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Chasing a Rainbow: The Life of Josephine Baker

The story of Josephine Baker takes us on a fascinating tour of 20th-century race relations on both sides of the Atlantic, yet it leads to no conclusion, and black girls in search of a role-model tend to look elsewhere. Part of her appeal is her startlingly unique appearance. Simply nobody has ever looked or acted like her. She fits no black stereotype. Nor does she look like any recognizable strain of Afro-American. I'd always heard she was half-white, but it seems that her paternity is unknown, and her contradictory claims on the subject don't do much to enlighten us. (We are tempted to imagine quite an exotic mix.) Her origins in sharply-segregated St. Louis, where she is said to have witnessed a lynching, do not seem to have left her embittered. Perhaps she had too much to give. There is a special innocence about that smile, and when she performs her cross-eyed gag, we are lifted into a strange pixie-world, all its own.

Chasing a Rainbow: The Life of Josephine Baker

7.0 1987
Victorian Sex Explorer

Part history, part travelogue, Victorian Sex Explorer is a revealing, witty journey through Queen Victoria’s Empire, from the late 1830s to the turn of the century. Fuelled by the same desire as the infamous Victorian explorer and sexual anthropologist Sir Richard Burton,Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding; St Trinian’s) re-traces his steps in the modern day Orient to explore changing attitudes to sex, the legacy of the Empire and erotica in all its guises.

Victorian Sex Explorer

NR 2008
The Twisted Tale Of Bloody Mary

She was loved, she was a princess, heir to the throne - but the childhood fairytale turned to lifelong nightmare for Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's first child. When Henry divorced her mother and married Anne Boleyn, Mary became an outcast and a threat to the Protestant succession. By a twist of fate, on the death of her brother, she became queen at last in 1553, but her attempts to make England Catholic again were a disaster for her and the country. History has called her "Bloody Mary" for the burning of the Protestants, but how fair is this? This film paints another picture, of a woman true to her beliefs, pushed towards a terrible psychological disintegration.

The Twisted Tale Of Bloody Mary

NR 2008
Churchill's First World War

Drama-documentary about Winston Churchill's extraordinary experiences during the Great War, with intimate letters to his wife Clementine allowing the story to be told largely in his own words. Just 39 and at the peak of his powers running the Royal Navy, Churchill in 1914 dreamt of Napoleonic glory, but suffered a catastrophic fall into disgrace and humiliation over the Dardanelles disaster. The film follows his road to redemption, beginning in the trenches of Flanders in 1916, revealing how he became the 'godfather' of the tank and his forgotten contribution to final victory in 1918 as Minister of Munitions. Dark political intrigue, a passionate love story and remarkable military adventures on land, sea and air combine to show how the Churchill of 1940 was shaped and forged by his experience of the First World War.

Churchill's First World War

7.5 2013
Meet You at the Hippos

Actor Mark Bonnar is on a mission to understand more about the Scottish new towns in which he grew up, exploring the street sculpture made by artists such as his dad in the 60s, 70s and 80s. He discovers why the new towns are there and how they enticed people out of the bigger cities, and uncovers the surprising ways in which public art changed the new towns and the new towns changed public art. Mark's father, Stan, made sculptures that stand to this day on the streets of Glenrothes, East Kilbride and the Scottish new town that never was, Stonehouse. These new towns employed town artists to make artworks in the very housing precincts the new residents were moving into.

Meet You at the Hippos

NR 2021
Mongols – The Secret History

Recent research has revealed the extraordinary modernity of the Mongols, a people who once built an empire four times larger than that of the Romans. Little known outside his homeland, Emperor Genghis Khan is revered within Mongolia. This documentary challenges the image of a bloodthirsty warrior, portraying instead a brilliant strategist who brought innovation to many fields: politics, religion, science, culture, and the arts. It depicts a forward-thinking society where women held prominent roles.

Mongols – The Secret History

7.8 2023
I Was There: Kate Adie on Tiananmen Square

In a long-form interview, Kate recalls how she was wounded by gunfire and narrowly escaped death herself as she and her cameraman remained in the line of fire while an estimated 2,000 pro-democracy demonstrators were shot down by Chinese government troops. Kate reviews the reports she made on the ground, with additional insight from leading historian Professor Steve Tsang, and draws on the BBC's archive to assess how film-makers have portrayed China before and after the upheaval.

I Was There: Kate Adie on Tiananmen Square

6.0 2018
Manchester United: The Official History 1878-2008

One hundred and thirty years since the club’s formation, Manchester United continue to dominate the game of football both at home and abroad. From humble beginnings, when the workers of the Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway first came together to play the emerging sport of football, Manchester United has acquired a special place in the hearts of supporters everywhere to become the most famous club in the world. Built on the raw talent and fighting spirit of the 'Busby Babes', who thrilled crowds all over Europe before tragedy struck in Munich, their spirit and style is still evident today, encouraged by Sir Alex Ferguson and epitomized by the modern-day superstars - Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United: The Official History 1878-2008

NR 2008
Manchester United: The Official History 1878-2002

Manchester United Football Club started life as Newton Heath, a team founded by workers from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1878. Recounting the history of Manchester United. Honors soon followed and the first of seven First Division titles was won in 1908. With an FA Cup win the following year, and another league title two years later, Manchester United were firmly establishing themselves as a force in English football. The era of great success and tragedy under the inspirational management of Sir Matt Busby and the Busby Babes. Charlton, Best and Law won the European Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson built the team of the nineties that have gone on to win seven premiership titles over the last ten years. Built around home-grown talent and inspirational signings (such as Eric Cantona), United moved into an era of unrivalled success which culminated in the remarkable treble of 1999. Further championships followed in both 2000 and 2001.

Manchester United: The Official History 1878-2002

8.5 2002
Journey Into the Unknown: William Bradford And The Pilgrim Fathers

For many Americans, the journey of the Mayflower symbolizes the birth of their nation. To this day, the Pilgrim Fathers are a glorified symbol of American virtue. In search of autonomy and with the desire to preserve their cultural identity, a group of English Puritans left their Dutch refuge in 1620 to set off for the New World. That voyage is not just a tale of a religious community bravely going their own way; the events of those days would have a major impact on the course of modern history. The rules and regulations of the Mayflower Compact that the Pilgrim Fathers, religious sectarians, abided by, became the secular prototype for the constitution of the United States of America; a social contract that would serve as an example for many other national constitutions during the European age of civil society and thereafter.

Journey Into the Unknown: William Bradford And The Pilgrim Fathers

10.0 2008
Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding

Historian Lucy Worsley restages the 1840 wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Aided by a team of experts, Worsley recreates the most important elements of the ceremony and the celebrations, scouring history books, archives, newspapers and Queen Victoria's diaries for the details. She reveals how every moment was brilliantly stage-managed for maximum effect. Woven into the recreation of the wedding day is the story of Victoria and Albert's courtship and engagement, and its political importance.

Victoria & Albert: The Royal Wedding

6.5 2018
The Last Journey of the Magna Carta King

Ben Robinson retraces the dramatic last days of King John, England's most disastrous monarch, and uncovers the legend of his lost treasure. Ten days took King John from ruler of an empire to sudden death, and left the kingdom in ruins. John is famous for the creation of Magna Carta, which inspired our modern democracy. Ben follows in the footsteps of the King's epic last journey, from the treacherous marshes of East Anglia, through Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, to his final resting place in Worcester. He is joined by medieval historian professor Stephen Church. Together they examine the truth behind the legend that has lived on for 800 years. Did the crown jewels really end up in the mud of the Wash? Was the King poisoned? Does he deserve his reputation as our most disastrous monarch? Thanks to unique documents, we can tell this epic tale in the King's own words.

The Last Journey of the Magna Carta King

NR 2015
Architects of the Divine: The First Gothic Age

Medieval historian Dr Janina Ramirez looks back to a time when British craftsmen and their patrons created a new form of architecture. The art and architecture of France would dominate England for much of the medieval age. Yet British stonemasons and builders would make Gothic architecture their own, inventing a national style for the first time – Perpendicular Gothic – and giving Britain a patriotic backdrop to suit its new ambitions of chivalry and power. From a grand debut at Gloucester Cathedral to commemorate a murdered king to its final glorious flowering at King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, the Perpendicular age was Britain’s finest.

Architects of the Divine: The First Gothic Age

NR 2014
History's Hardest Prisons: Debt and Damnation

The daily life of the prison communities: backbreaking labour, brutality and abuse, relentless routines, gang warfare, and the constant struggle for survival. It will cast a new light on our contemporary system of imprisonment whilst revealing our changing attitudes to crime over the ages. In a time of credit crunch and economic crisis, Piers eye-opening exploration of debt will show how 300 years ago punishments did not necessarily fit the crime.

History's Hardest Prisons: Debt and Damnation

NR 2009
The Real Great Escape

For the first time, the true story of the mastermind behind World War II's Great Escape is told by his niece, Lindy Wilson. Squadron Leader Roger Bushell was a young London barrister, an auxiliary pilot and a champion skier when he was shot down and captured early in the war. He escaped three times and, in spite of the Gestapo's threat to shoot him if he ever escaped again, Bushell accepted the role of 'Big X' on his return to the top-security PoW camp, Stalag Luft 111. After 18 months of preparation, one of the greatest escapes of the war took place. Their aim to distract the enemy succeeded, as it was estimated that five million Germans were deployed to recapture the 76 escapees. However, Hitler's rage was uncontainable and he personally ordered a terrible reckoning. (Storyville)

The Real Great Escape

NR 2012
When God Spoke English: The Making of the King James Bible

Documentary telling the unexpected story of how arguably the greatest work of English prose ever written, the King James Bible, came into being. Author Adam Nicolson reveals why the making of this powerful book shares much in common with his experience of a very different national project - the Millennium Dome. The programme also delves into recently discovered 17th-century manuscripts, from the actual translation process itself, to show in rich detail what makes this Bible so good.

When God Spoke English: The Making of the King James Bible

NR 2011
A.P. Giannini - Bank to the Future

The incredible true story of Amadeo Peter Giannini, the son of Italian immigrants in San Francisco, the man who revolutionized the world of finance by lending money to low-income workers during the worst economic crises of all times. Without Giannini, the world would have never known Bank of America, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marshall Plan as well as many Hollywood masterpieces such as Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid", Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night" and Walt Disney's "Snow White". This inspirational biopic features rediscovered archive material, exclusive interviews and iconic locations, tracing over a century of American history: from the Gold Rush to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, living through the Great Depression and World War II.

A.P. Giannini - Bank to the Future

NR 2024
Make Hummus Not War

Filmmaker Trevor Graham is an Australian 'hummus tragic'. Every week in his Bondi Beach home he observes the hummus making ritual, mashing chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and tahina. But when the Hummus War erupted in 2008, among the usual suspects, Israel, Lebanon and Palestine, Graham was hungry for more. But this war ha no soldiers, bullets or tanks. Just chickpeas and hummus. Make Hummus Not War is a humorous homage to the chickpea's most distinguished dish. But there's a personal story, how Graham became a hummus tragic, a father who served in Palestine during WW2 and two lovers in his life, one Syrian, one Jewish, with whom he shared a great culinary passion.

Make Hummus Not War

4.0 2012
The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II

Ludwig II of Bavaria, more commonly known by his nicknames the Swan King or the Dream King, is a legendary figure - the handsome boy-king, loved by his people, betrayed by his cabinet and found dead in tragic and mysterious circumstances. He spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty, an ideal that found expression in three of the most extraordinary, ornate architectural schemes imaginable - the castle of Neuschwanstein and the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Today, these three buildings are among Germany's biggest tourist attractions. Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein, the iconic fairytale castle that became the inspiration for the one in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, to the rich Baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's answer to Versailles. Dan argues that Ludwig's castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are, in fact, the key to unravelling the eternal enigma of Ludwig II.

The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II

8.0 2013
The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea

Over three thousand years ago, legend has it that Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, sent a fleet of ships to the wonderful, distant land of Punt. A bas-relief in the temple where she is entombed in Luxor shows them bringing back extraordinary treasures. But did this expedition really happen? And if it did, where exactly is the land of Punt? Drawing upon recent finds, the archaeologist Cheryl Ward sets out to recreate the voyage, in a full-size replica of one of these ancient ships, sailing it in the wake of Hatshepsut's fleet, in search of the mythical land of Punt. A human adventure as well as a scientific challenge, the expedition proves that, contrary to popular belief, the ancient Egyptians had the necessary tools, science and techniques to sail the seas.

The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea

NR 2010
Vox Pop: How Dartford Powered the British Beat Boom

In the early 1960s British pop groups conquered the world. But as the Beatles, the Stones, the Shadows, the Dave Clark Five, the Yardbirds and many others took to the stage they had one thing in common - they shared the platform with Vox amplifiers. Some of the nation's top professional musicians including Brian May, Justin Hayward, and Bruce Welch, along with the factory workers of the time, recount the story of how an unlikely small company in unglamorous Dartford hit the big time and defined the sound of the 60s in Britain.

Vox Pop: How Dartford Powered the British Beat Boom

NR 2011