Explore TV Series

BBC series exploring cultures around the world.

Michael Palin attempts to copy the exploits of fictional character Phileas Fogg, by trying to travel around the world (without flying) in 80 days.

An 8-part essay film chronicling the history of cinema, examining the history of the concept of cinema and how both relates to the 20th century.

The challenging and spirited early life of cinema's first great comedic artist, Charlie Chaplin, is portrayed. The innately talented young Charlie must overcome a wayward life of poverty and familial chaos to reach the pinnacle of stardom.

A 13-part documentary series by Chris Marker examining how ancient Greek ideas continue to shape modern Western thought. Each episode centers on a single Greek word—such as “democracy,” “philosophy,” or “mythology”—through conversations filmed in cities around the world. Combining symposium-style discussions with archival footage and visual motifs of the owl, Marker creates an expansive reflection on the enduring legacy of Greece.

Reporter Azade Celik and top photographer Pit Wilkens work for a magazine. A plane crash puts the unequal pair on the trail of the news dealer Nielsen. Nielsen offers highly explosive material about planned terrorist actions.

David Attenborough presents a series on fossils and palaeontology.

Ten programs filmed across Europe explore the history of European art through masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting. The series spans from Greek and Roman art to Christian, Byzantine, and Gothic styles, followed by the Baroque, Rococo, and the artistic movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.

"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).

Keith Floyd, known for his television programmes and books combining cookery and travel, goes on a gastronomical pilgrimage to explore the cuisine of the United States of America.

A series of 13 episodes about the history of comics. It narrates, in a documentary and chronological manner, the birth, trajectory, and evolution of comics.

The series shows the daily life of a Turkish family in Germany and focuses on their problems which arise in part from an inadequate command of German language and its relation to Turkish and German neighbors. The Korkmaz family consists of a mother Pembe, mistress of the house, father Dursun, daughter Hatim, the problem child Cengiz, and the youngest daughter Sanem.

For five days in February 1989 the BBC Railwatch camera team followed British Rail staff in a live to air broadcast on the occasion of the electrification of the Eastern Coast Main Line from London to York.

Shashi Kapoor presents a history of the Hindi film industry from its roots in 1913 to the 1980s, illustrated with clips and interviews.

Series of four programmes in which writer John Berger and photographer Jean Mohr question the nature and practice of photography. GB. Annalogue, for the BBC. BBC2 tx 07/05/1989 - 28/05/1989

Two-part documentary celebrating the 75th anniversary of what was once the biggest film production centre outside Hollywood: Elstree.

Eight country-by-country accounts of the origins of the Second World War.

1989 two-part documentary following the progress of 29 men who want to become Royal Marine Officers.

A BBC series which delves into the world of British military tradition.

Set in 2050, social journalist James Burke looks back at events of the world from the dawn of civilization and shows how climate change has affected human history. At the point of the Industrial Revolution, humans began to do things to the climate, rather than the other way round. When he brings us up to date (1989), that is when the predictions begin. From Kyoto to the two Gulf Wars, Burke accurately predicts many of the events that have taken place so far. His predictions have been sound, even to the tune of carbon credits and climate change agreements. Using virtual reality computer simulations, Burke traces the Earth's history of ice ages and warming trends and presents several possible scenarios caused by the greenhouse effect during the 1990s to 2050.