Backdrop fallback

The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

Watch S1E1
2016- 2016
1 Seasons
3 Episodes
0.0(0 votes)
Ended
Documentary

Overview

Dominic Sandbrook takes a fresh look at a dynamic decade. 1980s Britain changed in everything from politics and sport to fashion and popular culture.

Links & Resources

Website

Social & External

Production Companies

BBC

Episodes

No episodes found for this season.

Similar TV Shows

2006

The Real Dad's Army

Using witness testimony, archive and archaeological evidence, this three-part series reveals the untold story of the preparations to defend World War Two Britain by the Home Guard.

TV Series
King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons
7.0
2013

King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons

Michael Wood argues that the most important and influential British kings were a father, son and grandson who lived over a thousand years ago during the age of the Vikings.

TV Series
Brits Who Made The Modern World
2008

Brits Who Made The Modern World

The three-part series tells the story of British architects Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Nicholas Grimshaw, Michael Hopkins and Terry Farrell.

TV Series
Abroad Again in Britain
9.0
2005

Abroad Again in Britain

Jonathan Meades gives a personal perspective of British history.

TV Series
The Railway: Keeping Britain On Track
9.0
2013

The Railway: Keeping Britain On Track

Documentary series revealing the inner workings of Britain's railways, introducing the track-workers, train guards, drivers, police officers and management teams determined to keep the country moving.

TV Series
Portillo's Hidden History of Britain
8.0
2018

Portillo's Hidden History of Britain

Portillo's Hidden History of Britain sees former UK politician Michael Portillo investigating abandoned buildings around Britain.

TV Series
A History of Celtic Britain
2011

A History of Celtic Britain

In four chapters, largely based on and illustrated with archaeological finds and sites, Neil Oliver explains how, as far as is known, the Iron Age Celtic tribes known as the Ancient Britains evolved and entered European civilization. Their internecine tribal phase was warlike and partitioned. Overseas contacts, especially metal trade, brought wealth and progress. Ultimately, it attracted the superior Roman empire, which would conquer and pacify Britain into a province, like Gaul shortly before, but Caesar's invasion wasn't the definitive annexation yet, that was left to emperor Claudius; even afterward some Celtic traits and even rebellions remained.

TV Series
Digging for Britain
6.0
2010

Digging for Britain

Dr Alice Roberts follows a year of British archaeology, joining up the results of digs and investigations the length of the country.

TV Series
Secret Britain
7.0
2010

Secret Britain

Exploring the hidden corners of the UK in search of the best the countryside has to offer.

TV Series
The Great Smog: Winter of '52
6.0
2022

The Great Smog: Winter of '52

Dr Xand Van Tulleken and Raksha Dave investigate the Great Smog of 1952 - the deadliest environmental disaster ever recorded and one of the world's worst peacetime catastrophes. Lasting just over four days, the Great Smog plunged London into a terrifyingly murky gloom - the acrid pollution seeping into homes, leaving Londoners gasping for breath, shutting down transport and emergency services, and overwhelming hospitals and undertakers alike.

TV Series
Notorious London: A City Tour
2021

Notorious London: A City Tour

Notorious London: A City Tour dips into various regions and eras of London's past to give you a multifaceted look at this remarkable metropolis. From the destruction of St. Paul's Cathedral and the dark history of the Tower of London to the chaos of World War II, and beyond, these stories bring London to life across the centuries and illuminate the darker corners of a complex city.

TV Series
Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith
10.0
2026

Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith

From cafes to craft fairs, glamping to ghosts, join Dame Penelope Keith as she meets the owners of Britain’s historic country houses struggling to keep their homes intact. Featured properties include Ashby Manor in Northamptonshire, Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, and Mapperton House in Dorset. As these estates turn to innovative ventures to stay afloat, Keith offers insight into the challenges of maintaining these grand homes in 2025. Will their creative solutions be enough to save their history?

TV Series
My Grandparents' War
7.3
2019

My Grandparents' War

In this four-part documentary series, leading Hollywood actors undertake a fascinating journey into their family's past by re-tracing the footsteps of their grandparents during World War Two. We follow the moving, personal stories of Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Carey Mulligan as they travel to historic locations, from the beaches of Dunkirk to prisoner of war camps in Asia, to learn about the war their grandparents experienced. All of the actors have unanswered questions about the scars war left on their grandparents, and in each episode one of the actors explore how six years changed the lives of their family and the world forever while learning about the life and death decisions that their grandparents faced.

TV Series
The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family
7.5
2021

The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family

Part documentary, part historical drama, this series follows the fortunes of the different members of the Boleyn family, ultimately made notorious for daughter Anne’s marriage to Henry VIII and execution.

TV Series
Trawlermen: Hunting the Catch
2022

Trawlermen: Hunting the Catch

Following on from the earlier series 'Trawlermen', documentary series `Trawlermen: Hunting the Catch' follows fishermen around the clock as they embark on deep-sea fishing trips. From Shetland to Cornwall, and from the North Sea to the English Channel, cameras follow fisherman as they traverse 300,000 square miles of ocean. Each episode follows a different British fishing boat over the course of a single week as they battle the elements and hunt for a catch that will pay off for the skipper and the crew.

TV Series
Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency
7.0
2011

Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency

Historian Lucy Worsley presents a series marking the 200th anniversary of one of the most explosive and creative decades in British history, the Regency.

TV Series
Seven Ages of Britain
8.0
2010

Seven Ages of Britain

Seven Ages of Britain is a BBC television documentary series which is written and presented by David Dimbleby. The seven part series was first aired on Sunday nights at 9:00pm on BBC One starting on 31 January 2010. The series covers the history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over the past 2000 years. Each episode covers a different period in British history. In Australia, all seven episodes aired on ABC1 each Tuesday at 8:30pm from 7 September 2010.

TV Series
Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings
4.5
2012

Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings

Through this three part series Art Historian Dr Janina Ramirez tells the story of the Medieval monarchy as preserved through stunning illuminated manuscripts from the British Library's Royal Manuscripts collection.

TV Series
Time Team
7.4
1994

Time Team

Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on British Channel 4 from 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode featured a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining the process in layman's terms. This team of specialists changed throughout the series' run, although has consistently included professional archaeologists such as Mick Aston, Carenza Lewis, Francis Pryor and Phil Harding. The sites excavated over the show's run have ranged in date from the Palaeolithic right through to the Second World War.

TV Series
Michael Wood's Story Of England
8.0
2010

Michael Wood's Story Of England

Groundbreaking series in which Michael Wood tells the story of one place throughout the whole of English history. The village is Kibworth in Leicestershire in the heart of England - a place that lived through the Black Death, the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution and was even bombed in World War Two.

TV Series

Recommended TV Shows

American Experience
6.5
1988

American Experience

TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

TV Series
History 101
7.1
2020

History 101

Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.

TV Series
Top Gear
8.0
1978

Top Gear

Motoring programme featuring reviews of and reports about cars of all types.

TV Series
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
7.5
2021

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything

In a tumultuous era, 1971 was a year of musical innovation and rebirth fueled by the political and cultural upheaval of the time. Stars reached new heights, fresh talent exploded onto the scene, and boundaries expanded like never before.

TV Series
Civilisation
8.2
1969

Civilisation

Sir Kenneth Clark guides us through the ages exploring the glorious rise of civilisation in western man. Beginning with the bleakness of the dark ages to the present day, we consider civilisation's articulations and expressions in some of man's finest works of art.

TV Series
Doctor Who Confidential
8.2
2005

Doctor Who Confidential

Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The running time of the first two series was 30 minutes, being extended to 45 minutes in the third. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons.

TV Series
Deadly Women
7.9
2005

Deadly Women

This compelling series investigates the motives and m.o. of female murderers. While males are often driven by anger, impulse and destruction, women usually have more complex, long-term reasons to kill.

TV Series
World War II with Tom Hanks
8.1
2026

World War II with Tom Hanks

Explores WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age, examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt, and the human cost of total war.

TV Series
Mysteries at the Museum
8.8
2010

Mysteries at the Museum

Don Wildman unearths relics from the world's greatest institutions to reveal secrets from the past. He examines each artifact to illuminate history's most incredible triumphs, sensational crimes and bizarre encounters.

TV Series
The Planets
8.3
2019

The Planets

Professor Brian Cox explores the dramatic lives of the eight majestic planets/worlds that make up our solar system.

TV Series
The Circus
6.5
2016

The Circus

Come one, come all to The Circus. This real-time documentary series pulls back the curtain on the current political stories, revealing the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines. Key characters and events are presented in real time, as they are happening.

TV Series
The Eighties
7.7
2016

The Eighties

The third installment from executive producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, following in the footsteps of critically-acclaimed series THE SIXTIES and THE SEVENTIES, tackles 10 years shaped by exceptionalism and excess. Like its predecessors, THE EIGHTIES intersperses rare archival newsreel footage, interviews, and comments by historians, journalists, politicians, celebrities and others, painting a perspective-rich picture of a vibrant decade. Episodes examine the age of Reagan, the AIDS crisis, the end of the Cold War, Wall Street corruption, the evolving TV and music scene, and everything in between.

TV Series
The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy
7.5
2023

The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy

Award-winning actor and nervous explorer Eugene Levy steps out of his comfort zone for a whirlwind tour of the world's most beautiful and intriguing destinations.

TV Series
American Masters
7.0
1986

American Masters

American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.

TV Series
Biography
6.7
1987

Biography

Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.

TV Series
The Real History of Science Fiction
7.0
2014

The Real History of Science Fiction

The series heads to the very frontiers of space and science to produce the definitive television history of science fiction, told through its impact on cinema, television and literature, with the help of filmmakers, writers, actors, and graphic artists. Each episode will explore one of the enduring themes of science fiction: time travel; the exploration of space; robots and artificial intelligence; and aliens.

TV Series
The World According to Jeff Goldblum
6.6
2019

The World According to Jeff Goldblum

Through the prism of Jeff Goldblum's always inquisitive and highly entertaining mind, nothing is as it seems. Each episode is centered around something we all love — like sneakers or ice cream — as Jeff pulls the thread on these deceptively familiar objects and unravels a wonderful world of astonishing connections, fascinating science and history, amazing people, and a whole lot of surprising big ideas and insights.

TV Series
Baseball
7.5
1994

Baseball

The history of the sport of baseball in America, told through archival photos, film footage, and the words of those who contributed to the game in each era. Writers, historians, players, baseball personnel, and fans review key events and the significance of the game in America's history.

TV Series
The Nineties
6.9
2017

The Nineties

Hit rewind and explore the most iconic moments and influential people of The Nineties, the decade that gave us the Internet, DVDs, and other cultural and political milestones.

TV Series
Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson
7.4
2021

Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson

Oscar and Grammy Award-winning producer and artist Mark Ronson explores the intersection of technology and musical innovation with his heroes and fellow hitmakers – including Paul McCartney, DJ Premier, Charli XCX, Dave Grohl, and Questlove.

TV Series