Princess Margaret: The Rebel Royal

Private Lives of the Monarchs

Tracy Borman reveals the intimate details of the monarchs, to find out what really went on in their private lives.

8.5

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The BBC’s Platinum Jubilee coverage 2022 including: The Queen’s Birthday Parade Trooping the Colour, A Service of Thanksgiving, Party at the Palace and Platinum Jubilee Pageant

2012

She-Wolves: England's Early Queens

Historian Dr Helen Castor explores the lives of seven English queens who challenged male power, the fierce reactions they provoked and whether the term 'she-wolves' was deserved.

Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War

7.0

2013

Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War

The Hundred Years’ war between England and France gave us the victories of Crecy and Agincourt, and made the reputations of Edward III and Henry V. It gave France a national heroine in Joan of Arc. But, even now, the jury is out as to its causes and outcome. Was it the final swansong of a redundant knightly class whose only reason for being was to fight? Was it a battle over ever more important territory to the emerging economies of England and France? Or was it the painful birth of two distinct national identities, forged through their long and violent divorce? Dr Janina Ramirez guides us through the stories of kings, great knights, bloody battles and cultural triumphs of this momentous conflict.

6.7

Lucy Worsley Investigates

Lucy Worsley re-investigates some of the most dramatic chapters in British history. She uncovers forgotten witnesses, re-examines old evidence and follows new clues.

Michael Portillo's 200 Years of the Railways

Michael Portillo celebrates the modern railway’s 200th birthday, revealing the journey that changed the world.

9.0

2005

Abroad Again in Britain

Jonathan Meades gives a personal perspective of British history.

7.3

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.

Spying on the Royals

This 2-part documentary series reveals the truth about King Edward VIII's affair with American divorcée Wallis Simpson, and the espionage operation that accompanied the investigation.

Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain

2009

Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain

Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain is a 2009 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers the period of British history from the death of Queen Victoria to the end of the Second World War. It was a follow-up to his 2007 series Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain.

Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking

Happy birthday! Mary Berry is joined by famous friends to share memories and recipes. Celebrating the joy of food, they'll revisit old favourites and discover new delicious dishes.

5.0

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.

6.0

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.

Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall

7.5

2019

Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall

Two-part landmark observational documentary with privileged access to Prince Charles and his private domain, the Duchy of Cornwall.

What's the Monarchy For?

David Dimbleby examines the power, wealth and survival of the institution at the heart of our national life: the monarchy.

Secrets of the Royals: Births, Marriages and Deaths

Royal Births, Marriages, and Death is a captivating new ten-part documentary series featuring a dynamic and fresh cast of contributors with specialist expertise, extraordinary archive, ancient documents that reveal incredible insight. This stunning new series tells the story of a thousand years of monarchy through these powerful and pivotal moments.

Diana: One Day in Paris

Explore the tragic death of Princess Diana on the 30th anniversary of that paparazzi car chase through a Parisian motorway tunnel.

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.

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.

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.

Recommended TV Shows

7.1

2020

History 101

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

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.

5.8

Harry & Meghan

From their courtship to their exit from royal life, Harry and Meghan share their complex journey in their own words in this docuseries.

7.6

2001

How It's Made

Have you ever wondered how the products you use every day are made? How It's Made leads you through the process of how everyday products, such as apple juice, skateboards, engines, contact lenses, and many more objects are manufactured.

6.4

2019

Leaving Neverland

Explores the experiences of James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who were both befriended and sexually abused by singer Michael Jackson, and the complicated feelings that led them both to confront their experiences.

7.5

2018

Explained

This documentary series, made in partnership with Vox, explain some of the world's current trends, from politics, to science to pop culture.

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything

7.6

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.

6.3

Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On

Porn has gone mainstream; the question is, can we handle it? This exploration of the intersection of sex and technology is told through the stories of the people whose lives are defined by the current explosion of internet porn-whether they're creating it, consuming it, or both.

7.4

2016

Barbarians Rising

Told from the perspective of the rebel leaders, the series chronicles a wave of rebellions against absolute power by those the Roman Empire called “barbarians” – tribes they viewed as beyond the fringe of civilization that lived a brutish and violent existence. But these also were men and women who launched epic struggles that shaped the world to come with a centuries-long fight to defeat the sprawling empire.

7.9

1978

Top Gear

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

7.8

JANET JACKSON.

The documentary takes viewers through Janet Jackson's life and career, contain never-before-seen footage, and feature home videos from the legendary artist. Jackson discusses her controversial 2004 Super Bowl halftime show performance with Justin Timberlake, her father Joe Jackson, the death of her brother Michael Jackson, and more.

7.8

2024

Worst Ex Ever

From chilling betrayals to murder plots, this true-crime docuseries dissects the dark side of love through eyewitness testimonies.

8.3

2020

The Last Dance

A 10-part documentary chronicling the untold story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty with rare, never-before-seen footage and sound from the 1997-98 championship season – plus over 100 interviews with famous figures and basketball’s biggest names.

7.2

2021

Behind the Attraction

Learn how popular Disney attractions and destinations came to be, how they have changed over time, and how fans continue to obsess over them.

8.5

2023

Planet Earth III

Journeying to the far reaches of our planet, this eight part series follows some of the world's most amazing species, telling extraordinary stories that are dramatic, thrilling, funny and sometimes heart-breaking, but always full of hope.

7.5

2023

Robbie Williams

After 25 years of his record-breaking solo career, Robbie looks back on his younger self and reflects on a lifetime spent in the spotlight.

7.3

2018

Drug Lords

Witness the stories of history's most notorious kingpins, their terrifying enforcers, and the men and women who've sworn to bring them down.

8.1

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.

8.2

Mind Field

Explore the surprising things we know (and don’t know) about why people are the way they are through expert interviews, rare footage from historical experiments, and brand-new, ground-breaking demonstrations of human nature at work.

6.7

2018

Medal of Honor

Honoring service members whose courage merited the awarding of a Medal of Honor, this docudrama series re-creates their inspiring true stories.