History documentaries
Armada: The Untold Story
When Elizabeth I ascended to the English throne in 1558, she rejected Philip II, Emperor of Spain, as a suitor. Thirty years later, he would lead a huge invasion force against her, seeking to depose Elizabeth and bring Protestant England back into the Catholic fold. It was a decision that would define them both.
Historian Dan Snow looks at this monumental time in European history in this European history documentary on the Spanish Armada.
Auschwitz: Nazis & The Final Solution
It was the site of the largest mass-murder in the world – yet few know the full horror of Auschwitz. This landmark BBC Auschwitz documentary series tells the full story of the concentration camp.
With the help of computer graphics, powerful reconstructions and interviews with people who were there including former SS members, Auschwitz: Nazis and The Final Solution explores the horrors of the attempted ‘Final Solution’.
Archaeology: A Secret History
If you don’t think history is a dangerous business, think again. Richard Miles battles heat, ticks and leeches in search of secrets.
People aren’t just interested in the present, we’re intrigued by the past too. Throughout time, humankind has been fascinated by history and the Kings, Queens and ancient civilisations that have come before.
In this three-part archaeology documentary series, Richard Miles takes a journey through history to chart how humans have searched for the truth about the adventures of their antecedents. Travelling from sweltering jungles in Mexico to peat bogs in Scandinavia, he digs deep into ancient secrets to unearth some spectacular surprises.
Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley
In this historical documentary about the Blitz, Lucy Worsley looks at The Battle of Britain and the paranoia that it left behind.
Historian Lucy Worsley explores some of the myths surrounding The Blitz, one of the most devastating bombing campaigns of WWII as Hitler’s Luftwaffe bombed the city of London for many months. The common perception is that Londoners displayed unwavering solidarity, the Blitz spirit that got them through the rest of the war. But, as this BBC WW2 documentary demonstrates, the truth was far more complicated.
This clip is from Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley, watch now on BBC Select. Watch the trailer below:
Belsen: The Untold Story
The untold story of the infamous Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where over 50,000 mostly Jewish people died, primarily from starvation and disease in the last phase of World War II. Featuring powerful new interviews with some of the last remaining survivors of the Holocaust, plus archival audio and video footage, the true horrors of the camp and the Nazi regime are revealed.