Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

August 6th 1945 marked the start of a terrifying new episode in human history. This documentary marks the 70th anniversary of the day when the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by a Boeing B-29 USAF Superfortress bomber, nicknamed Enola Gay after the pilot's mother". Up to 80,000 people - 30 per cent of the population - were killed by the blast and resulting firestorm and over 70,000 were injured. This documentary gives a minute-by-minute account of what happened on that fateful day, through the testimony of people who were there and rarely-seen archive footage from the time. Made on location in Hiroshima and the USA, it features unique interviews with eyewitnesses who have seldom, if ever, spoken about the experience. Several of them are no longer alive, they include the last surviving member of the crew of the Enola Gay - navigator Dutch Van Kirk who died in July 2014.

Sir David Attenborough reveals the findings of one of the most ambitious scientific studies of our time - an investigation into what is happening to our oceans. He looks at whether it is too late to save their remarkable biodiversity. Attenborough explores some of the ways in which we are affecting marine life - from over-fishing to the acidification of sea water. The film also uncovers the disturbing story of how shipping noise is deafening whales and dolphins, affecting their survival in the future.

The deep is perhaps the most hostile environment on earth, at least to us - a world of crushing pressure, brutal cold and utter darkness. We have barely begun to explore it, and yet it is the largest living space on the planet. Scientists already think that there is more life in the deep than anywhere else on earth. This episode takes us on an epic journey into the unknown, a realm that feels almost like science fiction. We discover alien worlds, bizarre creatures and extraordinary new behaviours never seen before. We encounter savage hordes of Humboldt squid hunting lanternfish in the depths and coral gardens flourishing in absolute darkness, with more species of coral to be found in the deep than on shallow tropical reefs. Narrated by David Attenborough.

Laurent Ballesta has yet again challenged himself to a new world record: spend 28 days at a depth of 100 meters to reveal the luxuriant and unknown depths of the Mediterranean.
Because people have been travelling there for thousands of years, this sea is be­lieved to be without secrets. And yet, far below its surface, lie vast unexplored territories, luxurious gardens worthy of the finest tro­pical coral reefs. These natural wonders are inaccessible to the traditional diver, in a twilight zone, between 60 and 120 m, where there’s less than 1% of sunlight. If diving at such depths is always a challenge, staying there is a fan­tasy, a utopia that becomes reality in 'The Deep Med'.

(Click CC for subtitles) Descending to remarkable depths below the sea on one single breath, Alessia Zecchini enters what she describes as the last quiet place on Earth. The Italian champion is determined to set a new world record in freediving, a dangerous extreme sport in which competitors attempt to reach the greatest depth without the use of scuba gear. Freedivers are often subject to blackouts upon ascent, necessitating the help of safety divers like Stephen Keenan, a free-spirited Irish adventurer who fell in love with the sport in Dahab, Egypt.
Having formed a special bond on the freediving circuit, Alessia and Stephen train together to make an attempt on Dahab’s legendary Blue Hole and its challenging 85-foot-long tunnel 184 feet below the Red Sea, their fates inextricably bound together.

To get us in the mood for the launch of the seventh Star Wars film, discover its Definitive History. Documentary taking a behind-the-scene look at how the world's biggest, multi-billion pound movie series came into existence. Featuring rare interviews with Star Wars producers Gary Kurtz and Robert Watts and insights from those members of the creative team who won Oscars making the visual effects. Plus, a few little-known and surprising facts surrounding the film franchise.