The remarkable story of a great thinker who helped to form a nation and shape the world.

Over 2,500 years ago, one man devised a way of thinking that still shapes the most powerful and populous nation on earth.
He was Confucius, one of history’s most influential men. But who was he and why do billions of people still follow his teachings?
This stunning documentary explores the life and times of Confucius and demystifies his ideas. We all want to understand China and through Confucius we can.
Watch Confucius and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.
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history

Bacchus Uncovered: Ancient God of Ecstasy
What does Bacchus, the ancient god of wine and excess, have in common with Jesus Christ?

Genius of the Ancient World
The original free thinkers. The stories of the Buddha, Confucius and Socrates.

Mars Uncovered: Ancient God of War
What can the ancient, immortal, Roman god Mars teach us about warfare in the modern age?

Venus Uncovered: Ancient Goddess of Love
Forget everything you thought you knew about the frequently nude, love goddess Venus.

The Persians: A History of Iran
How was the world's first empire born and what led to its ultimate destruction?

A History of Christianity
Where did Christianity originate and how did the religion develop and take hold globally?

Archaeology: A Secret History
Better living through archeology. How can our past make sense of our present?

Fake News: A True History
Fake news isn’t new: an entertaining look at 200 years of lies and the media

Royal Cousins at War
It makes The Crown look like Sesame Street. The bitter regal rivalries that led to war.

American History's Biggest Fibs
American history is fake, fact? Historian Lucy Worlsey delves deeper into US mythology.

The Birth of Empire: The East India Company
The world’s first megacorp. How Britain’s East India Company grew into an imperial power.

The Romantic Revolution
Wild visionaries and imaginative truth seekers whose radical ideas still resonate today.

Racism: A History
Where did the notion of racism come from and how did such an abhorrent idea develop?

Queen Victoria and her Nine Children
Devastated by her husband’s death Queen Victoria starts to meddle in her children’s lives.

The Flu That Killed 50 Million
Is Spanish flu the warning from history that should have crushed coronavirus?

Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream
The rise of one of the great cities and how it offers a window into power, faith and war.

Filthy Cities
Dan Snow explores the murky histories of London, Paris and New York from the bottom up.

Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
People as property: historian David Olusoga on the untold stories of British slavery.

Suffragettes
The violence, valor and sacrifices made by the women fighting for their right to vote.

Secret Cities
How much can the artistic history of a great city tell us about its character?

Genius of the Modern World
Emigres, recluses, enemies of the state. How Marx, Nietzsche and Freud changed the world.

Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds
Paris, Vienna and New York. The seismic influence of three cities on the artistic world.

Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness
Can the thoughts and ideas of history’s greatest thinkers help in our day to day lives?

Rome: Empire Without Limit with Mary Beard
World renowned historian, Mary Beard, is back to shatter myths about the Roman Empire.

War Art with Eddie Redmayne
Academy Award winning actor Eddie Redmayne discovers the artists who saved lives during WW1

The Six Queens of Henry VIII
Rediscover the Queens who shaped a King & his legacy in The Six Queens of Henry VIII, BBC's new look at the King's infamous wives.

The World's First Computer
Think your computer’s had it? Meet one found in a shipwreck that’s 2,000 years old.
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big Thinking

A Black and White Killing
A murder that shook America to its core. What’s behind alleged racist killings in the U.S.?

Conspiracy Files: Vaccine Wars
Anti vaxxers are blamed for dangerous surges in diseases. What do they really believe?

The Black American Fight for Freedom
America. The land of the free? Or a racist system built on inequality?

Fake News: A True History
Fake news isn’t new: an entertaining look at 200 years of lies and the media

Grayson Perry's Big American Roadtrip
Britain’s most unpredictable artist, Grayson Perry, sits America down for its portrait.

The Romantic Revolution
Wild visionaries and imaginative truth seekers whose radical ideas still resonate today.

Racism: A History
Where did the notion of racism come from and how did such an abhorrent idea develop?

The Last Igloo
Can one man survive in the wilderness using traditional methods to hunt and find shelter?

Eat To Live Forever With Giles Coren
Starve yourself older? Go Stone Age for Old Age? Can these extreme diets extend your life?

Transgender Kids: Who Knows Best?
What is the best approach for parents to take when their child is facing gender dysphoria?

Me, My Selfie and I
Know thy selfie: We’re so obsessed with how we look, are we forgetting who we are?

Secrets of Silicon Valley
What happened to Silicon Valley’s glittering promise to build a better world?

Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage
Our traditions don’t help us. Artist Grayson Perry is on a quest to design ones that do.

Grayson Perry: All Man
As a ‘lifelong cissy’ artist, Grayson Perry has spent his whole life messing with machismo.

Mark Zuckerberg: Inside Facebook
The early days of a social-network phenomenon – Mark Zuckerberg: Inside Facebook

The Super-Rich and Us
How did the super-rich become super-rich, and what effect does their wealth have on us?

Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness
Can the thoughts and ideas of history’s greatest thinkers help in our day to day lives?

Bacchus Uncovered: Ancient God of Ecstasy
What does Bacchus, the ancient god of wine and excess, have in common with Jesus Christ?

Mars Uncovered: Ancient God of War
What can the ancient, immortal, Roman god Mars teach us about warfare in the modern age?

Venus Uncovered: Ancient Goddess of Love
Forget everything you thought you knew about the frequently nude, love goddess Venus.

Meat: A Threat To Our Planet?
Is our love of eating meat swiftly destroying the planet? What can we do to fix it?

Are You Scared Yet, Human?
Should we worry about the effect that Artificial Intelligence could have on our lives?

Hyper Evolution: Rise Of The Robots
In the near future, will we be controlling robots or will the robots be controlling us?

Australia on Fire: Climate Emergency
Are the recent apocalyptic bushfires in Australia a vision of a climate change future?

Inside The EU: The Mad World of Brexit
Go behind the scenes of the European Parliament during the tumultuous time of Brexit.

Grayson Perry's Art Club
Artist Grayson Perry releases a torrent of quarantine-creativity in his lockdown art club.

The Anti-Vax Conspiracy
Who is behind the international anti-Covid-vaccine movement and why are they doing it?

History of Mother Earth: Gaia Uncovered
In space, you can hear the Earth scream... History of Mother Earth: Gaia Uncovered