History Documentaries

Documentary: Niall Ferguson investigates how western civilization came to dominate the world.

Niall Ferguson takes us on a journey to when the British Empire was the most dominant power on Earth.

Hard-hitting documentary that examines the internal and external threats facing the West. The distinguished cast of scholars and experts trace the penetration of anti-Western ideas and movements into academia, politics and society.

Television and radio presenter Clive Anderson and anthropologist Mary-Ann Ochota explore the island's ancient places and rituals.

Using a combination of documentary and drama, historian Dan Jones tells the story of the War of the Roses - the 30 year civil war between the House of York and House of Lancaster that saw the crown change hands seven times.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb wends her way around the country on the trail of history's most fascinating dynasty.

Niall Ferguson takes you on a historical adventure through the ascent of money, applying fact and opinion throughout.

Niall Ferguson explores the history of social networks, demonstrating how human behavior, disruptive technology and the profit motive can change the world.

Historian Lucy Worsley visits the time of Henry VIII and tells the story of his six successive wives.

Anthropologist, Alice Roberts, and archaeologist, Neil Oliver, embark on an expedition to unravel the enigmatic ancient Celtic civilization; tracing their footsteps across various regions.

Terry Jones hosts this series that looks at the real facts about the Middle Ages and its roots.

A history of the ancient Spartans, featuring historian Bettany Hughes as presenter and narrator.

A series about Henry VIII and his wives, chronicling the ups and downs in his marriages and how they shaped his reign as King and ultimately the face of Britain.

Drama-Documentary in which historian Dan Snow explores the political intrigues and family betrayals between Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Normans that led to the Battle of Hastings.

Neil Oliver, Chris Packham, Andy Torbet and Dr Shini Somara follow the work of archaeologists from around the world who are working on one of Europe's largest digs that is reshaping the map of Stone Age Britain.

Historian Dan Jones explores the millennium of history behind six of Great Britain's most famous castles: Warwick, Dover, Caernarfon, the Tower of London, Carrickfergus, and Stirling.

A documentary charting the birth and growth of the Scottish nation.

The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 is a crucial point in the history of Scotland. To mark its 700th anniversary Neil Oliver and Tony Pollard lead a dig to find the site and using historical accounts recreate events of the 2-day engagement.

Neil Oliver tells the epic story of how Britain and its people came to be over thousands of years of ancient history - the beginnings of our world forged in ice, stone, and bronze.

Docu-drama starring Lily Cole as a young Elizabeth I, featuring dramatic reconstructions of key moments in her life. Presented by historians Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Jones.

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.

Tony Robinson visits various periods in history, literally getting involved in the worst jobs our ancestors had to endure.

Vikings is a documentary series written and presented by Neil Oliver charting the rise of the Vikings from prehistoric times to the empire of Canute.

This documentary explores the ongoing debate about the authorship of the works attributed to Shakespeare. Writers and critics, actors and scholars, including Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, Charlie Chaplin, and many others have struggled to reconcile England's "Star of Poets" with the grain dealer from Stratford. Why?

Christianity slowly emerged from being a persecuted minority to the state religion of the Roman Empire. This episode is a history of the ways believers grappled with a way to depict Jesus. Simple symbolic meaning developed into splendid art and churches.