Browse - Most popular history shows

This series journeys into the technological past that shaped our world. Travel back in time to understand the motivations behind early solutions and inventions. Much of the science and technology we consider to be "modern" was created by civilizations long ago.

In Search of the Trojan War followed the successful formula established by his first historical detective series, In Search of the Dark Ages, and firmly established Michael Wood as the most personable of TV historians. Wood is not only a born TV presenter, he's got both the academic gravitas and the narrative skill to craft a compelling mystery from the archaeological, literary and mythological sources. Over six hour-long programs, Wood marshals the disparate strands of evidence to present as fully rounded a portrait as possible of both the historical and the legendary city of Troy, its central place in Western culture, and the Mycenaean Age itself. From Schliemann's initial cavalier bulldozing of the mound at Hisarlik, to Homer's epics, the Hittite Empire, and the role of slave women, Wood journeys back and forth across the Aegean and elsewhere, from a pre-unification Berlin to Liverpool, to illuminate the dawn of Western literature, myth, and history. Did the Trojan war ever happen, or was the city destroyed by natural causes? Wood doesn't claim to find a definitive answer, of course, but for the viewer it's rewarding enough simply to accompany him on this fascinating journey.

Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch - one of the world's leading historians - reveals the origins of Christianity and explores what it means to be a Christian.

Casting new light on long-lost empires.

When the Fallon Photo Library curator and an American developer go head to head, 10 million unique pieces of British history hang in the balance. An ancient mansion on the outskirts of London is home to a rare and sprawling collection of twentieth century black and white photographs featuring every aspect of human activity imaginable. Also indigenous to the library is a small and eccentric staff, insulated from the outside world and sustained by their passion for the visual treasures they meticulously maintain. But their peaceful livelihood is shattered when their new owner from across the pond arrives and announces his plans to convert the building into an American business college. The collection, an inconvenient obstacle, must be dismantled, sold, and largely destroyed.

Kenneth Branagh presents this six part guide to World War I. Using computer aided technology, this colour series reveals the true reality of the destruction and chaos of the war.

This drama is about the life and love of Jung Yi (Moon Geun Young). She was the first and the best female potter in the Joseon Dynasty period. After she was kidnapped to Japan during a war, she demonstrated the superiority of Joseon potters in Japan.

Two thousand years ago, one civilisation held the entire Western world in its grasp. From Northern Europe to Africa and the Middle East. It imposed laws, ideas and a single language. Rome was the super power of the ancient world. Indeed later super powers never stopped learning the lessons of her spectacular rise and fall. Rome truly was a colossal empire. During the rise of the Roman Empire, it was not always easy to separate virtue from vice, or hero from villain. Indeed, all too often, they were one and the same.

This is a story of greatness - the story of how a man, matched to a moment in history, becomes a giant. For Winston Churchill, the war made the difference. And what a difference it made.

Leo Tolstoy's tragic story of the love affair between Vronsky, a Russian Count and Anna Karenina, a married upper class woman. Nicola Pagett takes the role of Anna, a young woman who is married to a man twenty years her senior (Eric Porter), and who begins a passionate affair with the handsome Count Vronsky (Stuart Wilson). When she falls pregnant, Anna decides to dissolve her marriage and wed Vronsky, but true happiness proves elusive.

Using detailed and explanatory 3D recreations, re-enactments and interviews with leading international experts, this series brings the Maya civilisation back to life and reveals the mysteries of their greatest achievements: the first urban metropolises in the world.

For 70 years, the Red Army was one of the foundations of the USSR, an instrument of fear as well as admiration, a symbol of liberation as well as coercion.

Out of so many questions of why and how, one still looms large in the 21st century - how could so many people have collaborated with the Nazis before and during World War II, even though the regime under Hitler was rampaging through Europe, ghettoising and exterminating all that stood in its way?

In the sixth year of Tianyou, Zhizong collapses, and the princess Chu Jiu Ling questions her uncle for usurping the throne.After experiencing a series of sudden changes such as family destruction and death, Jiu Ling makes up her mind to find out the secrets of Zezhou, expose the truth about her father's murder, and protect her loved ones.With the help of Zhu Zan, a prince of Chengguo, Jiu Ling persists in helping the world and saving people, and constantly fights against the harassment and attacks of traitors.She establishes Jiu Ling Tang, a medical center, to treat diseases and protect the people.At the same time, Zhu Zan and Qinggui's Ning Yun Zhao, ex-husband Lu Yun Qi, and Fang Cheng Yu, the only son of the Fang family, become involved in a vortex of emotions centered on Jiu Ling.Who is Jiu Ling's true prince? Only destiny and time will tell...

A story that follows a princess with amnesia who meets a prince that did not want to marry her and how they find a place for themselves despite the complications of the time.Crown Princess Rong Le of Western Qi wakes up from a coma with no memories but she becomes suspicious of her real identity due to traces from the past. To form a political alliance with Northern Lin, Rong Le is ordered to marry Prince Wu You who refuses her at the door.With the marriage falling through, Rong Le assumes the identity of a tea house owner and a new name as Man Yao. She begins secretly searching for invaluable books left behind by the Qin Family that are said to bring greatness to a nation. Her path leads her to Wu You who falls for her without knowing that she is the princess he rejected. Yet it may already be too late for him to learn the truth because she is on new orders to marry General Fu Chou of Northern Lin.

The focus of the German-German family history are the twin sisters Chris and Marlene, who met for the first time in their lives at the end of the 1980s. This fateful encounter between the two women not only conjures up their own dreams, wishes and hopes, but also the desire to enjoy life beyond all outer and inner walls.For the first time ever, Berlin's Friedrichstadt-Palast is the setting for a fictional series. (Text: GR)

Narrates faithfully the first 30 years of America's discovery and conquer, from Colon's departure from Spain in 1492 until Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the first travel around the world in 1522.

Documentary series about the robbery against the G4S cash depot hosted in Västberga on September 23, 2009. How did it happen, who was behind and who actually performed the whole thing are questions that still do not have a satisfactory answer. Here is a detailed review of the whole case, with voices from investigators, victims, witnesses and the media.

Features different stories of far-reaching impact involving at times a serious social message, with unique emotions or perspectives.

Lee Kang is an ambitious prince. He falls in love with Sung Ja Hyun. She is a beautiful woman from a prestigious family, but Lee Kang's younger brother Lee Whi also loves her. To have Ja Hyun, Lee Kang wants to become the King ... even if he has to kill his younger brother.

Ice Age Giants is a documentary series which sees Alice Roberts going back 40,000 years looking for the great beasts of the Ice Age. This was the last time that giants like mammoths, woolly rhinos, and sabre-tooth cats ruled the Earth and Alice attempts to reconstruct their lives in incredible detail.

An epic adventure into the stories of the world's most renowned alcohol producers. Each episode focuses on a single drink and its premier maker as they reveal the history, process, and craft that goes into every bottle.

An exploration of how Vladimir Putin deployed his knowledge of spy-craft as a politician, and how modern Russia evolved through an acute sense of betrayal, pride and anger.

An underexposed image is a photograph that captures fewer details in the shadows. In this series, precisely these shadowy aspects of a wide range of topics are brought to light.

The Industrial Revolution changed the world in countless ways - and produced many technical wonders in the process. Seven of the most notable are described here, each one proving that human creativity is as much alive in the modern world as it was in ancient times.