8 Days That Made Rome

Award-winning historian and host, Bettany Hughes, travels across the Roman world in this eight-part landmark history of ancient Rome. Across the series we explore eight key days that define the Roman Empire's remarkable success, and the series of events which would ultimately culminate in the end of Rome’s republic.

The Real Hunt For Red October

This two part docu-drama reveals, for the first time, the astonishing secret story behind the Russian submarine, Red October. The blockbuster movie The Hunt for Red October tells the story of a rogue Soviet nuclear submarine attempting to defect to the US while being hunted by both the American and Soviet Navies. Based on the best-selling novel by Tom Clancy, it reveals the technology, drama and character of an underwater battle. What few realise is that the book and film were inspired by a classified nuclear confrontation that some believe changed the course of world 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?

Buried Evidence

This groundbreaking series uncovers the world’s most extraordinary archaeological discoveries, from legendary treasures and lost temples to cursed graves. Each episode explores three remarkable finds, revealing their hidden secrets and how they’ve transformed our understanding of history. With stunning 3D reconstructions and immersive storytelling, viewers are transported back through time as historians and scientists decode evidence and spark bold new theories. Fast-paced and visually spectacular, the series shows how buried wonders continue to shape our view of the past and the world we live in today.

Canada 1812: Forged In Fire

It may be the most misunderstood war in history. When Americans and Canadians needle each other over a few beers, both sides say the other started it; Canadians say the Americans were trying to take over Canada, Americans say they were trying to fight British oppression. Both sides claim victory. But one thing is certain: no event did more to affect the course of two nations – the fledging United States of America, and the soon-to-be-established Canada – than the War of 1812. Through six central characters, this series explores the events that unfolded in the different arenas and social spheres to shape the true north strong and free.

Mao’s Cold War

Mao’s Cold War is a stunning and unique historical angle on China’s involvement in the Cold War, told through the declassified top-secret Chinese army film record of their campaigns. There are always two sides to every story, and the PLA archive combined with first person accounts and expert commentary paints a far more complex picture of the Cold War than has ever been told before.

Tut's Treasures

Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 made headlines across the world sparking a global frenzy for Ancient Egypt. Over the decades since the find, many of the pharaoh’s priceless grave goods have disappeared into museum basements and archives across Egypt. Now all 5,398 objects are being reunited for the first time since their discovery at the new Grand Egyptian Museum. Many have never been seen before but together they shed new light on the short, eventful life of the so-called ‘Boy King’ and are now helping experts realise the sheer scale of Tutankhamun’s influence in the ancient world.

Unsinkable: Japan's Lost Battleship (Musashi)

How did this unsinkable giant go down so fast? Was it overwhelming American air power? Or a fatal design flaw? Musashi was literally the King Kong of the sea— the largest and most heavily armed battleship of its time. Built in total secret Musashi was finally unleashed in the world’s largest sea battle, which began on October 24, 1944 in the Philippines. Japan’s navy gambled on winning a decisive victory to turn the tide of World War II. Instead Musashi, the pride of the Japanese fleet, ended up at the bottom of the ocean. How did this unsinkable giant go down so fast? Was it overwhelming American air power? Or a fatal design flaw? 70 years later American deep sea explorers and Japanese military experts are determined to solve this 70-year old mystery. But first they must find the missing Musashi.

How The Victorians Built Britain

In less than a century, the Victorians totally transformed the face of industry, technology, transport, communications, medicine, public health, and the home. They built iconic buildings, constructed the Underground, sewers, cotton mills and invented cutting-edge technology. In this exciting series we discover the surprising stories and hidden heroes behind the epic constructions and inventions and find out how their incredible advances forged the way we live life today.

Lost Worlds: Deeper Into The Black Sea

A journey to the depths of the Black Sea yields the greatest series of ancient shipwrecks ever discovered. In 2015, an international team of scientists began a three year exploration of the Black Sea in search of evidence of the ancient empires that sailed their ships into unknown waters in pursuit of trade, treasure and conquest. This documentary captures a series of astonishing discoveries; a treasure trove of shipwrecks uniquely preserved that date back 2500 years to the Greek and Roman empires, culminating in maritime archaeology’s greatest ever wreck. A fully intact Roman wreck, perfectly preserved in the anoxic waters of the Black Sea.