Explore TV Series

Storyville filmmaker Luke Holland, who has lived in Ditchling on the East Sussex Downs for the last ten years, explores aspects of village life past and present. He begins with a look at how economic uncertainty and the controversial ban on hunting with hounds have adversely affected a local farming family.

Driven by ambition and greed; or in quest of prestige and glory; or searching for a unique brand of personal fulfilment; they deserted their homelands to make journeys never before achieved.

Well-to-do teens are taught the true value of money by swapping their first-class globetrotting getaways for micro-budget breaks in the UK.

Charlotte Uhlenbroek is your guide for a three-part series journeying deep into the tropical rainforest.

Among The Apes gets up close and personal to four of the best known primate species. It features three apes -mountain gorillas, orang-utans and chimpanzees - and baboons, a monkey species living in the woody and grassy African habitats similar to the home of early man.

Heist: Robbing the Bank of England' documents the 1990 Bank of England bond heist which saw a theft of £ 292 million. Hosted my Marcel Theroux, this series will travel across the globe to tell this incredible true story which spanned several continents over three decades, leaving many unanswered questions…until now.

Barra Best ventures into beautiful landscapes in search of wild species, meets some unusual ones on the way, and jumps in with the people making the most of our great outdoors.

Guy Martin sets off on a 1000-mile motorbike trip, exploring a rarely-seen side of modern India as he heads to one of the world's maddest bike races.

The rise and spectacular fall of one of the UK’s most high-profile businesswoman and member of the House of Lords, Baroness Michelle Mone - from rags to riches to a possible jail term.

This documentary series reveals the reality of life on benefits, as the residents of one of Britain's most benefit-dependent streets invite cameras into their tight-knit community

A Seaside Parish is a British television documentary made by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC2 which was first broadcast in 2003. Following the success of A Country Parish, the programme concerns the life of a new incumbent and general parish life in the village of Boscastle and the adjoining district, a picturesque but isolated community in North Cornwall. The Rev Christine Musser and her American husband arrived in Boscastle at the start of that year when she was appointed Priest-in-Charge of Boscastle with Davidstow. The programme was also filmed during the Boscastle flood of 2004. The Boscastle Group has within it six parishes and seven churches, six of which are Grade II listed buildings. The total area covered by the parishes is more than 20,000 acres, although within that large area the total population is only 1,850 people. The Rector of Boscastle is responsible for seven churches in the village and surrounding district: Forrabury, Minster, St. Juliot, Lesnewth, Trevalga, Otterham and Davidstow. The programme was followed by the series An Island Parish in 2007, which focused on the clergy and parishioners of the Isles of Scilly.

Fred Dibnah reveals the genius, the vision and the sheer bloody graft that went into creating some of Britain's greatest national monuments. All six episodes look at Britain's architectural heritage. In 'Mighty Cathedrals' Fred examines the innovations in building techniques which allowed the Normans to build some of the nation's most remarkable cathedrals. 'The Art of Castle Building' has Fred take a look at the castles of the North Wales coastline. 'The Age of the Carpenter' sees Fred learn all about the way that carpenters have used their skills to transform medieval castles into homes. In 'Scottish Style' Fred visits Glamis Castle and learns about the Scottish Baronial Style. 'Building the Canals' has Fred visit Bolton and learn about the construction of the first canals. Finally, 'Victorian Splendour' sees Fred looking at the achievements of architects in the 19th century and discovering the story behind the building of the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben.

Adventurer and journalist Simon Reeve heads to Cuba to find a communist country in the middle of a capitalist revolution. Two years ago Cuba announced the most sweeping and radical economic reforms the country has seen in decades.

Dan Cruickshank retraces pioneering 1920s filmmaker Claude Friese-Greene's route around Britain. Dan travels through Wales and the Midlands to the Lakes.

Antiques dealer Paul Martin goes head-to-head with a rival antiques expert in a series of fun challenges before they see who will make the most money when they auction their goods at the end of each day.

In this three-part documentary series Waldemar Januszczak discovers paintings, sculptures and architecture of the Baroque period. Starting from the square of Saint Peter's Basilica in Italy to St Paul's Cathedral in England.

Jaguar Adventure is a series that follows Nigel Marven to the Pantanal, the world's biggest wetland and home to the planet's largest population of jaguars. Can Nigel realise his childhood dream of coming eyeball to eyeball with a jaguar in the wild?

Professor Jim Al-Khalili tells the electrifying story of our quest to master nature's most mysterious force - electricity. Until fairly recently, electricity was seen as a magical power, but it is now the lifeblood of the modern world and underpins every aspect of our technological advancements. Without electricity, we would be lost. This series tells of dazzling leaps of imagination and extraordinary experiments - a story of maverick geniuses who used electricity to light our cities, to communicate across the seas and through the air, to create modern industry and to give us the digital revolution.

Since rumours of alien spacecraft emerged from Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, UFOs have increasingly been the subject matter of grainy, hand-held, out-of-focus 'proof'. Riddle of the Skies however presents the eyewitness accounts of distinguished scientists and astronauts.

Birding with Bill Oddie was a British TV programme, about natural history, presented by Bill Oddie. Three series were made. Birding with Bill Oddie was only loosely scripted and a lot of Bill's dialogue was spontaneous - he would start to talk and the cameraman would film him. The reason that the viewer almost feels that they are in the hide or on the site with Bill, is that video was used rather than film.

Groundbreaking series in which Michael Wood tells the story of one place throughout the whole of English history. The village is Kibworth in Leicestershire in the heart of England - a place that lived through the Black Death, the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution and was even bombed in World War Two.

Get up close to artists, writers, actors, comedians and poets – and discover both what fires their imaginations and the forces that have shaped their extraordinary lives.

Sir Gerry Robinson helps two families torn over what to write in their wills.

Simon Reeve, author and TV traveller, leads a team of reporters in journeys of discovery to some of the most exotic and extreme locations on earth. Explore blends travel with current affairs to get under the skin of some fascinating countries. Don’t just visit…Explore!

Reveals the engineering secrets built into six modern wonders - from Europe's fastest passenger train and largest luxury cruise ship, to North America's toughest bridge and the world's mightiest heavy-lift aircraft.

A young British couple's dream trip through remote Central America, turns into a chilling nightmare when they are brutally murdered and the trail for their killer goes cold. Four decades later, failed by law enforcement, their family take up the manhunt and make a shocking discovery.

Exploring the 14 mysterious deaths in the UK with alleged connections to Russia over two decades.

Ed Balls travels to America's Deep South to immerse himself in the lives of those who put Trump in power, and learn how this reality TV businessman won them over.

Julia Bradbury follows in the footsteps of guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright by walking across the whole of northern England from the west to the east coast

These unorthodox military innovations were not developed by chance, each was constructed to solve a tactical or strategic problem, such as overcoming Nazi defences on D-Day, mounting a surprise attack over water, or safely moving an agent back and forth across enemy lines. The US smart bomb piloted by live pigeons, a jet pack used by flying soldiers, an incendiary bombing program that used bats released from aircraft, and a giant Catherine Wheel are all covered in this fascinating series. World’s Weirdest Weapons explores never before seen weapons and introduces viewers to the extraordinary people that invented these ingenious devices.

Rick Stein takes an epic culinary journey by sea, down rivers and overland to explore the Far East's diverse food cultures.

British Isles: A Natural History is an eight-part documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and presented by Alan Titchmarsh. Originally broadcast in the UK on BBC1 from September to November 2004, it took viewers on a journey from the formation of what is now the British Isles some 3 billion years ago to the present day, revealing how natural and human forces have shaped the landscape. Each of the 50-minute episodes was followed by a 10-minute short specific to each region of the British Isles. In 2007, the BBC made a companion series about British wildlife called The Nature of Britain, also presented by Titchmarsh. A 3-disc Region 2 and 4 DVD set featuring all eight episodes was released on 29 November 2004. Titchmarsh wrote an accompanying book, also called British Isles: A Natural History, and released by BBC Books on 1 October 2004.

The most famous ship ever and its doomed passengers and crew are brought to life in colour for the first time as the Titanic leaves port, headed for the North Atlantic.

Global travel with nothing but a bum bag. Sharing the realities of 'true minimalist travel' and a choice to live simply. A travel adventure series with a difference, there’s no luggage! ​ Experienced traveller and amateur filmmaker Benjamin Luke Mitchell (Lost Yet Free), explores the possibilities of freedom if one opens up their mind and leaves the backpack behind. No packing or carrying necessary, the philosophy here is to live simply, without restraints. Our curiosities spur the way, and an ultralight approach allow us to access places and global gifts beyond the reach of a big, heavy sack. This is a personal quest, an introspective story about a man learning how to confront that continual feeling of bewilderment. True Minimalist Travel is not full of glamor or celebrations, nor will it show you the top day-trips, tours and sights, but it will uncover the very essence of why we travel in the first place and for each instalment told, it becomes a journey in itself.

The first city of a million was built two thousand years ago. But how did they make Ancient Athens and Rome work without petrol, gas or electricity? Professor Wallace-Hadrill finds out.

Mobeen Azhar investigates how a protest outside an asylum seeker hotel turned into a riot, uncovering a blueprint for a national wave of violence that eight months later would affect us all.

The fox is secretive, spending much of its life out of sight. In this engaging two part special, we explore the life of these often vilified and misunderstood creatures.

Heading to the incredible equatorial country of Colombia, Nigel Marven explores the wild side of South America.

We go on a one month backpacking adventure around Japan. In this 2 part documentary series we travel to Japan for the very first time. Travelling there for one month, starting in Tokyo and then using the Japan Rail Pass to explore the country.

Series following members of the M-Sport WRC team about the trials and tribulations of competing in Rally driving at the highest level.

Racism: A History is a three-part British documentary series originally broadcast on BBC Four in March 2007. It was part of the season of programmes broadcast on the BBC marking the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act 1807, a landmark piece of legislation which abolished the slave trade in the British Empire. The series explores the impact of racism on a global scale and chronicles the shifts in the perception of race and the history of racism in Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia. The series was narrated by Sophie Okonedo.

This series explores the facts and investigates the truth behind the British Redcoat Army's campaign in Zululand during 1879. The war was started by a country at the height of it's imperial powers and prosecuted by an army charged with the responsibility of implementing a policy known as Confederation - a proposal to unite various black and white factions in South Africa under British authority. Interviews, on-location footage and new geological surveys all help to reconstruct the conflicts and give insight into the tactics used in these epic battles.

The two navigators, Ferdinand Magellan and Sir Francis Drake, shared the same ambition: to circumnavigate the globe by ship, in the service of their countries, Spain and England, which hoped to gain political and economic supremacy from the feat.

Wildlife cameraman and presenter Simon King sets off on an adventure to the Shetland Isles to live, through the changing seasons, with his family.

Some of Northern Ireland's most haunted buildings come under the spotlight of paranormal investigators

Dr Sam Willis charts the history of the British outlaws.

The show explores how the role of Family Liaison Officers has become a crucial part of modern policing, particularly after the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. It aims to provide a look at how both families and the police navigate the aftermath of a murder together

An overview of new technologies and social developments in the 21st Century

Docuseries exploring the death of Joanna Simpson, a wealthy heiress who was killed by her husband, a British Airways pilot. The series tracks the case from that first phone call to the tragic discovery of her remains in a shallow grave in Windsor Great Park, to his conviction and the consequences - taking in an acrimonious divorce and the pre-nuptial agreement of a wealthy heiress that was to change British legal history.

Clive Myrie has always wanted to explore the Africa that's rarely see on TV. He gets the chance to live life local-style and discover his family roots as he explores this vibrant land.

It was a time of great bitterness and hatred in Britain - a war that set father against son and brother against brother. The breakdown in relations between a Parliament with a strong purpose and a King who believed in his divine right to rule, set the scene for a series of brutal battles that were truly a struggle for the soul of a nation. The outcome of the English Civil War shaped the course of the nation's history, and laid the foundations of the country as it is today.

Ed Wardle is dropped into the unforgiving Yukon wilderness with just basic provisions and cameras to film himself as he attempts to survive completely alone in the wild.

From ancient Egypt - when the Pharaohs ruled - to Anglo-Saxon England, uncover the origins of the curses surrounding the Bust of Nefertiti, the Staffordshire Hoard and more.

An investigation into the stories of some of Britain’s most infamous children. What led these young people to kill, and could it have been avoided?

Writer and environmentalist, Peter Owen-Jones spends a year in the enchanting landscapes of the New Forest, exploring its wildlife, history and meeting the Commoners, the people whose ancient way of life has helped shape the land since Neolithic times.