Architecture & design documentaries
Grand Designs
Building your own dream home is the ultimate fantasy for many. But what happens when that dream turns into a nightmare?
In series 16 of Grand Designs, Kevin McCloud introduces some of Britain’s most ambitious self-building projects, as intrepid individuals attempt to design and construct their own homes. Along the way, these budding builders encounter countless issues that threaten to derail their vision.
Rome's Invisible City
Rome’s skyline is as breathtaking now as when it was first built. But that iconic cityscape is only half the story; there’s another Rome that few people have ever seen – underground.
With exclusive access beneath Rome’s streets, classicist Dr Michael Scott and his team of experts explore the wonders that can be found there, including underground quarries, ornate temples and vast water cisterns, revealing for the first time the full story of the ancient world’s most awe-inspiring city and the people who lived in it.
Italy's Invisible Cities
Three-part BBC documentary series that uses cutting-edge technology and 3D scanners to uncover the hidden treasures that lie beneath Naples, Venice and Florence. Join Dr Michael Scott and Alexander Armstrong as they discover hidden tunnels, historic passageways and even long-forgotten torture chambers.
World's Weirdest Homes
Get ready to drop in and pay a visit to some of the most bizarre, baffling, confusing and frankly ridiculous homes on the planet.
This unique documentary gives you privileged access to some of the most fascinating and unique properties in the world, including a brief stay at Mr Toilet’s toilet house (you can probably guess the theme of that one) and a cargo ship that’s been cut in half and stuck on a cliff.
The Art of Architecture
They are the most impressive and, on occasion, controversial structures on the planet. Buildings that need to seamlessly meld the artistic vision and creativity of the architect with the practical necessities that a functioning construction requires.
BBC Select travels the globe in this astonishing art documentary that unearths the secrets that went into the creation of these amazing buildings.