Explore TV Series

To mark 50 years of BBC TV News, a look back on how stories were reported in each decade. Narrated by key figures including Charles Wheeler, Michael Buerk, Kate Adie, John Simpson and Jeremy Bowen.

Despite decades of research, many mysteries remain about the ancient Maya. Now, archaeologists are unearthing new clues that transform long held ideas about how these people came to dominate vast areas of Mexico and Central America. Through immense lost monuments, ancient inscriptions and new forensic evidence, this series tracks the Maya from their earliest origins all the way to the present day, unlocking the dark secrets of the rise and fall of the Maya.

Iolo Williams shares his passion for Welsh wildlife. Filmed over a year, the series features stunning aerial and wildlife photography.

From the Californian desert to the rainforests of Alaska, naturalist and writer Louis-Marie Blanchard sets out on a 5,000-kilometre journey in the footsteps of ecological pioneer John Muir. Through the emblematic landscapes that Muir helped to save, he sets out to meet the men and women who keep alive his fight to preserve the wilderness. A journey of initiation, poetry and commitment, driven by a deep and intimate admiration for the man who changed his life.

Edwardian Farm is an historical documentary TV series in twelve parts, first shown on BBC Two from November 2010 to January 2011. It depicts a group of historians trying to run a farm like it was done during the Edwardian era. It was made for the BBC by independent production company Lion Television and filmed at Morwellham Quay, an historic quay in Devon. The farming team was historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn. The series was devised and produced by David Upshal and directed by Stuart Elliott. The series is a development from two previous series Victorian Farm and Victorian Pharmacy which were among BBC Two's biggest hits of 2009 and 2010, garnering audiences of up to 3.8 million per episode. The series was followed by Wartime Farm in September 2012, featuring the same team but this time in Hampshire on Manor Farm, living a full calendar year as wartime farmers. An associated book by Goodman, Langlands, and Ginn, also titled Edwardian Farm, was published in 2010 by BBC Books. The series was also published on DVD, available in various regional formats.

A landmark, three-part series that tells the human story through our relationship to water. We find out how our success is intimately connected to our control of the molecule, but that the growth of our civilizations has also created a dangerous dependence on a precious resource. One that may be about to run out.

Martin Boudot, investigative journalist, investigates major environmental scandals around the world: river contamination, air pollution, radioactivity, illegal exploitation of resources, toxic waste...

Filmed in over 60 different locations this epic documentary series will draw on the most spellbinding and dramatic stories from all corners of the globe. It will reveal the ways all life is connected and how natural events affect animals.

Meet your new history teachers, snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan and sports broadcaster Matt Smith, as they cross the pond to explore America’s 300 year history with the game of pool. The real-life mates travel the US to hunt down America’s most notorious pool hustlers while meeting a few characters along the way

Blurring the boundaries between documentary and historical fiction, this twelve-part series examines and imagines man's struggle to survive, from the days of cave dwellers to modern journeys into space.

Two-part documentary following World War I's biggest archaeological dig, taking place at Messines in Belgium, uncovering some of the best-preserved trenches, bunkers and tunnels ever discovered on the Western Front and revealing the realities of trench warfare, a Christmas football match and poison gas.

A candid look at what life was really like for those living in, and under Hitler's Swastika - at home - and abroad, a record not only of what they saw, but of what they knew.

Sports documentary series following British underdogs Excel Esports as they fight to be taken seriously in the global esports scene.

An intense, moving, hopeful portrait of life at a Barcelona hospital over the toughest times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

French King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a document that had protected the rights of French protestants for almost one hundred years. The decision led to a mass exodus of French Protestants with many going to Prussia.

Ancient X Files travels around the world to solve some intriguing riddles. Each story is a piece of detective work by an expert trying to make sense of some puzzling ancient artefact, to find the truth behind some extraordinary legend, to discover the origins of a bizarre myth or to establish the authenticity of a venerated religious relic. This series explores the bits of archaeology and history which seem to defy explanation. Our experts are following chains of clues and putting theories to the test, in an effort to explain the unexplained. Ancient X Files investigates claims about the whereabouts of the lost Ark of the Covenant; attempts to establish the authenticity of a cup some believe to be the Holy Grail; tries to de-code the mysterious Phaistos disc; investigates a cloth which is believed to carry traces of the DNA of Jesus Christ; and deciphers an encrypted book of alchemy written by the great Sir Isaac Newton.

In this fun, factual series comedians Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar immerse themselves into the world of local newspapers by travelling across the UK working for a different local paper each week on a mission to find real local stories.

The two-part documentary “Automania” unfolds the history of the automobile as a relationship between man and machine. The car: drug, technical wonder, object of desire. Like hardly any other machine, the car is more than that. It is loved, cherished and cared for, protected and used for self-expression. At the same time, it is a sign of economic prosperity: whoever drives a (certain) car has made something of himself. And what applies individually also applies to societies: The car creates jobs and prosperity. But the dream relationship that lasted for 100 years has fallen into crisis. The films tell in an entertaining, moody and emotional way about the rise of the car to become an icon of the West and suggest future prospects. The films combine factual informations with nostalgically colourful memories of eyewitnesses. In addition, there are statements by experts as well as politicians and business representatives.

Killed Without A Trace explores the cases where police and prosecutors try to prove a murder has happened without the most vital piece of evidence - a body.

Former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton spent 30 years in the police force, a career that saw him lead many of the most high profile and successful murder investigations of his generation. In this true crime docuseries, Sutton revisits cases he led and explores everything from the crime itself through to the breakthrough moment when the suspect was identified and arrested.

This reality show follows budding football stars battling it out in an amateur Sunday football league. Not only do they get to experience a taste of the lifestyle of Premiership players; fast cars, sponsorship deals and celebrity girlfriends, but they are managed by football legend, John Fashanu. Follow ex-professional footballer John Fashanu as he goes back to the grassroots of football to manage an amateur Sunday League team.

Documentary following joint police and paramedic fast response units, with both emergency services travelling together in one high-performance vehicle.

Emma Willis takes viewers on a maternity road trip, introducing them to seven never-before-seen birth stories. Warm, humorous and full of natural drama, these two heartwarming episodes are an honest and heartfelt personal account of child birth and the special bond that links all those involved.

Geologist Iain Stewart explain in three stages of natural history the crucial interaction of our very planet's physiology and its unique wildlife. Biological evolution is largely driven bu adaptation to conditions such as climate, soil and irrigation, but biotopes were also shaped by wildlife changing earth's surface and climate significantly, even disregarding human activity.

"Cinema of Our Time" is a documentary series about contemporary filmmakers from around the world, created by Janine Bazin and André S. Labarthe, as a follow-up to the acclaimed initial series "Filmmakers of Our Time" (1964-1972).

Documentary series that starts in 1977 -with the first democratic elections held in Spain after the Franco dictatorship- and ends 40 years later. The program tells for the first time the history of these years through the voices of its citizens, its authentic protagonists. Each chapter summarizes what happened in one of those 40 years, and includes - in addition to personal testimonies - unpublished archive material, fragments of films and television programs, as well as the music that was heard that year.

Nigel Spivey reveals how the images which surround us today come from the ancient world. It's an epic journey spanning five continents and a hundred thousand years of history.

Hit rewind, a replay the worst disasters in history. Tracking time, directions, and trajectory - what is revealed post impact? If we knew what would unfold, could we course correct and save lives?

On June 7, 1968, ETA assassinates José Pardines, a Guardia Civil officer. On May 3rd, 2018, a communiqué from the terrorist gang announces the dissolution of its structures. Fifty years of terror, fear, pain, truces, negotiations and 826 deaths lie between the two dates.

Presenter Rob Bell takes us on a voyage around Britain and Ireland to reveal the hidden secrets that make offshore lighthouses such extraordinary feats of engineering.

A historical documentary series that proposes to discover the greatest kingdoms and empires of Africa before colonization. A highlight of the legacies left to the world today.

As the UK prepares to go to the polls, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart discuss, dissect and deconstruct the biggest news stories from the campaign trail

This documentary series examines the Einsatzgruppen, Nazis responsible for the mass murder of Jews, Romani and Soviet prisoners in Eastern Europe.

Four-part series following the making of four beautiful objects, handcrafted by companies with a royal warrant.

For the first time ever, experts identify Hitler’s DNA. What do his genes reveal about Hitler's heritage and origins, his neurology and drives?

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.

Conquistadors is a documentary retelling of the story of the Spanish expeditions of conquest of the Americas. In this 4-part series historian Michael Wood travels in the footsteps of the Spanish expeditions, from Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, and from the deserts of North Mexico to the heights of Macchu Picchu.

When Esther vanishes without a trace, her family is able to piece together her last movements thanks to José Jurado Montilla, a traveler who journeys across Spain sharing heartfelt videos of his trips on his TikTok account. But “Dynamite” Montilla – the last person to have been with Esther – hides a dark past

The team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Norfolk deals with everything from hearts to hernias, sterilisations to squints – and many operations in between. This series that shows lives being changed right in front of viewers’ eyes. For the first time ever, an NHS day surgery unit, its dedicated staff, and even its beds have been rigged with cameras to give a unique view of what goes on behind ward curtains, inside the anaesthetic room and under the knife.

November 11, 1918. The world emerges from the most horrific conflict ever known. While leaders of the victorious countries design a new world order, traumatized societies struggle to find their footing. In the aftermath of war the Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires fall apart, currencies fluctuate wildly, and vast numbers of refugees flee misery. Before long, age-old hatreds, fears, and resentments resurface and drive the world to the brink of a new apocalypse.

After the unprecedented public execution of King Charles I in 1649, his son and heir set out on a relentless campaign to restore the monarchy and pursue all those connected to his father's death. The epic story of bloody revenge during a pivotal period of English history. This is a story about espionage, revenge, power, loyalty, and the moment that changed the landscape of British politics and society forever.

Series about 1990s pop culture.