Turquie, voyage à la croisée des mondes

For two thousand years, caravans traveled from Xian in China along the Silk Road to Istanbul, a hub of world trade at the time. Julien Berjeaut begins his journey through Turkey on the banks of the Bosphorus. Istanbul, once called Byzantium and then Constantinople, is still a bubbling center of international trade in the 21st century: In the Grand Bazaar, with its thousands of stores, this half-mythical, half-historical past is brought back to life for customers and traders alike.

Nie mehr erste Liga? - Traditionsvereine nach dem Absturz

Documentary about traditional German football clubs after their descent from professional football division.

The Volcano That Changed The World

Unlike what people may think, Krakatoa was not the biggest volcanic eruption in history. More than two hundred years ago, on April 10th 1815, Mount Tambora in Eastern Indonesia became a merciless killer. It unleashed the most deadly volcanic eruption in human memory, wiping out at least 117,000 people. And an entire civilization and its language disappeared. But the killing didn’t stop there. It has now been proven that this eruption could have triggered an extraordinary and little known cataclysmic event: worldwide climate change.

In Search of Dracula

Mark Gatiss explores and celebrates Dracula, an icon of popular culture, asking just why we keep coming back to the count.

Nel nostro cielo un rombo di tuono

Come un padre

Convicts

The short registers a sports spectacle of great importance (probably of soccer). We never see the spectacle itself but the people watching and reacting at the stadium.

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization

It was perhaps the most spectacular flourishing of imagination and achievement in recorded history. In the Fourth and Fifth Centuries BC, the Greeks built an empire that stretched across the Mediterranean from Asia to Spain. They laid the foundations of modern science, politics, warfare and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever seen. This series, narrated by Liam Neeson, recounts the rise, glory, demise and legacy of the empire that marked the dawn of Western civilization. The story of this astonishing civilization is told through the lives of heroes of ancient Greece. The latest advances in computer and television technology rebuild the Acropolis, recreate the Battle of Marathon and restore the grandeur of the Academy, where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle forged the foundation of Western thought.

Les yeux dans les Bleus

This documentary follows the French soccer team on their way to victory in the 1998 World Cup in France. Stéphane Meunier spent the whole time filming the players, the coach and some other important characters of this victory, giving us a very intimate and nice view of them, as if we were with them.

Iron Men

Behind the scenes and with the fans of West Ham United as they move to a new home after 112 years at Upton Park.

Maradona by Kusturica

A documentary on Argentinean soccer star Diego Maradona, regarded by many as the world's greatest modern player.

Leben für den FC Bayern

They do not earn millions, yet they are happy nonetheless: Maria Meissner (87), Josef “Sepp” Schmid (74), and Rudi Egerer (65) have spent most of their lives working for FC Bayern. Maria still cleanses the trophies nowadays, Sepp still washes and prepares the jerseys of the players in the basement, and Rudi is still the bus driver. They are simple people who may have access to the glamorous world of the big stars, but who never wanted to adapt to the ‘modern times’ unconditionally. They have remained side characters and experience their club from a special angle: Being witnesses of the development from a people’s sport to star cult and commercialisation.

The Spectre of Marxism

The impact of Marx on the 20th century has been all-pervasive and world-wide. This program looks at the man, at the roots of his philosophy, at the causes and explanations of his philosophical development, and at its most direct outcome: the failed Soviet Union.

The Figo Affair: The Transfer That Changed Football

This documentary spotlights one of the most contentious deals in football history and the extraordinary player at the center of the storm: Luís Figo.

World War Two: A Timewatch Guide

Professor Saul David uses the BBC archive to chart the history of the world's most destructive war, by chronicling how the story of the battle has changed. As new information has come to light, and forgotten stories are remembered, the history of World War Two evolves. The BBC has followed that evolution, and this programme examines the most important stories, and how our understanding of them has been re-defined since the war ended over 70 years ago.

Football Under Cover

David Asmmann's Football Under Cover documents the hard work involved in setting up an exhibition soccer match, known as a "friendly," between a German girls squad and Iranian women's team. In addition to showing how the two groups come from very different cultures, the documentary showcases what playing the game means to the members of both teams, and displays how passionate the fans of these two squads are.

Mysteries of the Jules Rimet Trophy

Starting with a Nazi plan to steal the Rimet Trophy from Italy during World War II, the story unfolds like a great caper film. Our hero, Ottorino Barassi, a mild-mannered Italian soccer official, tries to protect a valued treasure.

Liverpool FC: 501 Goals

501 goals from 50 of Liverpool's greatest goalscorers. Red's striking legend John Aldridge is your host as he counts down the players and goals that have made Liverpool into the one of the most successful English football clubs.

Black Eagles

The documentary Schwarze Adler (Black Eagles) lets black players of the German national football team tell their personal stories for the first time. What road did they take before they got to where we cheer for them? What hurdles did they have to overcome? What prejudices and racist hostility were they exposed to – and what was it like in the past, what is it like today?

The Viking Sagas

Dr Janina Ramirez travels across glaciers and through the lava fields of Iceland to find out about one of the most compelling of the great Viking stories - the Laxdaela Saga. This hour-long film explores how the unique literary achievements of the Saga writers were possible at a time of such immense cultural, political and religious upheaval.