Culture
Dave Harewood on Blackface: The Hidden History of Minstrelsy
Blackface used music and comedy as a delivery system for racist tropes and became the most popular form of entertainment in the Victorian era. Actor David Harewood explores the origins of Blackface minstrelsy, where white performers grotesquely darkened their skin, in early 19th-century America. How did it shape ideas of blackness in popular culture and why did it endure for so long?
Jerusalem: The Making of a Holy City
Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the rise and fall and rise again of Jerusalem, one of the world’s oldest cities. In this compelling documentary, the history of this sacred and peerlessly beautiful place in Israel is revealed. He documents how this unique city ca me into being and explains why it became so important to the
Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions.
Sri Lanka with Alexander Armstrong
Sri Lanka has a tumultuous past including civil wars, natural disasters and the economic crisis of 2022 that saw 700,000 people storm the President’s home. As the country reopens to tourists, actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong heads there to learn more about the island in this fascinating travel documentary. Along the way he drinks some tea, enjoys a dance and has an encounter with a cobra.
Curse of the Ancients with Alice Roberts
Riddled with wars, pandemics, famines and cataclysmic floods, the ancient world was a cursed and violent place. In this seminal history documentary series, historian Alice Roberts goes back in time to look at the factors that toppled the world of our ancestors. Using modern scientific techniques, she will try to decipher how civilization survived such turbulent and destructive eras.
Invasion
Some were bloody, others absurd and doomed. The British Isles has been invaded continually over thousands of years. In this fascinating documentary series, intrepid historian Sam Willis investigates the history of Britain’s invasions. From Barbary pirates and brutal border raids to the air attacks of the 20th century, these invasions have shaped modern Britain and made the country we see today.