-famous when it was featured in Dan Brown's the Da Vinci Code. 159 Rosslyn Chapel: A Treasure in Stone BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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Jonathan Dimbleby explores ten thousand miles of one of the world's most awe-inspiring countries. Summer 2006. Having lived through the Cold War, Jonathan makes his first stop in the city of Murmansk, which stands as a reminder to the years when England and Russia were close allies in a war of survival against the Nazis. 160 Russia: A Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby: Breaking the Ice BBC History 58 mins
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David Dimbleby tells the story of Britain through its art and treasure. The first part of the chronicle begins with the Roman invasion and ends with the Norman Conquest. 161 Seven Ages of Britain - Episode 01: Age of Conquest BBC 2 History English 58 mins
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Britain's art from the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 to the death of Richard II in 1400. 162 Seven Ages of Britain - Episode 02: Age of Worship BBC 2 History English 58 mins
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Spanning from Henry VIII's accession in 1509 to Shakespeare's Henry VIII 100 years later. 163 Seven Ages of Britain - Episode 03: Age of Power BBC 2 History English 58 mins
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In the 17th century British people learned to question everything, resulting in civil war. 164 Seven Ages of Britain - Episode 04: Age of Revolution BBC 2 History English 58 mins
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The story of Britain in the 18th century, as a new 'middle' class emerged. 165 Seven Ages of Britain - Episode 05: Age of Money BBC 2 History English 58 mins
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The story of the British Empire from 1750 to 1900, revealed through its art and treasures. 166 Seven Ages of Britain - Episode 06: Age of Empire BBC 2 History English 58 mins
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In the last episode, David Dimbleby looks at how the 20th century saw ordinary Britons upturning ancient power structures and class hierarchies. 167 Seven Ages of Britain - Episode 07: Age of Ambition BBC 2 History English 58 mins
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Bettany Hughes provides an insight into how British inhabitants evolved over 8,000 years, beginning with the story of man's battle with the environment in 6,000 BC, when global warming transformed Britain into an island covered by dense, impenetrable forests. 168 Seven Ages of Britain (C4) - - Episode 01: 6000 - 2000 BC Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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Sweeping changes transformed the lives of the masses beyond recognition during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Around 3,500 years ago, fewer than 250,000 people lived on the British Isles, scattered across the landscape in small groups. They had already made monumental advances, clearing great swathes of forests, eventually settling as farmers, and becoming master builders. But they were still far from being a nation or even an identifiable society, and nothing could prepare them for what was to happen next. Natural disaster struck, causing global environmental turmoil. In Britain this resulted in widespread flooding. Land cleared over millennia became worthless overnight. The hunter-gatherers who had painstakingly built the first farms were forced to abandon their homes and learn new skills. Towards the end of the Iron Age people were organised into tribes with names, leaders and simple coinage. They became significant traders with their continental neighbours. But this forward-looking enterprise sent out strong signals that Britain was worth conquering, and an expansionist Roman leader prepared to seize this opportunity... 169 Seven Ages of Britain (C4) - Episode 02: 1500 BC - 43 AD Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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The gradual collapse of the Roman Empire led to the disintegration of Britannia. For the next 600 years people would watch their homelands become battlegrounds invaded and plundered by men from Scandinavia and northern Europe, hungry for power and land. This was a time of upheaval and chaos, but out of it came much of the Britain that we know today. Language and rule of law, state religion and faith in the market economy all originate from this period. This was also a time when England eventually became wealthy and independent, recognised as one of the prizes of western Europe. 170 Seven Ages of Britain (C4) - Episode 04: 410 AD - 1066 Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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Bettany Hughes considers the fifth age of Britain, from 1066 to 1350, charting the period between two shattering historical events - the invasion of William the Conqueror and the Black Death. 171 Seven Ages of Britain (C4) - Episode 05: 1066 - 1350 AD Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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The penultimate programme in the series follows the course of the greatest revolution in British history: a revolution of the mind. The horror of the Black Death brought in its wake a surprising gift for the ordinary men and women of Britain: freedom. With too much land and too few people to tend it, the peasantry were, for the first time in their history, in a position to bargain, and the bargain they made was for freedom. Britain became the only country to liberate its tied labourers and farmers. Free men and women brought with them free thinking, released from the social constraints of a feudal class structure. The grip of the old nobility was weakening as new aspirational groups emerged: capital farmers in the countryside and merchant adventurers in the cities. But to truly establish themselves they would need land, which is what Henry VIII would provide them with, by the wholesale dismantling of the greatest institution in medieval Britain: the Catholic Church. 172 Seven Ages of Britain (C4) - Episode 06: 1350 - 1650 AD Channel 4 History English 60 mins
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By the middle of the 19th century, the benefits brought by the countless advances of the Industrial Age were gradually beginning to reach America, which soon developed a spectacular achievement of its own - the Transcontinental Railway, reaching right across the continent. With two teams, one building from the east and the other from California in the west, they battled against hostile terrain, hostile inhabitants, civil war and the Wild West. Yet in 1869, the two teams' tracks were joined, shrinking the whole American continent, as the journey from New York to San Francisco was reduced from months to days 173 Seven Wonders of the Industrial World - Episode 04: The Transcontinental Railway Paul Bryers History 45 mins
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In the summer of 1858, while the Great Eastern was being fitted out for her maiden voyage, London was in the grip of a crisis known as the 'Great Stink'. The population had grown rapidly during the first half of the 19th century, yet there had been no provision for sanitation. 174 Seven Wonders of the Industrial World - Episode 05: The Sewer King Edward Bazalgette History 12 mins
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As pioneers explored and found their way across the vast continent of America, they were frequently stopped by poor or hostile environments such as the desert regions of Arizona and Nevada. 175 Seven Wonders of the Industrial World - Episode 07: The Hoover Dam Mark Everest History 10 mins
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The 1930s was a highpoint for ocean-going liners. Crossing the Atlantic by boat was the only way to reach the US, and competition between the French and British shipyards was never less than fierce, a focus for patriotic pride. The British Queen Mary and French Normandie epitomised the golden age of the ocean liners. They were among the floating Art Deco palaces that competed intensely to win the Blue Riband - a prize for the fastest Atlantic crossing. A Holy Grail for the two countries, this prize was also a great bit of marketing. 176 Speed Machines - Episode 01: The Great Ocean Liners. Channel Four History 48 mins
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Back in the 1930s, two giant airlines began to span the globe, flying firstly mail and then passengers around the world. Pan American flew to Latin America and eventually across the Pacific to Asia. Britain's Imperial Airways linked the empire from Europe through the the Middle East to Africa, India and beyond. But crossing the North Atlantic, although potentially one of the most lucrative routes, proved more difficult. The flying boats themselves were glorious glamour pusses, transporting a handful of lucky souls around the world in fabulous luxury, standard bearers of a now mythical golden age of flight. This episode tells the story of the rivalry between Pan Am and Imperial Airways to get the first commercial airline service flying across the Atlantic - a race won just weeks before the outbreak of World War Two. 177 Speed Machines - Episode 03: The Flying Boats Channel Four History 49 mins
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The fourth episode in the series visits the fast, furious and all-too-often deadly powerboat races of the 1920s and 30s. In the biggest spectator sport of the time, the fastest men on water competed in gladiatorial combats in front of crowds of up to a million spectators. The Harmsworth Challenge was the America's Cup of the powerboat world, with intense rivalry between Britain, who relied on technological ingenuity, and America, who put their trust in boats powered by immensely powerful aircraft engines. It was a David and Goliath confrontation, which was only put aside when World War II loomed. But the powerboat technology survived to be adopted by the military, spawning the Royal Navy's fleet of speedy Motor Torpedo Boats and the US Navy's legendary PT patrol boat. Using previously unseen archive footage and personal testimony from those who were there, Speed Machines tells the story of this golden age of powerboat racing. 178 Speed Machines - Episode 04: The Speed Boat Kings Channel Four History 49 mins
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During World War II, a remarkable band of female pilots fought against all odds for the right to aid the war effort. Without these Spitfire Women, the war may never have been won. 179 Spitfire Women BBC 4 History 60 mins
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Jon Snow presents a forensic investigation into the final weeks of the quarter-century-long civil war between the government of Sri Lanka and the secessionist rebels, the Tamil Tigers. 180 Sri Lanka's Killing Fields Channel 4 History English 59 mins
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In 2011 Channel 4 exposed damning evidence of atrocities committed in the war in Sri Lanka. Jon Snow presents this powerful follow-up film, revealing new video evidence as well as contemporaneous documents, eye-witness accounts, photographic stills and videos relating to how exactly events unfolded during the final days of the civil war. 181 Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished. Channel 4 History 50 mins
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Documentary about the case of heiress Patty Hearst, who was famously kidnapped in 1974 by a militant group, and ultimately appeared to come to embrace her abductors' ideology of prisoners' rights and class struggle. 182 Storyville - Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst Robert Stone History 90 mins
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Documentary which tells the story of a group of men and women who risked their lives to rescue a library - and preserve a nation's history - in the midst of the Bosnian war. 183 Storyville - The Love of Books - A Sarajevo Story BBC History 60 mins
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In 1971, leading Vietnam War strategist Daniel Ellsberg concluded that the war was based on decades of lies. He leaked 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to the New York Times, a daring act of conscience that led directly to Watergate, President Nixon's resignation and the end of the Vietnam War. 184 Storyville - The Most Dangerous Man in America Judith Ehrlich Judith Ehrlich History English 90 mins
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This documentary uses archive footage and the recollections of an eclectic mix of key players from both camps to revisit a crucial period in Britain's social history: the miner's strike of 1984. 185 Strike: When Britain Went To War More 4 History English 100 mins
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Three cities dominated the ancient world: Athens, Rome and a third, now almost forgotten. It lies hidden beneath the waters of the Mediterranean and a sprawling modern metropolis. Alexandria was a city built on a dream; a place with a very modern mindset, where - as with the worldwide web - one man had a vision that all knowledge on earth could be stored in one place. Bettany Hughes goes in search of this lost civilisation, revealing the story of a city founded out of the desert by Alexander the Great in 331 BC to become the world's first global centre of culture, into which wealth and knowledge poured from across the world. Until its decline in the fourth and fifth Centuries AD, Alexandria became a crucible of learning; Hughes uncovers the incredible discoveries and the technical achievements of this culture. The film's cast of characters reads like a list of the greatest figures of ancient times: political figures like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, and intellectuals including female mathematician, astronomer and philosopher Hypatia, Euclid, Archimedes, Eratosthenes and Ptolemy. At last, after 1,500 years squashed under a modern metropolis, new clues are emerging from the earth to the real nature of this grand experiment in human civilisation. 186 The Ancient World with Bettany Hughes - Alexandria : The Greatest City More 4 History English 60 mins
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Bettany Hughes traces the story of the mysterious and misunderstood Moors, the Islamic society that ruled in Spain for 700 years, but whose legacy was virtually erased from Western history. In 711 AD, a tribe of newly converted Muslims from North Africa crossed the straits of Gibraltar and invaded Spain. Known as The Moors, they went on to build a rich and powerful society. Its capital, Cordoba, was the largest and most civilised city in Europe, with hospitals, libraries and a public infrastructure light years ahead of anything in England at the time. Amongst the many things that were introduced to Europe by Muslims at this time were: a huge body of classical Greek texts that had been lost to the rest of Europe for centuries (kick-starting the Renaissance); mathematics and the numbers we use today; advanced astronomy and medical practices; fine dining; the concept of romantic love; paper; deodorant; and even erection creams. This wasn't the rigid, fundamentalist Islam of some people's imaginations, but a progressive, sensuous and intellectually curious culture. But when the society collapsed, Spain was fanatically re-Christianised; almost every trace of seven centuries of Islamic rule was ruthlessly removed. It is only now, six centuries later, that The Moors' influences on European life and culture are finally beginning to be fully understood. 187 The Ancient World with Bettany Hughes - Alexandria : When the Moors Ruled Europe More 4 History English 60 mins
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A new film about Alexandria provides the centrepiece of Bettany Hughes' definitive history of the ancient world and classical civilisation. 188 The Ancient World with Bettany Hughes - The Minoans More 4 History English 60 mins
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Reviews the BBC's coverage of the Vietnam war 189 The BBC in Vietnam BBC History 12 mins
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Documentary series charting the visual appeal and historical meaning of maps. The Hereford Mappa Mundi is the largest intact Medieval wall map in the world and its ambition is breathtaking - to picture all of human knowledge in a single image. The work of a team of artists, the world it portrays is overflowing with life, featuring Classical and Biblical history, contemporary buildings and events, animals and plants from across the globe, and the infamous 'monstrous races' which were believed to inhabit the remotest corners of the Earth. The Mappa Mundi, meaning 'cloth of the world', has spent most of its long life at Hereford Cathedral, rarely emerging from behind its glass case. The programme represents a rare opportunity to get close to the map and explore its detail, giving a unique insight into the Medieval mind. This is also the first programme to show the map in its original glory, revealing the results of a remarkable year-long project by the Folio Society to restore it using the latest digital technology. The map has a chequered history. Since its glory days in the 1300s it has languished forgotten in storerooms, been dismissed as a curious 'monstrosity', and controversially almost sold. Only in the last 20 years have scholars and artists realised its true depth and meaning, with the map exerting an extraordinary power over those who come into contact with it. The programme meets some of these individuals, from scholars and map lovers to Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry, whose own work, the Map of Nowhere, is inspired by the Mappa Mundi. 190 The Beauty of Maps - Episode 01: Medieval Maps - Mapping the Medieval Mind BBC History English 30 mins
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The British Library is home to a staggering 4.5 million maps, most of which remain hidden away in its colossal basement, and the programme delves behind the scenes to explore some amazing treasures in more detail. This is the story of three maps, three 'visions' of London over three centuries; visions of beauty that celebrate but also distort the truth. It's the story of how urban maps try to impose order on chaos. On Sunday 2 September 1660, the Great Fire of London began reducing most of the city to ashes, and among the huge losses were many maps of the city itself. The Morgan Map of 1682 was the first to show the whole of the City of London after the fire. Consisting of sixteen separate sheets, measuring eight feet by five feet, it took six years to complete. Morgan's beautiful map symbolised the hoped-for ideal city. In 1746 John Rocque produced what was at the time the most detailed map ever made of London. Like Morgan's, Rocque's map is all neo-Classical beauty and clinical precision, but the London it represented had become the opposite. In engravings of the time, such as Night, the artist William Hogarth shows a city boiling with vice and corruption. Stephen Walter's contemporary image, The Island, plays with notions of cartographic order and respectability. His extraordinary London map looks at first glance to be just as precise and ordered as his hero Rocque's but, looking closer, it includes 21st-century markings, such as 'favourite kebab vans' and sites of 'personal heartbreak'. 191 The Beauty of Maps - Episode 02: City Maps - Order out of Chaos BBC History English 30 mins
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The Dutch Golden Age saw map-making reach a fever pitch of creative and commercial ambition. This was the era of the first ever atlases - elaborate, lavish and beautiful. This was the great age of discovery and marked an unprecedented opportunity for mapmakers, who sought to record and categorise the newly acquired knowledge of the world. Rising above the many mapmakers in this period was Gerard Mercator, inventor of the Mercator projection, who changed mapmaking forever when he published his collection of world maps in 1598 and coined the term 'atlas'. The programme looks at some of the largest and most elaborate maps ever produced, from the vast maps on the floor of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, to the 24-volume atlas covering just the Netherlands, to the largest atlas in the world, The Klencke Atlas. It was made for Charles II to mark his restoration in 1660. But whilst being one of the British Library's most important items, it is also one of its most fragile, so hardly ever opened. This is a unique opportunity to see inside this enormous and lavish work, and see the world through the eyes of a king. 192 The Beauty of Maps - Episode 03: Atlas Maps - Thinking Big BBC History English 30 mins
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The series concludes by delving into the world of satirical maps. How did maps take on a new form, not as geographical tools, but as devices for humour, satire or storytelling? Graphic artist Fred Rose perfectly captured the public mood in 1880 with his general election maps featuring Gladstone and Disraeli, using the maps to comment upon crucial election issues still familiar to us today. Technology was on the satirist's side, with the advent of high-speed printing allowing for larger runs at lower cost. In 1877, when Rose produced his Serio Comic Map of Europe at War, maps began to take on a new direction and form, reflecting a changing world. Rose's map exploited these possibilities to the full using a combination of creatures and human figures to represent each European nation. The personification of Russia as a grotesque-looking octopus, extending its tentacles around the surrounding nations, perfectly symbolised the threat the country posed to its neighbours. 193 The Beauty of Maps - Episode 04: Cartoon Maps - Politics and Satire BBC History English 30 mins
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Dan Cruickshank explores the mysteries and secrets of the bridges that have made London what it is. He uncovers stories of bronze-age relics emerging from the Vauxhall shore, of why London Bridge was falling down. 194 The Bridges that Built London with Dan Cruickshank BBC History 60 mins
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Kirsty Young looks at British working lives since the Second World War. This programme combines the memories of ordinary working people with vivid archive from documentary, television and film to look at an era in which work was a great mass experience and work places were lively, welcoming communities. Kirsty hears from women who were moving into a male dominated workforce and sees how the optimistic dreams of the post-war years were undermined by poor management and bickering workers. 195 The British at Work - Episode 01: We Can Make It 1945-1964 BBC History English 60 mins
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n the second of this series on the history of work, Kirsty Young looks at the years in which the post-war baby boom generation joined the workforce, from the buoyant optimism of the 60s to the union versus management conflicts of the 70s. The programme combines first hand recollection from workers with colourful comedy, drama and documentary archive from the period. While work was often divided between them and us, it was also a time when managers were getting sharper, women were given more responsibility and lots of people were making real money. 196 The British at Work - Episode 02: Them and Us 1964 -1980 BBC History English 60 mins
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Kirsty Young looks at work in the 80s and 90s, an era of startling contrasts where our jobs could enrich and exhilarate or humble and humiliate. Kirsty meets people who were flush with entrepreneurial spirit, building careers and starting their own businesses, but also those who fell out of work during the collapse of traditional heavy industry. Dipping into the rich and humorous archive of the time, Kirsty also sees how the jobs themselves were changing, the places we worked in were shinier and how the time we spent there was getting longer and longer. 197 The British at Work - Episode 03: To Have and Have Not, 1980-1995 BBC History English 60 mins
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In the final episode of the series, Kirsty Young looks at how work has changed from the late 90s to the present. Using comedy, drama and archive from the period, she examines how work has crept into the very centre of our lives. Kirsty confronts her own troubles with her work/life balance and hears from ordinary people trying to cope with the relentless demands of 21st-century work. She also explores the curious and often hilarious attempts by managers to make us adopt corporate values by being not just our bosses but also our mates. 198 The British at Work - The Age of Uncertainty: 1995 - Now BBC History English 60 mins
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The Camera that Changed the World tells the story of the filmmakers and ingenious engineers who led this revolution by building the first hand-held cameras that followed real life as it happened. 199 The Camera that Changed the World BBC 4 History English 59 mins
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The catalyst to Britain's Industrial Revolution was the slave labour of orphans and destitute children. In this shocking and moving account of their exploitation and eventual emancipation, Professor Jane Humphries uses the actual words of these child workers. 200 The Children Who Built Victorian Britain BBC History English 60 mins
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In this new three-part series for BBC Two, Dr Thomas Asbridge presents his revelatory account of the Crusades, the 200-year war between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Land 201 The Crusades - Episode 01: Holy War BBC History 60 mins
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In the second episode of this three-part series, Dr Thomas Asbridge offers a piercing examination of the Third Crusade and the two renowned figures who have come to embody Crusader war: Richard the Lionheart, king of England, and the mighty Muslim sultan Saladin, unifier of Islam. 202 The Crusades - Episode 02: The Clash of Titans BBC History 60 mins
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In the concluding episode of the three-part series, Dr Thomas Asbridge reveals that the outcome of these epic holy wars was decided not on the hallowed ground of Jerusalem, but in Egypt. 203 The Crusades - Episode 03: Victory and Defeat BBC History 60 mins
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Black people have lived in Britain for centuries - although their circumstances have varied greatly. Some have been enslaved and exploited, while others have enjoyed privilege and status. Trace their story to discover more about the attitudes and conditions they encountered. 204 The First Black Britons Sukhdev Sandhu History 59 mins
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The history of British art is the story of Britain. For centuries, artists have reflected our times and shaped the way we see ourselves. This series presents six passionate polemics on how British art makes us who we are today and gives us a vision of ourselves. Historian Dr David Starkey examines how royal portraiture from Henry VIII to Princess Diana has had an enduring influence on the iconic power of personality. 205 The Genius of British Art - Episode 01: Power and Personality Channel 4 History English 30 mins
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Dr Gus Casely-Hayford shows how our sense of identity was changed forever by the most distinctively British artist this country has ever produced: William Hogarth. 206 The Genius of British Art - Episode 02: Art for the People Channel 4 History English 30 mins
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Writer Howard Jacobson celebrates the way British artists depict sex and desire, and argues that the most compelling expression is to be found where we might least expect it: in the art of the Victorians. 207 The Genius of British Art - Episode 03: Flesh Channel 4 History English 30 mins
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At a time when Britain's contemporary art world has been dominated by the 'Sensation' generation of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, it's easy to dismiss English landscape art as nothing more than tea towel culture. That would be a big mistake, argues Sir Roy Strong. 208 The Genius of British Art - Episode 04: Visions of England Channel 4 History English 30 mins
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Modern Art has made us who we are and it has certainly made Janet Street Porter who she is. Janet speaks to Hirst, Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry about how art has seeped into the very heart of British culture. 209 The Genius of British Art - Episode 05: Modern Times Channel 4 History English 30 mins
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Britain's war artists have pushed the boundaries in their drive to bring home to us the true cost of war. We once celebrated war's valour and glory, but they have encouraged us to feel its pain and tragedy. They have given us an artistic legacy that will continue to provoke and to move generations to come. 210 The Genius of British Art - Episode 06: The Art of War Channel 4 History English 30 mins
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Every time we switch on a light or boil a kettle we rely on power to do it. Episode one of The Genius of Invention reveals the fascinating chain of events that made such every-day miracles possible. It tells the story of the handful of extraordinary British inventors and inventions who helped build the modern world by understanding, harnessing, and using power. 211 The Genius of Invention - 1- Power BBC History 60 mins
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We take our ability to travel quickly and safely across the globe for granted. This episode reveals the fascinating chain of events that made such everyday marvels possible, telling the story of the handful of extraordinary inventors and inventions who helped build the modern world by making the miracle of powered transport mundane. 212 The Genius of Invention - 2 - Speed BBC History 60 mins
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Nothing has shrunk the globe more than our extraordinary ability to talk to one another across the oceans and continents. Episode three of The Genius of Invention reveals the fascinating chain of events that made such every-day miracles possible. 213 The Genius of Invention - 3 - Communication BBC 2 History 60 mins
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Our ability to see and record live events from right across the world has shrunk the globe, making virtual neighbours of us all. It is a defining characteristic of our modern world. 214 The Genius of Invention - 4 - Visual Image BBC 2 History 60 mins
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Charts the golden age of 'photographic journeys' and how the use of colour slowly became a credible medium for 'serious' photographers. 215 The Genius Of Photography - Paper Movies BBC History 60 mins
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Series looking at history through the eyes of ordinary people. Rulers and royals, lords and ladies have all had their say down the centuries, what were the last 1,600 years like for everyday Britons?The roots of Britain; from the end of the Romans to the coming of the Anglo Saxons. 216 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 01 - Britannia BBC History 60 mins
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How English, Scots and Welsh nations emerged due to the impact of the Vikings. 217 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 02 - Tribes to Nations BBC History 60 mins
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How the Norman Conquest shaped Britain following the Battle of Hastings. 218 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 03 - The Norman Yoke BBC History 60 mins
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How Britain was transformed by the great devastation of the Black Plague. 219 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 04 - The Great Rising BBC History 60 mins
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Historian Michael Wood charts the Reformation. 220 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 05 - Lost Worlds and New Worlds BBC History 60 mins
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Michael Wood tells the story of the British Civil Wars. 221 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 06 - The Age of Revolution BBC History 60 mins
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Michael Wood uncovers the extraordinary tale of the Industrial Revolution. 222 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 07 - Industry and Empire BBC History 60 mins
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Michael Wood takes an overview of events between the jubilees of 1897 and 2012. 223 The Great British Story: A People's History - Episode 08 - Modern Britain BBC History 60 mins
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This episode looks at the growth of football in Africa. It covers how the game was first introduced and the changes it has undergone over the years. 224 The History of Football: The Beautiful Game : Africa Richard Jones History 52 mins
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This episode looks at how football took its shape in Europe. It also looks at the formation of FIFA and the teams that dominated the early years. 225 The History of Football: The Beautiful Game : Evolution of the European Game Richard Jones History 52 mins
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This episode looks at varying cultures and how they have developed the same basic game to incorporate their own cultural diversity. It looks into great detail at Africa in the ?50s and how the attempt at creating the United States of Africa failed. 226 The History of Football: The Beautiful Game : Football Cultures Richard Jones History 52 mins
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The first topic of focus in this episode is the French and how they have recently become a force in world football, since their memorable win on home soil in the 1998 World Cup. 227 The History of Football: The Beautiful Game : For Club and Country Richard Jones History 52 mins
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This episode looks at the football media and how they are both needed for the game and at times its worst enemy. 228 The History of Football: The Beautiful Game : Media Richard Jones History 52 mins
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Documentary series on the fall of the Iron Curtain and its legacy.How the collapse of communism affected people in the 'socialist paradise' of East Germany. 229 The Lost World of Communism : A Socialist Paradise BBC History English 115 mins
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In Czechoslovakia, attempts to reform communism were crushed by Warsaw Pact allies in 1968. 230 The Lost World of Communism : The Kingdom of Forgetting BBC History English 115 mins
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Dan Cruickshank presents a documentary revealing the story of the Dalai Lama, his secret Himalayan kingdom and the story of his exile, using eyewitness accounts from Tibetans including the Dalai Lama himself and colour archive footage of Tibet from the 1930s to 50s. 231 The Lost World of Tibet BBC History English 60 mins
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Ancient Egypt was vandalised by tomb raiders and treasure hunters until one Victorian adventurer took them on. Most of us have never heard of Flinders Petrie, but this maverick genius underook a scientific survey of the pyramids, discovered the oldest portraits in the world, unearthed Egypt's prehistoric roots - and in the process invented modern field archaeology, giving meaning to a whole civilisation. 232 The Man Who Discovered Egypt BBC History 60 mins
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Brian Duffy was one of the greatest photographers of his generation. Along with David Bailey and Terence Donovan he defined the image of the 1960s and was as famous as the stars he photographed. 233 The Man Who Shot the 60s Linda Brusasco History English 58 mins
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The programme considers how it was possible for a man such as Adolf Hitler to come to power in a supposedly cultured country such as post First World War Germany. It gives a number of long term and short term factors to explain the Nazi phenomenon 234 The Nazis - A Warning From History - 01 - Helped into Power BBC History 120 mins
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The theme of the programme focuses on the paradoxical nature of Germany under Nazi rule - a society obsessed by order and yet characterised by administrative inefficiency. It opens with daunting images of Nazi crowds and the comment that the Nazis were obsessed with images of order which they attempted to illustrate and promote in their careful propaganda and yet, the programme claims, it was 'an illusion of order' 235 The Nazis - A Warning From History - 02 - Chaos and Consent BBC History 120 mins
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The programme starts with Hitler in his retreat in southern Bavaria, watching feature films about the British Empire - supposedly, these offered proof of the superiority of the Aryan Race! In 1941 he said 'Let's learn from the English - what India was to the English, let Russian territories be to us'. The programme then asks the question - How did Hitler end up fighting the wrong war? - a war against both the English and the Russians 236 The Nazis - A Warning From History - 03 - The Wrong War BBC History 60 mins
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The programme starts, with Hitler in his retreat in southern Bavaria, watching feature films about the British Empire - supposedly, these offered proof of the superiority of the Aryan Race! In 1941 he said 'Let's learn from the English - what India was to the English, let Russian territories be to us'. The programme then asks the question - How did Hitler end up fighting the wrong war? - a war against both the English and the Russians. 237 The Nazis - A Warning From History - 04 - The Wild East BBC History 60 mins
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The programme starts with a view of a railway line, followed by the view of a field. Between July 1942 - August 1943 this area became a 'killing factory'. This is TREBLINKA, one of six extermination camps set up in Poland by the Germans to tackle the Jewish Question' 238 The Nazis - A Warning From History - 05 - The Road To Treblinka BBC History 60 mins
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The programme starts with the observation that because Italy was 'the birthplace of fascism', an alliance between Rome and Berlin in the 1930's therefore seemed natural and not unexpected. The two countries fought together in the first years of the Second World War, but on 19 July 1943, the 'unthinkable happened' Rome was bombed. 239 The Nazis - A Warning From History - 06 - Fighting To The End BBC History 60 mins
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The programme asks whether the introduction of the contraceptive pill was a blessing or burden for women in the 1960s 240 The Pill - Prescription for Revolution UKTV History 10 mins
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Miners, nuclear scientists, politicians, environmentalists and even the City have all wrestled for control of the national electricity grid and the power that it has brought. The final film in this history of the grid charts how it has been the battleground for conflicts that have changed and shaped Britain. Key players from the miners' strikes reveal why the industrial action of the 70s and 80s had such different impacts on electricity supply. The film also uncovers how Britain lost her lead in the field of nuclear power. Contributors include former conservative cabinet minister Lord Jenkin, author Will Self and veterans of all the different fuels. They examine the cost of our love affair with power and consider the perils of life without it. 241 The Secret Life of the National Grid - Episode 03: Pulling the Plug BBC History English 60 mins
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Flying enthusiast and broadcaster John Sergeant celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Spitfire with a TV love letter to this most British triumph of design and endeavour. The film follows the story of a Spitfire from birth to retirement and tells the stories of ordinary people with extraordinary tales. 242 The Spitfire: Britain's Flying Past BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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Michael Mosley embarks on an informative and ambitious journey exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical path. Michael begins with the story of one of the great upheavals in human history - how we came to understand that our planet was not at the centre of everything in the cosmos, but just one of billions of bodies in a vast and expanding universe. He reveals the critical role of medieval astrologers in changing our view of the heavens, and the surprising connections to the upheavals of the Renaissance, the growth of coffee shops and Californian oil and railway barons. Michael shows how important the practical skills of craftsmen have been to this story and finds out how Galileo made his telescope to peer at the heavens and by doing so helped change our view of the universe forever. 243 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion - Episode 01: What Is Out There? BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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Michael Mosley takes an informative and ambitious journey exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical path. In this episode, Michael demonstrates how our society is built on our search to find the answer to what makes up everything in the material world. This is a story that moves from the secret labs of the alchemists and their search for gold to the creation of the world's first synthetic dye - mauve - and onto the invention of the transistor. This quest may seem abstract and highly theoretical. Yet it has delivered the greatest impact on humanity. By trying to answer this question, scientists have created theories from elements to atoms, and the strange concepts of quantum physics that underpin our modern, technological world. 244 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion - Episode 02: What is the World Made of? BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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Michael Mosley takes an informative and ambitious journey exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical path. The question of our human origins is one of the most controversial science has wrestled with. This is the story of how scientists came to explain the beauty and diversity of life on earth, and reveal how its evolution is connected to the long and violent history of our planet. Featuring ocean adventurers, eccentric French aristocrats, mountain climbers, a secret Victorian publisher with 12 fingers, a ridiculed German meteorologist, and only a brief hint of Charles Darwin. 245 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion - Episode 03: How Did We Get Here? BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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Michael Mosley takes an informative and ambitious journey exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical path. We are the most power-hungry generation that has ever lived. This film tells the story of how that power has been harnessed - from wind, steam and from inside the atom. In the early years the drive for new sources of power was led by practical men who wanted to make money. Their inventions and ideas created fortunes and changed the course of history, but it took centuries for science to catch up, to explain what power is, rather than simply what it does. This search revealed fundamental laws of nature which apply across the universe, including the most famous equation in all of science, e=mc2. 246 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion - Episode 04: Can We Have Unlimited Power? BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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An iceberg may have sunk the Titanic, but this documentary argues that it was actually a long chain of misjudgements, human errors and misfortunes that led to this maritime catastrophe 247 The Unsinkable Titanic Channel Four History English 74 mins
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Many Londoners believed the Great Fire of London was started deliberately by a foreign enemy. And they wanted to make sure a foreigner would pay for this crime of the century. 248 The Untold Great Fire of London Channel 4 History English 48 mins
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Ten years in the making, this series explores how a violent and racist government was destroyed by the concerted efforts of men and women working on multiple fronts inside and outside South Africa for more than three decades. 249 The World Against Apartheid: Have You Heard From Joannesburg? - 01 - The Road to Resistance BBC History 60 mins
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This second episode looks at how athletes and activists around the world hit white South Africa where it hurts - on the playing field. Knowing that fellow blacks in South Africa were denied even the most basic human rights, let alone the right to participate in international sports competitions, African nations refused to compete with all-white South African teams, boycotting the Olympics and eventually creating a worldwide media spectacle that forced the International Olympic Committee to ban apartheid teams from future games. 250 The World Against Apartheid: Have You Heard From Joannesburg? - 02 - Fair Play BBC History 60 mins
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In the third episode, in the wake of the Soweto Uprising and the murder of Steve Biko the world's young people take the lead in the anti-apartheid campaign. 251 The World Against Apartheid: Have You Heard From Joannesburg? - 03 - BBC History 60 mins
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In the fourth episode, South Africa is brought to its knees as the world refuses to let business go on as usual. 252 The World Against Apartheid: Have You Heard From Joannesburg? - 04 - The Bottom Line BBC History 60 mins
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In this final episode, the campaign to free Nelson Mandela ignites a worldwide crusade which brings apartheid to an end. 253 The World Against Apartheid: Have You Heard From Joannesburg? - 05 - Free at Last BBC History 60 mins
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Japan's society and culture during wartime, and how life is transformed as the country gradually becomes aware of increasinly catastrophic setbacks including the Doolittle raid, defeat at Midway, the death of Isoroku Yamamoto, the battle of Saipan and the relentless bombing of Japanese cities. 254 The World at War - Japan (1941–1945) Jeremy Isaacs History 52 mins
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The conflicts in Europe and the Pacific are two separate wars. Many Americans are content to forget about Hitler and Europe and concentrate their war efforts on the Japanese. President Roosevelt is committed to the fight against Hitler, but Congress is not. Inexplicably, Hitler declares war on America, thus relieving Roosevelt of a difficult decision and, ultimately, altering the course of the war. Seventh in the series 255 The World at War - On Our Way: America Enters the War Jeremy Isaacs History 9 mins
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The successive and increasingly bloody land battles on tiny islands in the expansive Pacific, aimed towards the Japanese heartland. Following the bombing of Darwin, the Japanese are progressively turned back at Kokoda, Tarawa, Peleilu, the Philippines, Iwo Jima and finally Okinawa. 256 The World at War - Pacific (February 1942 - July 1945) Jeremy Isaacs History 52 mins
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The situation in post-war Europe including the allied occupation of Germany, demobilisation, the Nurenburg trials and the genesis of the Cold War. The episode concludes with summations about the ultimate costs, advantages and consequences of the war. Interviewees include Charles Bohlen, Stephen Ambrose, Lord Avon, Lord Mountbatten and Noble Frankland. 257 The World at War - Reckoning (April 1945) Jeremy Isaacs History 52 mins
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This programme remembers the millions of men and women who died during the Second World War. The war was the most significant experience of their lives. They were young and far from home, living dangerously and fighting a good fight. 258 The World at War - Remember Jeremy Isaacs History 52 mins
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Hitler's early successes in Russia made him reckless and he resolves to capture Stalingrad. The battle lasts six months with the Russians emerging as victors. The Wehrmacht never recovers. 259 The World at War - Stalingrad (June 1942–February 1943) Jeremy Isaacs History 52 mins
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Following the events from the death of US President Roosevelt through to the dropping of the two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that prompted Japan's surrender. 260 The World at War - The Bomb (February–September 1945) Jeremy Isaacs History 52 mins
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The the desert war, starting with Italy's unsuccessful invasion of Egypt and the successive attacks and counter-attacks between Germany and Commonwealth forces, and the Afrika Korps's eventual defeat at El Alamein. Interviewees include General Richard O'Connor, Major General Francis de Guingand and Lawrence Durrell. 261 The World at War - The Desert: North Africa (1940–1943) Jeremy Isaacs History 52 mins
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This thirteenth episode documents the two-year fight for Italy, initially thought of as a soft spot by Churchill, who later realised his error in complacency 262 The World at War - Tough Old Gut Jeremy Isaacs History 10 mins
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Dan Snow travels to Syria to see how the country's fascinating and tumultuous history is shaping the current civil war. 263 This World - A History of Syria with Dan Snow Robin Barnwell History 60 mins
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On June 20th, a young Iranian woman was shot in the street in Tehran. The video of her death, filmed on a mobile phone, was seen by millions around the world. 264 This World - An Iranian 'Martyr' BBC 2 History English 60 mins
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This World has gained rare access to Nelson Mandela, after years of retirement from public life. 265 This World - Mandela at 90 Clifford Bestall History 40 mins
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It is unique in the Roman World. A spectacular and complex stone barrier measuring 74 miles long, and up to 15 feet high and 10 feet thick. For 300 years Hadrian's Wall stood as the Roman Empire's most imposing frontier and one of the unsung wonders of the ancient world. 266 Timewatch - Hadrian's Wall Julian Richards History 48 mins
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Documentary that looks back to the furore caused by Princess Margaret's affair with Peter Townsend, a divorced commoner. Billed as a constitutional crisis, Margaret's dilemma was the first modern royal scandal which would shape the future of royal relations with the media. In 1955 she chose to sacrifice love for duty by ending the affair, but new evidence presented here suggests that hers was a needless sacrifice. 267 Timewatch - Princess Margaret: A Love Story BBC History 50 mins
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In the 1950s and '60s, one million Britons voluntarily migrated to what had been a former penal colony only a hundred years earlier. The Ten Pound Pom scheme to Australia was one of the largest planned migrations of the 20th Century. 268 Timewatch - Ten Pound Poms Michael Praed History 48 mins
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Documentary looking at the Secret History of the Mongols, said to have been written by Genghis Khan's adopted son, which reveals a very different man to the brutal butcher of Western legend. 269 Timewatch - The secret History of Ghengis Khan BBC History 50 mins
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New archaeological research has given fresh insight into what happened in the Roman amphitheatre. 270 Timewatch - The True Story of the Roman Arena UKTV History 56 mins
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Marking the 50th anniversary of the influential novel To Kill a Mockingbird, writer Andrew Smith visits Monroeville in Alabama, the setting of the book, to see how life there has changed in half a century. 271 To Kill a Mockingbird at 50 BBC 4 History English 60 mins
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On December 17th 2003, a 25-year-old woman called Malalai Joya stood up during the Afghan Grand Assembly and declared that many of those present were 'felons' and 'criminals' who had turned the country 'into the nucleus of national and international wars'. 272 True Stories - A Woman Among Warlords More 4 History English 58 mins
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Laura Poitras' film tells how two men whose lives were caught up with Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden ended up taking very different paths after the invasion of Iraq. 273 True Stories - I Was Bin Laden's Bodyguard Laura Poitra History English 94 mins
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Henry Kissinger has done more than any other individual to shape the foreign policy of the United States, both during his time as Secretary of State, and afterwards, as he continued to advise successive presidents and governments around the world.Over a p 274 True Stories - Kissinger More 4 History 130 mins
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The story of General Butt Naked, the despised Liberian warlord responsible for the death of 20,000 people, who reinvented himself as an evangelical preacher 275 True Stories - The Redemption of General Butt Naked Channel 4 History English 85 mins
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It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles into landfill sites in the obscurity of the Arizona desert? 276 True Stories - Who Killed the Electric Car Channel Four History English 92 mins
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The Khmer Rouge slaughtered nearly two million people in the late 1970s. Yet the Killing Fields of Cambodia remain unexplained. Investigative journalist Thet Sambath records shocking testimonies, from the foot soldiers to Pol Pot's right-hand man. 277 True Stories : Voices from the Killing Fields Channel 4 History English 95 mins
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Kimberly Rivers Roberts' chilling, Oscar-nominated home video captures the ferocious force of Hurricane Katrina as it lays waste to the city of New Orleans. 278 Trues Stories - Trouble the Water Kimberly Rivers Roberts History English 60 mins
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How the biggest international forensic operation in history identified the victims of the most devastating natural disaster of recent times. 279 Tsunami - Naming the Dead Barbara Flynn History 10 mins
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Unreported World reveals how Liberia is facing a child rape crisis.Six years after the end of a brutal civil war in which rape was routinely used as a weapon, children still face the daily fear of being attacked, and the West African country's hospitals are overwhelmed with child victims, a quarter of them under four years old. 280 Unreported World - Liberia: Stolen Childhood Channel Four History English 24 mins
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The extraordinary and deeply moving story of the million British horses that served in World War I 281 War Horse: The Real Story Channel 4 History 47 mins
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Professor Jeremy Black examines one of the most extraordinary periods in British history: the Industrial Revolution. He explains the unique economic, social and political conditions that by the 19th century, led to Britain becoming the richest, most powerful nation on Earth. It was a time that transformed the way people think, work and play forever. 282 Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here. BBC History 60 mins
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A film revealing how political ambition fuelled the Windscale fire of 1957 and then dictated that the heroes of Windscale be made the scapegoats 283 Windscale: Britain's Biggest Nuclear Disaster Caroline Catz History 90 mins
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Acclaimed filmmaker Vanessa Engle turns her attention to sexual politics in a three-part documentary series about feminism and its impact on women's lives today. This first episode charts the rise of the women's liberation movement in the 1970s, and includes interviews with legendary British and American feminists, such as Kate Millett, Susan Brownmiller and Germaine Greer, and the last ever interview with novelist Marilyn French, who died in May 2009 284 Women - Episode 01: Libbers Vanessa Engle History English 60 mins
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The second part looks at the consequences of feminism for today's mothers. It documents the daily lives of ordinary women with children, interviewing women as well as their partners, to discover whether feminism has had an impact on gender roles in the family and the division of labour in the home. 285 Women - Episode 02: Mothers Vanessa Engle History English 60 mins
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The concluding part looks at a small group of passionate and committed young activists, who believe that the need for feminist politics is now more urgent than ever. The film follows them as they prepare for their first ever conference as well as a march through central London. 286 Women - Episode 03: Activists Vanessa Engle History English 60 mins
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Marking the 70th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, historian Professor David Reynolds re-assesses Stalin's role in the life and death struggle between Germany and Russia in World War Two. 287 World War Two: 1941 and the Man of Steel BBC 4 History English 90 mins
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UCL Centre for Languages & International Education, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 5454 Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 8667 Copyright © 1999-2012 UCL


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