The film depicts the life and work of opera singer Maria Callas in her own words by using performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs nearly all of which have never been shown to the public.
Maria by Callas reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time. Her letters and unpublished memoirs are read by opera singer Joyce DiDonato. (Click CC for subtitles)

Bob Marley's universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Marley is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revealing interviews those who knew him best.

Trade, and in particular trade in luxury goods, drove the commerce economies of the Bronze Age. This is the time when the first super powers in history, Egypt and Mesopotamia, emerge and dominate the 'world' stage of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas and surrounding areas.

The inspirational documentary account of one man’s pioneering spirit, unswerving tenacity and endless passion, McLaren is the untold story of a motor racing icon. Born in New Zealand in 1937, Bruce McLaren’s determination to make it to the summit of global motor racing circles saw his name become synonymous with the sport; displaying an incomparable will to succeed and desire to better both himself and his burgeoning super brand.
In following a singular dream, McLaren elicited the loyalty, determination and love of family, friends and colleagues to create a dynasty that lives on to this day. Revealing the challenges and adversities faced along the way, including a childhood illness which threatened to alter the path of his life, McLaren is the story of one man’s unfaltering commitment to his vision which will inspire generations of sporting fans.

Professor Simon Schaffer presents the amazing and untold story of automata - extraordinary clockwork machines designed hundreds of years ago to mimic and recreate life. The film brings the past to life in vivid detail as we see how and why these masterpieces were built. Travelling around Europe, Simon uncovers the history of these machines and shows us some of the most spectacular examples, from an entire working automaton city to a small boy who can be programmed to write and even a device that can play chess". All the machines Simon visits show a level of technical sophistication and ambition that still amazes today. As well as the automata, Simon explains in great detail the world in which they were made - the hardship of the workers who built them, their role in global trade and the industrial revolution and the eccentric designers who dreamt them up. Finally, Simon reveals that to us that these long-forgotten marriages of art and engineering are actually the ancestors of many of our most loved modern technologies, from recorded music to the cinema and much of the digital world.

Professor Mary Beard looks beyond the stories of emperors, armies, guts and gore to meet the everyday people at the heart of Ancient Rome's vast empire. In this programme, Mary asks not what the Romans did for us, but what the empire did for Rome. She rides the Via Appia, climbs up to the top seats of the Colosseum, takes a boat to Rome's port Ostia and takes us into the bowels of Monte Testaccio. She also meets some extraordinary Romans: Eurysaces, an eccentric baker, who made a fortune out of the grain trade and built his tomb in the shape of a giant bread oven; Baricha, Zabda and Achiba, three prisoners of war who became Roman citizens; and Pupius Amicus, the purple dye seller making imperial dye from shellfish imported from Tunisia. This is Rome from the bottom up.