History documentaries
The 100 Days That Defined Modern History
In history, 100 days has frequently been all the time needed to cause a defining moment, or to absorb the shattering impact of a great event. This dramatic documentary series reveals the origins and the consequences of these events, revealing unexpected aspects of some of the pivotal moments in modern history. War, revolution, assassination, and political upheaval are all explored.
The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II
Ludwig II of Bavaria, known as the Swan King or Dream King, spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty. He instigated exceptional, ornate architectural schemes resulting in three breath-taking castles. Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of these fairytale structures. He argues that Ludwig’s castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are extraordinary marvels.
Arabian Adventures
Explorer and adventurer Alice Morrison travels to Jordan and Saudi Arabia on a quest to reveal the secrets of a forgotten ancient empire, that of The Nabataeans. Alice travels to ancient sites to tell the spectacular story of this mysterious civilization–along the way meeting people who are thriving in this remarkable landscape today.
Britain's Human Zoos
In a shocking and emotional expose, novelist Nadifa Mohamed reveals how African people were trafficked to Western countries for entertainment and experimentation. Starting in the 1890s, millions of Europeans and Americans encountered ‘native’ Africans for the first time in so-called ‘human zoos’. This deeply strange but once hugely popular enterprise has been all but forgotten. Until now.
Nazi Killing Fields
March 1945 and for the Germans, the war is long lost. But a special unit of the SS orders a massacre of wandering forced laborers, which resulted in 208 murdered men, women and children left buried in the Arnsberg Forest. It was a war crime that was never fully resolved and is largely forgotten. But as this unflinching history documentary reveals, it continues to have an effect today.