Discovery Civilisation The Mystery of the Black Death

In 1347 a mysterious new disease appeared in europe. It's symptoms were unlike anything ever seen before: bright marks on the skin, blood soaked cough, strange swelling the size of an egg, it killed within days. it is estimated it wiped out nearly half the population of europe. for hundreds ofyears this mystery killer continued to terrorize europe devistating towns and villages. The helplessness and the horror still haunts us today. "The nightmarishness of you see your friends and parents dieing your left on your own without anyone to look after you and then you start feeling the same symptoms" But at the end of the 19th century scientists announced that they finally cornered the culprit. Generations have grown up safe in the knowledge that the black death was bubonic plague spread by rats, but now there is new evidence that calls into question the true identity of this lethal killer.   

The Great War 1964 Series by BBC/CBC/ABC & Imperial War Museum

A 26-episode documentary series from 1964 on the First World War. It was a co-production involving the resources of the Imperial War Museum, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series, unparalleled at the time for its depth of research, range of source material and historical accuracy - all presented in a sequence of clear narratives - is now considered one of the finest achievements of BBC documentary. Many of the interviewed participants in the First World War were still relatively young - in their late sixties or early seventies - and their memories are still fresh, vivid and disconcertingly frank, giving the series an honesty and a sense of charting still recent history. For that and many other reasons, it remains arguably the definitive television account of the First World War.   

Hitler’s British Girl

Part of the High Society Series on Channel 4 On September 3rd 1939, 25-year-old English aristocrat Unity Mitford walked into a Munich park and shot herself in the head. Distraught at the prospect of England declaring war on her beloved Fuhrer, Britain’s most notorious Nazi sympathiser seemed determined to make the ultimate act of fanatical devotion. Featuring original testimony and with the release of secret documents from the Home Office and MI5, this programme examines how this archetypal English aristocrat fell under Hitler’s spell and became one of his closest confidantes; spending five years with an astonishing ringside seat as he plotted global domination.

Inside The Forbidden City Secrets

The Forbidden City, for 500 years the capital of the Chinese empire, lies in the heart of Beijing. From 1420 to 1912, it was home to 24 Chinese emperors. More than a residential palace, it was a city within a city, the seat of a vast bureaucratic government that ruled what is now the earths most populated area. Rumoured to have 9,999 rooms, the Forbidden City is the worlds largest palace complex. The palace buildings, constructed almost entirely of wood, have together been recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage site. It was truly a "forbidden" city. For centuries access was denied to all but the emperor, his family and his most senior officials and servants.

The Last of the Hitlers (2006)

Adolf Hitler left no offspring when he died in his bunker in 1945. But he wasn’t the last of the Hitler Blood line or was he? But he wasn’t the last of the Hitler line or was he?. He had a nephew, William Patrick Hitler, who grew up in England, moved to America and had three sons. This documentary tells the story of the brothers, their amazing darkly unique heritage as the last known living relatives of the Facist dictator and their bizarre pact with each other to never have children
in order to sever the bloodline of their most infamous relative. It covers many unanswered questions about the Hitler line.

National Geographic Devil's Bible

It’s a mysterious book that in its day was believed to contain all human knowledge. But why did medieval people believe that the author sold his soul to the devil to be able to write it?  The “Devil’s Bible,” a behemoth volume weighing in at 165 pounds, believed to have been produced by a single monk over the course of decades in the 13th Century, is the focus of this documentary. A complete Old Testament and New Testament, and a collection of a number of secular works besides, the Devil’s Bible is an encyclopedia of medieval knowledge. But it has also been haunted by dark speculation, including that its writing was guided by the devil’s hand.

The Somme

On the morning of June 1st 1916, 120,000 British soldiers, most of them volunteers, prepared to fight the greatest battle of the First World War.  This is the story of the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army told through the letters and diaries of those who were there.  Superbly dramatised and produced documentary with archive footage, great battlefield graphics and moving narration.  At 7.30am on 1 July 1916, British soldiers mounted an attack on German army positions in northern France: the biggest battle mounted by Britain since Waterloo. "The Big Push" was meant to break the stalemate of trench warfare on the Western Front, offer relief to the French at Verdun, and get the war moving again.

The Ancient Skeletons of Peru

In the cloud forests of Peru the stone walls of a mysterious mountain-top fortress rise out of the jungle. These 60-foot walls are filled with the bones of the Chachapoya: the Cloud Warriors, who lived high in the Andes from AD 800 to the mid-1500s. Only after an intense struggle did the powerful Incan empire gain control of the fiercely independent Chachapoya tribes. But did the Inca ever conquer the Chachapoya stronghold of Kuelap? Archaeologists at Kuelap have uncovered hundreds of elaborate burial sites throughout the settlement that reveal tantalising clues about the identity of the Chachapoya people and how and why they built such a massive fortress. But the biggest mystery of all is: why did the entire Chachapoya civilisation abruptly disappear in the 16th century?

National Geographic Lost Kingdoms of the Maya

Long before Columbus, the Maya established one of the most highly developed civilizations of their time in the jungles of Mexico and Central America. Yet this advanced society of priests, astronomers, artisans, and farmers suddenly and mysteriously collapsed more than a thousand years ago. Accompany archeologists to Copan, Dos Pilas, and other spectacular Classic Maya ruins as they unearth artifacts and huge temples of incredible beauty. Recently deciphered hieroglyphics and other new discoveries offer astounding clues to the lives of these ancient people. You'll hear the startling story of one kingdom's downfall and its final desperate hours of violent warfare. Through spine-tingling recreations, witness ancient rituals reenacted on sites where they originally occurred. And meet the enduring Maya who still maintain many of their ancestor's traditions. You'll hear the voices of a magnificent civilization as you uncover Lost Kingdoms of the Maya.

Eat Like A King

The meals of King Henry VIII of England were among the most fantastic ever created. Henry consumed meals of dolphin, songbird and enjoyed intricate puddings molded from sugar. Based on astrology as much as taste Tudor food included elaborate jellies made from deer antler even alcoholic spirits flavored with pure gold. From their great palaces the Tudor monarchs were served extravagant meals that combined the outrageous with the every day, helping to shape the way we eat and taste to the present day. As we journey back in time to the 16th century we will discover the secrets of royal cuisine and reveal a meal fit for a king.

The Real Sopranos - The DeCavalcante Family

This is a British documentary about the real-life New Jersey Mob often dubbed the Real Sopranos. It traces the similarities between the hit TV series and the brutal real life of the DeCavalcante crime family, including the clubs, scams and heists. It also reveals how they were fans of the television series, and how this actually led to their downfall.

Warrior Women with Lucy Lawless

Lucy Lawless hosts 5 one-hour episodes in this documentary series produced by October Films production - Discovery Networks Co-production This series of five films bring to life History’s most charismatic women warrior. Shot on location in France, Ireland, Britain, China, and New Mexico, the stories are a heady mix of historical sleuthing and provocative reconstruction brought to the screen by television’s most famous women warrior: Lucy Lawless, star of the television series Xena, Warrior Princess. Each story investigates the intimate, gritty details of the life and times of these real women and celebrates the popular mythology that surrounds them a popularity that has grown exponentially in our zest for Hollywood-sized depictions of these iconic heroines.

The Duke - A Portrait of Prince Philip

 A major two-part documentary series offers a unique and personal insight into the life and work of The Duke of Edinburgh. Over the past six decades as consort to the Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh has been a constant figure in the lives of the British people, a fixed point in a changing landscape. But he still remains something of an enigma. Bombastic and autocratic say his critics. Colourful and stimulating say his admirers. Famous for his so-called gaffes, while some of his initiatives have shown him to be a man ahead of his time, such as The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which has been an outstanding success and imitated around the world. Granted unparalleled access over recent months, ITV has followed the Duke, producing a fascinating chronicle of the solo portfolio HRH has carved out for himself.

Tibetan Book of the Dead - narrated by Leonard Cohen

A Way of Life presents the role of the Tibetan Book of the Dead among the traditional Tibetan Buddhist communities of Ladakh. Filmed in the spectacular heart of the Himalayas where a rich Buddhist culture still survives, cameras document the whole process of the death rituals with readings from the Book of the  Narrated by Leonard Cohen, this two-part series explores ancient teachings on death and dying and boldly visualizes the afterlife according to Tibetan philosophy. Tibetan Buddhists believe that after a person dies, they enter a state of "bardo" for 49 days until a rebirth.

The Great Plague of Cock & Key Alley

Great Plague part of Channel 4 set Plague, Fire, War and Treason: A Century of Troubles

Documentary examining the Great Plague of 1665, one of the darkest moments in Britain's history, when over one-fifth of London's population of 500,000 perished in a matter of months. Much is known of the disaster from the perspective of the largely well-to-do contemporary chroniclers, but this film tells the story from the perspective of the poor through the account of a local councillor who lived a stone's throw from Fleet Street. Shown as part of the Plague, Fire, War and Treason: A Century of Toubles season. In the programme, Dr Champion charts what happened in the months of the Great Plague of 1665, linking film sequences that dramatise life in one London street, Cock & Key Alley, within the City walls. During that time, the authorities virtually abandoned London. The Privy Council fled to the provinces and issued orders from a safe distance. Around 100,000 people died of the 'plague' across the City and suburbs. The parishes, which were responsible for the day-to-day running of London, were left to keep order and provide what care and protection they could. Neighbours in the alley took on new roles as the parish paid them to enforce plague orders. The widow Rebecca Andrews fell sick and was shut into her house along with the orphan she cared for. The blacksmith fitted the locks and another neighbour stood on guard outside. When the gravedigger was infected, his family were shut in with him, but later his son was released to carry on the family trade of burying the dead. The Channel 4 programme is based on Dr Champion's book, London's Dreaded Visitation: The Social Geography of the Great Plague 1665

Britain's Big Freeze

Britain's Big Freeze examines the freezing winter of early 2010, meeting experts and eyewitnesses, revealing dramatic stories from the news and from individuals, and looking at the big freezes of 1947, 1963 and February 2009: just how does 2010 compare? The documentary asks what has happened, why has it happened, what have the consequences been, and should we expect these conditions in British winters to come?

National Geographic Channel Witch Hunter's Bible

For the first time ever, an international investigation team joins forces to unravel the mysteries of the Malleus Maleficarum, or Hammer of Witches. Written in 1486, this infamous medieval manual changed the way the Western world saw evil. With detailed instructions on how to find, prosecute, and punish witches, the Malleus inspired centuries of accusation and bloodshed on both sides of the Atlantic.