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Age of Extremes

   2017    History
Lucy Worsley continues her journey through Russia in the footsteps of the Romanovs, the most powerful royal dynasty in modern European history. In this episode she examines the extraordinary reign of Catherine the Great, and the traumatic conflict with napoleonic France that provides the setting for the novel War and Peace. At the magnificent palace of Peterhof near St Petersburg, Lucy charts the meteoric rise of Catherine the Great, who seized the Russian throne from her husband Peter III in 1762 and became the most powerful woman in the world. Catherine was a woman of huge passions - for art, for her adopted country (she was German by birth) and for her many lovers.
Catherine expanded her empire through military victories overseas, while at home she encouraged education and introduced smallpox inoculation to Russia. But Catherine struggled to introduce deeper reforms, and the institution of serfdom remained largely unchanged. Lucy explains how this injustice fuelled a violent rebellion. Nevertheless, Catherine left Russia more powerful on the world stage than ever. But all she had achieved looked set to be undone when Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. Lucy relives the pivotal battle of Borodino, when the Russian army finally confronted the French forces; the traumatic destruction of Moscow; and, under Catherine's grandson Alexander, the eventual victory over the French that provided the Romanov dynasty with its most glorious hour.
Series: Empire of the Tsars

The Spy in Your Mobile

   2023    Technology
Immerse yourself in the enigmatic realm of global cybersecurity with this riveting documentary that navigates the operations of the NSO Group. As a private entity leading the charge in cyber intelligence technologies, Group's flagship spyware, PEGASUS, ignites international debates on surveillance and privacy rights. Delve into the clandestine layers of this contentious group and witness firsthand the intricate, and often unsettling realities of contemporary cyber surveillance.
The film scrutinizes the formidable and unnerving Pegasus spyware, retailed by the Israeli NSO Group, and employed against journalists, activists, and even entire governments. The ensuing tensions and frustrations create a drama that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Prepare to be enthralled by this real-life cyber saga; it's an exploration you won't want to miss.

What a King Should Know

   2012    History
Dr Janina Ramirez shows how medieval manuscripts gave power to the king and united the kingdom in an age of plague, warfare and rebellion, discovers that Edward III used the manuscripts he read as a boy to prepare him for his great victory at the battle of Crecy and reveals how a vigorous new national identity bloomed during the 100 Years War with France. In the British Library's Royal Manuscripts collection Dr Ramirez finds out that magnificent manuscripts like the Bedford Hours, taken as war booty from the French royal family, were adapted for the education of English princes. She also explores how knowledge spread through a new form of book - the encyclopaedia.
Series: Illuminations: the private lives of medieval kings

Hell

   2014    History
1916. The war is raging in Europe and stretches from the trenches in France to the Italian Alps and the Balkans, and beyond to the gates of the Eastern world. The conflict becomes industrial, and millions of shells rain down on the battlefields; Verdun and the Somme are the deadliest battles in this second year of the war. Who can stop this infernal machine?
Series: Apocalypse: World War 1

Fear

   2014    History
The French army stops the German advance at the battle of the Marne, while the Germans halt the Russians at Tannenberg on the eastern front. In France, the warring parties dig themselves in for 4 years in the trenches. Soldiers from the colonies come lend a hand to their colonizers and the war becomes global.
Series: Apocalypse: World War 1

Neanderthal 2

       History
Long ago, two species of human beings coexisted on Earth until competition drove one of them to extinction. This program, set in the southwest of France 35,000 years ago, reconstructs the life in the Neanderthal world at the time Cro-Magnons first entered the scene. All aspects of Neanderthal clan life are examined, including tool- and weapon-making, hunting and gathering, health and healing, childbirth, rituals, and making fire. Footage of skeletal remains and the scholarly research of eminent paleontologist Chris Stringer and Oxford University's Paul Pettitt support the documentary.
Series: Neanderthal
Clash of the Gods

Clash of the Gods

2009  History
How to Change Your Mind

How to Change Your Mind

2022  Medicine
Ancient Apocalypse

Ancient Apocalypse

2022  History
The Story of the Jews

The Story of the Jews

2013  History
The Sky at Night

The Sky at Night

2024  Science
Wild Isles

Wild Isles

2023  Nature
Out of the Cradle

Out of the Cradle

2019  History