Explore TV Series

Series looking at how the BBC has revealed and interpreted monumental moments in our history. Using the BBC archive, the programmes examine changes in research covered in documentary television.

A documentary series in which we explore the mysteries of classic Doctor Who production featuring the Daleks and includes new facts and unseen images!

Right now you're hurtling around the sun at 64,000 miles an hour (100,000 kms an hour). In the next year you'll travel 584 million miles, to end up back where you started. Presenters Kate Humble and Dr Helen Czerski follow the Earth's voyage around the sun for one complete orbit, to witness the astonishing consequences this journey has for us all.

Telling the story of a group of rival engineers who created the most transformative invention of the 20th century, this docuseries explores over a century of innovation from Honda, Toyota, Mercedes, Ford, Porsche, Rolls Royce and more.

In this unique take on British history, Professor Alice Roberts explores Britain's rich and varied past through the stories of individual towns and cities. In each programme Alice studies one key period in history by delving into the secrets of a historic town that encapsulates the era, providing an accurate impression of what life was really like at key moments in our turbulent past. At the climax of each programme, cutting-edge CGI reveals the entire historic town in all its former glory.

Two-part documentary which deals with two of the deepest questions there are - what is everything, and what is nothing? Professor Jim Al-Khalili searches for an answer to these questions as he explores the true size and shape of the universe and delves into the amazing science behind apparent nothingness.

Sicily boasts a bold "Anti-Mafia" coalition. But what happens when those trying to bring down organized crime are accused of being criminals themselves?

Nora Lum aka Awkwafina embarks on a deeply personal cross-country journey as she explores contemporary Asian American cuisine, starting with her family's remarkable legacy.

Documentary series following the daily battle over parking spaces in Britain, looking at the problems facing motorists, local councils and private parking companies.

Route 66 was decommissioned as an official American Highway some time ago but try telling that to Henry Cole. Six years after his previous pilgrimage, Henry fires up the beast and feels the pull of a fresh adventure on 'The Mother Road'. The 90 degree heat, 100% humidity and torrential rain turn out to be the least of his problems. The real ones come in the shape of the UFO Hunters, real gun slingers, eccentric millionaires and other frightening bikers Henry meets as he traverses the 2500 mile route. Is the myth growing more magical or is it fading into folklore? You can trust Henry to tell you straight as he gets his kicks on Route 66.

In the North of Scotland, far from bustling cities and gentle hills of the South, lies Europe's greatest wilderness – the Highlands of Scotland. Scoured by ice and weathered by storms, it may look bleak and lifeless, but wildlife is thriving in this unforgiving place, if you know where to look! In this stunning four-part series, narrated by Ewan McGregor, we meet ospreys, red squirrels, otters, dolphin and golden eagles – all struggling to turn adversity to their advantage and make a success of living in Scotland's living Wild Heart.

From ancient times to the Second World War, Europe has been soaked in blood and intrigue. In this fascinating new series, Bloody Tales goes beyond the British Isles to seek out the Europe's most grisly history to discover the mysterious true stories behind some of history’s most infamous tales. From East to West, from the UK to Istanbul, join historian Dr Suzannah Lipscomb and presenter Joe Crowley to investigate subjects that include Rome’s famously cruel emperor Caligula and the notoriously violent Vikings.

In each episode, geologist Iain Stewart describes how a certain geological force played a determinant part in human history. Culture may render people less dependent on nature, it still interacts with it, and actually increases the importance of such natural resources as minerals and fossil fuels.

Go beyond Thailand's beaches to discover a sacred kingdom of awe-inspiring beauty. This series takes in the towering limestone cliffs, the paddy fields, the hidden temples and the teeming city of Bangkok, before visiting the forests of the north where ancient tribes practice time-honoured traditions and tigers still stalk the forests. Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise reveals a land that is worlds away from the familiar tourist trails.

Dickens is a 2002 three-part docudrama presented by Peter Ackroyd, on whose biography of Dickens it was based. An unorthodox style is taken: actors play various individuals in Dickens' life (as well as Dickens himself), interviewed as if appearing in a contemporary documentary. Their words are from actual letters and journals of the individuals involved, and serve to illuminate the hardships and successes in Dickens' life, and the way his experiences found their way into his works.

Andrew Marr's History of the World is a 2012 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers 70,000 years of world history from the beginning of human civilisation, as African nomadic peoples spread out around the world and settled down to become the first farmers, up to the twentieth century.

British show about possible x-files style stories.

Kevin McCloud is passionately optimistic about technology and the future, but Jon Richardson, Phil Wang and Alice Levine aren't so sure. Can Kevin persuade his trio of sceptics to see the light?

Race to Dakar is a documentary series following actor and keen motorcyclist Charley Boorman's entry into the 2006 Dakar Rally from Lisbon to Dakar. First aired on Sky2 and ABC Television during 2006, it was also released as a book.

Former Scotland Yard Homicide Detective Inspector Steve Keogh invites viewers into the intriguing realm of crime solving. With 30 years of experience under his belt including twelve years of service as a murder detective at the Metropolitan Police, Steve is opening up his contact books for the first time to reveal the secrets of what it really takes to be a murder detective on the frontline.

Mobeen Azhar investigates the story of a 20-year-old medical student who went from handing out cash to strangers to being at the centre of an alleged multi-million-pound scam.

A Walking with Dinosaurs Special - broadcast in North America as Chased by Dinosaurs - is a two-part British documentary film series featuring Nigel Marven and his "team of fellow explorers" as time-travellers who encounter dinosaurs in the wild. Most of the creatures were not featured in the original Walking with Dinosaurs series.

Exploring body image, sex, and beauty, Elaine Chong challenges all she learned from movies, TV, and even family while growing up British East Asian and explores why the desire to fit in to a foreign culture while meeting the standards demanded by Asian family can leave some in an almost impossible situation.

The stories and looks behind iconic and influential fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren, and many more.

Welcome to Lagos is a British three-part mini-series which originally aired on BBC Two in April 2010. Narrated by David Harewood, the observational documentary series looked at life in the urban environment of Lagos.

Jane sets off on a mission, travelling from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle to experience bucket-list adventures in some of the most breathtaking places on Earth. Exploring Antarctica, South Georgia, The Falklands, Uruguay, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Norway, Svalbard and the Arctic Circle. It’s an extraordinary route, and JetSetTV can’t wait to bring you along for every moment of it. Taking in incredible landscapes, wildlife and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Expect helicopter rides, whale watching, unbelievable scenery… and a song or two!

Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain is a 2009 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers the period of British history from the death of Queen Victoria to the end of the Second World War. It was a follow-up to his 2007 series Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain.

A unique portrait of how art and activism for black people in film are indivisible from race and cinema.

Ten thousand revellers pack Brighton’s clubs and pubs every weekend, and as the sun goes down and the lights come up, the number of assaults, sexual violence, anti-social behaviour, drug-related incidents and hate crime goes through the roof – and for the Night Coppers of Brighton, policing this city after dark is one hell of a ride.

Paul Merton profiles some of the great stars of silent comedy, examining their lives and works, and uncovering seldom-seen material

Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi reveals humanity's incredible story across 300,000 years of human evolution – and how the story is stranger and more surprising than ever imagined.

Follows six former Manchester United footballers who are now co-owners of Salford City F.C as they try to navigate the club to the English Football League for the first time in their history.

A journey into our evolutionary past, piecing together the bodies of our prehistoric family.

Men from all over the world have left their pasts to start a new life as elite soldiers in the French Foreign Legion.

The ultimate underdog story. From the looming threat of liquidation, a points deduction and a relegation fight to avoid plummeting to English football's third division in 2010 – to the prospect of promotion to the biggest league in the world three years later, this is the extraordinary tale of a football club saved by its fans.

Exploring life in Pompeii during the final days of the doomed city.

Rising from the ashes. The race to restore the treasured icon of Gothic architecture after a devastating fire, by the experts fighting to bring it back to life.

Filmed at Claridge's over six years, this series follows work to dig out a five-storey mega-basement, add four new floors and create London’s most exclusive penthouse.

Five children travel across the world to live and work alongside the people who make the everyday items they take for granted.

Tony Robinson explores the weird and wonderful history of belief, superstition and religious experience in Britain. For 2000 years, Britain has been a Christian country. Or has it? In fact, our ancestors actually kept many other dark, fantastical beliefs alive. It was a world underpinned by outlandish, dangerous and plain weird beliefs. Ideas that today seem unbelievable, but were seen as uncontroversial and hugely influential, with some having shaped our history as much as mainstream religion

Q.E.D. (quod erat demonstrandum, Latin for "that which was to be demonstrated") was the name of a series of BBC popular science documentary films which aired in the United Kingdom from 1982 to 1999. Running in a half-hour peak-time slot on the BBC's primary mass-audience channel BBC1, the series had a more populist and general interest agenda than the long-running Horizon series which aired on the more specialist channel BBC2. Horizon could often be difficult for a scientific novice, requiring a modicum of background knowledge beyond the reaches of many viewers, so Q.E.D. was a more approachable way of introducing scientific stories.

The warplane has evolved over nearly a century to become what it is today, in 2004. This series is the story of how, through life-and-death necessity, invention, ingenuity and sheer hard work that warplane technology evolved. The Warplane series is not a history of every military plane but rather a look at the major stepping stones that advanced military aviation.

Extreme Fishing with Robson Green is a factual entertainment show broadcast on Channel 5. The show sees actor and fishing enthusiast Robson Green travel around the world in search of the greatest fishing destinations. There have been five series to date. A spin-off series entitled Robson's Extreme Fishing Challenge began airing on 9 April 2012.

The Real Football Factories International is a documentary style program about football hooliganism across the world. The Real Football Factories was the first series, where presenter and actor Danny Dyer travelled the UK, meeting some of the more notorious football firms. In this spin-off series, Dyer goes international, meeting firms from across the globe. Dyer played the main character of Tommy Johnson, a main member of a fictional Chelsea firm in the 2004 film The Football Factory. In 'The Real Football Factories International', Dyer visits Turkey, Argentina, Italy, Croatia and Serbia, The Netherlands, Brazil, Poland and Russia. In late 2007, The Score in Canada started to broadcast these episodes along with "The Real Football Factories." But with an altered soundtrack due to copyright issues. It was also shown on CNN and CNN International under the name The Real Soccer Factories International in 2008.

Get the inside story on the trial that fascinated audiences across the globe. With intimate access to Depp's lawyers as well as legal experts close to the case, Johnny vs Amber gives a forensic account of the bitter legal battle from both sides.

Hosted by Marcel Theroux, the show explores the story of Marius ‘Theo’ Gustavson, known as the Eunuch Maker; reported to be running a financial business from his home in Finsbury Park by operating and live streaming sexual organ removal surgeries online in front of audiences in their thousands. Before it hit headlines in 2022, and nine individuals were charged in March 2023, not much was known about the Nullo community. Marcel Theroux takes the audience on a journey to explore why people were motivated to join the community, and speaks to the victims as well as the consenting individuals, together with experts from around the world to give their own insight into this investigation.

David Attenborough uses pioneering 3D-techniques and technology to explore the unique environments and species of the Galapagos.

As Johnny prepares to create a piece of public art for his home town of St Helens, an unexpected diagnosis sets him off on a complex emotional journey of self-discovery where art and life sometimes merge.

This warm and entertaining four-part observational documentary series has unprecedented access behind the scenes to staff and guests at the 5-star London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel.

A series charting the life and explaining the work of modern artists Picasso, Matisse, Dali and Warhol, and looking at their influence on contemporary art, design and architecture.

Join Stephen Hawking and other renowned thinkers as they explore the revolutionary new ideas that have evolved since the publication of his blockbuster book. Besides interviews, this stimulating documentary uses computer graphics and simple, easy-to-understand demonstrations to explain complex concepts. Topics include black holes, string theory, supersymmetry, dimensions beyond our perception, and the mysterious M force; all potential keys to unlocking the elusive "theory of everything" that seems so tantalizingly close.

Series which follows comedian Eddie Izzard rising to the challenge for Sport Relief by running an astonishing 43 marathons in 51 days

Stepping Up was a five-part drama programme shown on the CBBC Channel from 3 to 7 September 2012. It was a series of one-off dramas about children making the move from primary to secondary school.

Travelling by rail across South Korea, Michael explores one of the world’s most successful modern nations, shaped by division, resilience and rapid change.

Austin Stevens: Snakemaster also known as Austin Stevens: Most Dangerous and Austin Stevens Adventures in some countries, is a regular airing nature series hosted by Austin Stevens that is broadcast on Animal Planet and five. Most of the footage was filmed in HD format with certain episodes featuring sequences of time slice photography. The series took a five-year hiatus, but was revived in fall of 2008, having started to air on Channel Five and Discovery Canada. The new episodes do not always focus on snakes; several feature other animals such as hyenas, rhinos and niglett bears.

In 1963, armed with just a typewriter, a Midlands housewife began a 30-year battle against the permissive society. But how successful was the original 'cancel culture' warrior?

Meet the team of dive engineers on England's south coast as they battle time and tide to keep Britain’s coastlines and waterways moving.

Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns is a paranormal reality television series which featured noted Medium Derek Acorah as he visited towns in the UK to investigate hauntings. The team would travel in the "Ghost Town Van" and would allow townsfolk to tell the team about their encounters with hauntings in their home town. During the investigation, Derek would visit a random house and give the owner a psychic reading this was "Doorstep Divination." The show aired from 7 November 2005 until 28 November 2006.

Surprising secrets, incredible moments and often emotional milestones in the history of our globetrotting royals. With archive footage as well as interviews with royal insiders.