How did a small island once rule over a quarter of the world's population? This shared history still shapes us today - and billions of people are part of its story.
Social & External
Presenter
See the real modern-day Amazonia through an exploration of the Amazon Basin, meeting a different group of people who live there in each episode.
Series in which intrepid presenter Kate Humble follows the ancient frankincense trade route of Arabia across the amazing modern world of the Middle East. Kate's journey along the 2,000-mile trail that first connected the Arab world with the West takes her on a quest that's steeped in history, searing with desert heat, and full of characters and adventure.
Jonathan Meades gives a personal perspective of British history.
Empire is a major five-part series presented by Jeremy Paxman. It tells the story of the British Empire in a new way, tracing not only the rise and fall of the empire but also the complex effects of the empire on the modern world – political, technological and social – and on Britain.
A showcase of the wonders, secrets and fragilities of the Americas, narrated by Tom Hanks.
Follow Marc Fennell on a globe-trotting, emotional quest for the truth as he unravels the twisted mysteries behind six iconic and priceless objects taken by the British Empire and meets those who want them back.
The long and storied history of the French warrior monks who fought in the Crusades, formed a powerful banking empire in Europe and collapsed under the weight of rumors that they had captured both the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant.
Archaeologists are making new discoveries about life during the glory days of the Roman Empire.
This four-part series explores the history of science fiction in the atomic age. It looks at the creation of the atomic bomb by Robert Oppenheimer and others, the Cold War, and the many varieties of science fiction expression in all media.
The story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four American towns. The war touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America and demonstrated that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.
The Racing Years is the first ever race-by-race, week-by-week, month-by-month summary of all the major international motor sport events & legends. Travel with us from Continent to Continent as we revisit the excitement, glory, crashes, close-calls, heartaches and milestones from early days of motor racing to now. Each half hour episode covers one Racing Year of major motoring milestones.
Swaraj is a docu-drama series that celebrates 75 years of Indian independence. It features the lives and sacrifices of lesser-known heroes of the freedom struggle. The show bring to life the stories of unsung heroes who sacrificed and fought for India over 450 years of freedom struggle but remain unheard and unknown to this day despite their untold sacrifices.
To help celebrate ITV's 60th anniversary Britain: Six decades of British life are recalled through archive footage, telling the story of the nation in a mosaic of clips from news programmes and documentaries. As Seen on ITV tells the story of our changing nation through extraordinary real-life footage seen on our screens over the last 60 years.
Bharat ki Chhap chronicles the history of science in India, from the Stone Age to independent India and the present.
The 3-part documentary series The Irish Civil War tells the epic and often challenging story of the origins, conflict and legacy of the civil war that took place in Ireland in 1922 and 1923. Narrated by Brendan Gleeson, produced in partnership with University College Cork by RTÉ Cork as part of the Decade of Centenary commemorations and based on UCC’s “mammoth and magnificent” Atlas of the Irish Revolution, this documentary series features extensive archive film footage, photographs and materials, interviews with leading academics, archive interviews with contemporary participants and witnesses, firsthand witness accounts read by actors, detailed and dynamic graphic maps based on those featured in the Atlas of the Irish Revolution, and stunning cinematography of the very locations where events took place.
In keeping with the original project, this series seeks to reframe the country's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.