Biographical documentaries

biography genre header
From world leaders including Volodymyr Zelensky to icons of pop culture like Elizabeth Taylor or billionaires such as Elon Musk, BBC Select brings you the life stories of the influential people that shaped the past and present. Stream a range of compelling biographical documentaries from the BBC and beyond with BBC Select.

Europe’s Royals Revealed with Katty Kay

Europe’s Royals Revealed

Once upon a time, the lives of kings and queens were ones of unimaginable luxury. But these days, they are swapping their horse-drawn carriages for bicycles and Downton Abbey for a downtown apartment. Journalist Katty Kay visits the crumbling castles and penthouse flats where Europe’s modern monarchs reside and reign. Along the way she tries to uncover if monarchy can survive in the modern world.

Princess Anne: The Seven Loves of Her Life

Image of Princess Anne

This compelling Princess Anne documentary explores the complex and at times scandalous love life of Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter.

The romantic relationships of Princess Anne have been complicated and occasionally scandalous. This documentary delves into Princess Anne’s love life and reveals the men who romanced her. How did the notoriously private princess emerge relatively unscathed from her affairs, while her siblings and partners found themselves embroiled in tabloid gossip and scandal?

Before They Were Royal

Before They Were Royals

What was life like for Prince Philip, Camilla Parker-Bowles and more before they joined the British royal family? This compelling documentary looks at the early lives of various royals before their fame and their acceptance into the monarchy.

Schindler: The Real Story

Watch Schindler: The Real Story on BBC Select

Immortalized in the iconic Steven Spielberg film Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler has become a well-known hero of the Second World War.

This compelling, award-winning documentary explores the real, complex figure of Schindler, with incredible archive footage and intimate interviews with Holocaust survivors who knew him.

The vain, womanizing playboy behind the legendary hero is also revealed.

Princess Diana: A Life After Death

Documentary exploring the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and the aftermath. During the summer of 1997, following the end of her marriage to Prince Charles, media fascination with Diana reached fever point and she was pursued constantly by the press. Diana’s life ended in a car crash in Paris and her death would change attitudes towards the British royal family forever.