Biographical documentaries
Picturing Elizabeth: Her Life in Pictures
During her reign, The Queen became the most visually represented person in the whole of human history. From stamps and coins to formal portraits, press photos and snapshots, her image became an integral part of our everyday lives. This documentary explores the stories behind some of the most famous and era-defining pictures and shows how they chart the changing relationship with the monarchy.
A Tribute to Her Majesty The Queen
This BBC film looks back at the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, who has died aged 96. Ascending to the throne at the age of 25 in 1953, she enjoyed an extraordinarily long reign and steered the monarchy and the nation through periods of huge social change. This tribute features interviews with her children, public figures and those who served her during her reign.
Surviving the Holocaust
In a disarmingly frank interview, Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller (now in his 90s) tells his personal story of being a young Jewish man during World War II.
Speaking directly to camera and accompanied by extensive archive footage, he relives his past and draws on intense memories to navigate the extraordinary adventure of his early life which resulted in imprisonment in Auschwitz.
Napoleon
This epic 3-part BBC Napoleon documentary sees Andrew Roberts retrace the footsteps of Napoleon Bonaparte to learn about the life of the legendary French leader.
With access to a unique archive of personal letters, historian Andrew Roberts brings the story of Napoleon vividly to life.
As he retraces the footsteps of the legendary leader, he sheds new light on Napoleon as an extraordinarily gifted military commander and mesmeric leader, whose private life was, contrary to popular belief, littered with disappointments and betrayals.
Rembrandt
He was the most successful artist working in the richest city on Earth – glittering 17th-century Amsterdam. Like a modern-day rock star, he loved to live extravagantly. But money woes, tragedy and rumor soon left Rembrandt’s reputation in tatters. But these controversies spurred the artist on to create some of his most celebrated works.
Simon Schama delves into Rembrandt’s final, scandal-strewn years in this art history documentary.