What's In A Name

A fun and exciting romp through history telling the stories of the names we know best—from perfume to hockey teams and cars to cocktails. What names have worked, why, and what impact have they had? Every episode sets out to help name something new like a newly invented electric car, a mouth-watering chocolate bar, or a baby about to be born! Branding experts and celebrities weigh in - actor George Wendt (Norm from Cheers) gives tips on branding beer, wrestling legends Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan weigh in on punchy monikers in the ring, and musician Randy Bachman gives a young band tips on finding a name that rocks.

Caesar

This is the story of a Roman youth at the end of the republic, Gaius Julius, who, with guts and good fortune reaches the heights of triumph. His story leads us to travel through six countries around the Mediterranean and retell the story of his military, political and love life unravelling. Told in the present tense, CAESAR creates a young hero that viewers can relate to - showing his humanity, struggles, doubts, hopes and flaws - in a way that today’s young audience can identify with. It is the man behind the statue that interests us. The orphan, the civil war outcast, the young impoverished conscript on the frontline, the hostage of pirates in the Aegean Sea, the bisexual lover of a Turkish king, the conqueror of Gaul and of Great-Britain, Cleopatra’s companion in Egypt, etc. This series follows Caesar’s footsteps along the shores of “mare nostrum.” From the Carthage ruins in Tunisia to the Lutece arena in Paris and Antakya’s victory arches in Turkey, we will explore the common history of three continents where the Roman heritage lives on.

The First World War: The People's Story

THE FIRST WORLD WAR: THE PEOPLE’S STORY draws on an extraordinary and little known archive of two hundred interviews with the last survivors from the battlefields and the home front, filmed over the past twenty-five years. Vivid and heart breaking accounts are told from the main theatres of war - such as Passchendaele and the Somme - as well as on the home front where families were devastated by the loss of loved ones. One of the most catastrophic wars in human history is seen and heard as never before, as emotional testimonies are combined with digitally restored WWI footage to tell THE PEOPLE'S STORY.

Britain's Scenic Railways At Christmas

BRITAIN'S SCENIC RAILWAYS AT CHRISTMAS follows the railway workers, volunteers and travellers who share their experiences of Britain’s most scenic railways with both warmth and humour during this festive time of year.

Tombs Of Egyptian Priestesses

A team of Egyptian archaeologists has discovered a previously unknown cemetery that opens a window onto a unique period in the history of ancient Egypt - a time when the country was ruled by rich and powerful princesses, "The God’s Wives of Amun." We follow the excavation of the tombs in real time and witness the discovery of amazing artifacts belonging to these elite women. It was a time when Egypt was ruled by the Kushites from Nubia. To cement their rule, the Nubian kings sent their wives and daughters to rule over their new Egyptian conquests. These women embraced the local culture and religion and became known by the name of the all-powerful Egyptian god Amun. They ruled like kings, but having female rulers empowered women throughout Egyptian society. Through the discoveries in the cemetery, we explore one of the most mysterious periods of Egyptian history, when power was in the hands of women.

Lost Home Movies Of Nazi Germany

Thousands of German attics have become dumping grounds for countless hours of private home movies, left gathering dust for decades. Hidden on these rolls of film is a different story of Hitler’s Third Reich; a private window into the inner most recesses of life in the Nazi Germany – at home during peacetime, but even more astonishingly, from the front lines of Hitler’s wars of conquest. This two-part series delves into these private collections to reveal how ordinary Germans – both civilian and military – recorded the dawn of an empire that they thought would last a thousand years. Ordinary citizens, Party organisations, firemen, local officials and soldiers on the frontline lovingly documented their own lives, exuding both national and domestic pride. However, as Hitler’s plans turned to ashes in the catastrophe of May 1945, much of this footage was hidden away. Now, as the war generation passes away, their children and grandchildren are finding these films and sharing them. What emerges is a candid and engaging look at what life was really like for those living under Hitler’s Swastika.

Mysteries of China

Archaeologist Agnes Hsu, a director of New York-based China Institute goes on a quest to answer some of ancient China’s most beguiling mysteries.

The History Of Britain

Tony Robinson takes a fresh and humorous look at British history ‘from the bottom up’. Instead of the usual stories of the powerful, rich and famous, this is history through the eyes of the common people. Each episode covers a momentous period in British history: the first series covers the Tudors, Georgians, Victorians and World War II, while the second series looks at Roman Britain, the Middle Ages, the Edwardians and the 1950’s.

The Remarkable Miss North

In the late 1800s, Marianne North traveled to the far corners of the world in search of exotic botanical life, paintbrush in hand. This documentary tells the life and adventures of this gifted Victorian trailblazer. Unbound by social convention she embarked on a project to paint the world’s plants, a legacy that is still as mesmerising today as it was when her gallery at Kew Garden was first revealed in 1882.

A Very Royal Wedding

Brought to life through stunning colour archive, and with access to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, this landmark documentary tells the story of how the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip captured the hearts of a nation, and became an extraordinary moment of celebration to help raise the spirits of a world broken by war.