Secret History of Knitting

Knot just for scarves, discover the world of knitting and its very many uses throughout history - including record and timekeeping, World War II spy coding, and even as a symbol of political revolution. Film archive, cut-out animation, line drawings, graphics, historical art and posters, and re-enactments bring a fresh approach to this fascinating documentary special.

USS Indianapolis: The Last Chapter

This scientific detective story details the discovery of the USS Indianapolis wreck site three and a half miles below the Philippine Sea. The ship’s sinking in the final days of Second World War was the largest loss of life in US Naval history, and the harrowing survival story of 316 sailors drifting in failing life preservers is legendary. The programme combines never-before-seen archival footage and CGI with the moving accounts of the few remaining survivors, testimony of historians and spectacular footage of the well-preserved wreck.

Hitler's British Island

Alderney, a peaceful idyll in the English Channel, a jewel of the British Crown, and home to one of the darkest chapters of Britain’s wartime history. The British Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany for a long five-year period - and the atrocities committed there during that time have taken almost 80 years to come to light. How many did they murder on British soil, and why did no one face justice for their crimes? Using cutting-edge technology, declassified wartime sources and buried government files, the series will shed light on the horrors that unfolded on Alderney during the Second World War, including reports of mass graves and shootings in cold blood. Heart-breaking testimonies from the families of those that suffered provide startling revelations into the scale of the brutality inflicted upon prisoners – many of them Jews – by the SS Death’s Head Unit. Through painstaking research by expert historians and investigative journalists, the series also investigate the true fate of the perpetrators, exposing a series of deceptions at the highest levels of the British government. Nearly a century after these horrifying war crimes, are we finally closer to finding out what truly happened on Hitler’s British Island?

The Black West: A Counter History Of The Wild West

It is one of the West’s most powerful myths. The story of how the American West was won - by great heroes and white men. BLACK WEST tells the flip side of that myth. In 1875, one of four American cowboys was Black—Black sheriffs, Black trappers and Black soldiers. Some were adopted by Native American tribes, while others became slaves. These anonymous heroes were the inspiration for many great Westerns; yet Hollywood has erased them from the silver screen. Pieced together from archives, carefully crafted re-enactments and first-hand historical accounts, BLACK WEST restores these invisible heroes to their rightful place in history.

Should We Bomb Auschwitz?

In April 1944 two men miraculously escaped from Auschwitz and revealed to the world the shocking truth about the Holocaust. When the Allies heard their story they devised a chilling plan: to end the slaughter by bombing Auschwitz. But not everyone agreed the plan should go ahead. Meanwhile the killing machine ground on… and, in Budapest, 800,000 Jews were being held in an old brick factory awaiting transport to Auschwitz. By November, the Allies had decided to bomb the death camp. But by then, it was too late… For the first time on television, we will tell the whole of this incredible story – and ask the biggest moral question of our time: should the Allies have done the unthinkable and bombed Auschwitz?

Inside The Statue Wars

For some, historical figures are great heroes and nation builders. But for a growing legion of others, they are imperialists, racists, and criminals. INSIDE THE STATUE WARS delves into a fascinating, high stakes battle being waged over public memorials and statues. From Indigenous protestors tearing down a statue of Queen Victoria, to students threatening to walk out of schools named after these historical figures, to civic and business leaders spending millions to re-name streets, brands, and buildings, we are living through a momentous re-evaluation of our past. Is it a long overdue reckoning or an over-reaction? Are we rebalancing the narrative to reach a more inclusive future, or is this an activist approach to history in the age of cancel culture?

Israel From Above

ISRAEL FROM ABOVE takes to the skies with the help of drones to explore three iconic landscapes in Israel: Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea. Get a rare look at these fascinating locations and dive into how they evolved throughout history. What incredible natural forces shaped these locations? What historical events took place here? We discover how these landscapes contain hidden signs that reveal important past events and human behavior and how, in turn, they affect the development of the country.

Greatest Discoveries With Dan Snow

Dan Snow travels in the footsteps of some of history’s greatest discoveries; from lost Pharaoh’s tombs, to the revelations of Pompeii, and even the battles to uncover the world’s biggest dinosaur. Dan explores stories of rivalry, ingenuity and determination that led to some of the most important and amazing finds ever made.

Man Made Marvels: Ancient China

Giant Buddha Four times the size of Mount Rushmore and twice as high as Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Leshan’s Giant Buddha is one of the world’s ancient wonders. Crafted over a thousand years ago on an inaccessible site in a place where carving anything should be impossible, the mighty Buddha has survived war, fire, earthquakes and extreme weather. But can it survive the modern world? China's Forgotten City With a history defined by the rise and fall of powerful dynasties and immortalized by some of China’s greatest architectural and engineering innovations, predecessors of modern day Xian have provided a blueprint for many of the world’s great cities. Using the best technology and science available, today’s Xian’s residents are rediscovering and restoring a city laden with ancient man made marvels.

Strangest Things

STRANGEST THINGS takes viewers on a riveting journey to uncover the world’s most remarkable and mysterious objects, hidden away in museums, laboratories, and storage rooms across the globe. Using cutting-edge 3D graphics and the latest technology, the series delves deep into these artifacts, revealing their smallest details and secrets. From ancient relics to bizarre, lost items, STRANGEST THINGS brings forgotten histories back to life, even reconstructing damaged objects to unlock their hidden stories. This series is an extraordinary exploration of the unbelievable, the ancient, and the truly strange.