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The Last Dance Episode IX

   2020    Culture
In 1998, the series against the Indiana Pacers of Reggie Miller was the hardest play-off The Chicago Bulls had. In words of Michael Jordan: 'They were big, strong, physical. If I had to pick a team that gave us the toughest time in the east, Indiana was probably the toughest.'
In 1997, The Bulls face a stiff challenge to their reign against the Utah Jazz. The day of the fifth game of the final series, tied at two, Michael Jordan suffered food poisoning but tried to play the game. Role player Steve Kerr makes his mark on the dynasty.
Series: The Last Dance

Humboldt Epic Explorer

   2020    History
In 1799, the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt embarked on a perilous journey of discovery across South America. It would take him to the deepest jungle near the Orinoco and to the heights of the Andes. His aim was twofold: to conduct the first scientific survey of South America and to discover how the natural world actually works — at a time when most scientists believed that the world was created less than 6,000 years ago. He later became a leading scientific figure and champion of the abolitionist movement in the US.
This extremely visual docudrama follows Humboldt’s extraordinary path. Travelling in Humboldt’s footsteps is historian Andrea Wulf, whose book on Humboldt became a worldwide bestseller. For good reason, since Humboldt’s ideas on the planet’s fragile web of life are as important today as they were 220 years ago.

From Pictures to Words

   2020    History
We take it for granted, but every time we pick up a pen or type on the keyboard, we are employing the most powerful technology ever invented: the technology of writing. Explore how the invention of writing gave humanity a history. From hieroglyphs to emojis, the series is an exploration of the way in which the technology of writing has shaped the world we live in.
The invention of writing about 5,000 years ago made civilization itself possible, and every innovation of the modern world is based on the foundation of the written word. But how and where did writing begin, and who began it? In From Pictures to Words, the first of three films about the history of writing, we uncover the hidden links between all the diverse writing systems in use today and trace the origin of our own alphabet to a turquoise mine in the Sinai Desert and a man riding a donkey whose name was Khebded.
Series: The Secret History of Writing

Southern Patagonia

   2020    Culture
Episode 3 continues to show the obstacles faced with charging electric bikes in remote places, but Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman start to learn and evolve their process. The risk of cold temperatures is high but they bravely do it anyway. The duo is having a hard time of it out there but, thankfully, the scenery is absolutely stunning. Heading through Patagonia, Ewan and Charley stay at an eco-lodge in one of the world’s remotest areas with people that live off the grid.
Series: Long Way Up

Words on a Page

   2020    History
Writing itself is 5,000 years old, and for most of that time words were written by hand using a variety of tools. The Romans were able to run an empire thanks to documents written on papyrus. Scroll books could be made quite cheaply and, as a result, ancient Rome had a thriving written culture. With the fall of the Roman Empire, papyrus became more difficult to obtain. Europeans were forced to turn to a much more expensive surface on which to write: Parchment. Medieval handwritten books could cost as much as a house, they also represent a limitation on literacy and scholarship.
No such limitations were felt in China, where paper had been invented in the second century. Paper was the foundation of Chinese culture and power, and for centuries how to make it was kept secret. When the secret was out, paper mills soon sprang up across central Asia. The result was an intellectual flourishing known as the Islamic Golden Age. Muslim scholars made discoveries in biology, geology, astronomy and mathematics. By contrast, Europe was an intellectual backwater.
That changed with Gutenberg’s development of movable type printing. The letters of the Latin alphabet have very simple block-like shapes, which made it relatively simple to turn them into type pieces. When printers tried to use movable type to print Arabic texts, they found themselves hampered by the cursive nature of Arabic writing. The success of movable type printing in Europe led to a thousand-fold increase in the availability of information, which produced an explosion of ideas that led directly to the European Scientific Revolution and the Industrial Revolution that followed.
Series: The Secret History of Writing

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

   2020    Nature
One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement. In his 93 years, David Attenborough has visited every continent on the globe, exploring the wild places of our planet and documenting the living world in all its variety and wonder. Now, for the first time he reflects upon both the defining moments of his lifetime as a naturalist and the devastating changes he has seen. Honest, revealing and urgent, this film is a powerful first-hand account of humanity's impact on nature and a message of hope for future generations.
Ancient Apocalypse

Ancient Apocalypse

2024  History
Our Universe

Our Universe

2022  Nature
Our Planet

Our Planet

2019  Nature
The Story of the Jews

The Story of the Jews

2013  History
Leaving Neverland

Leaving Neverland

2019  Culture
Turkey with Simon Reeve

Turkey with Simon Reeve

2017  Culture