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

Stream Racism: A History on BBC Select

This groundbreaking BBC documentary series investigates the notion of ‘race’ and the history of racism throughout the globe.

Watch Racism: A History and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.

Racism: A History on BBC Select

How have ideas surrounding racial differences evolved in response to historical events and what effect has racism had on science, culture, society and global events? Leading academics and experts try to understand the political and economic drivers of racism.

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The Crusades BBC Documentary

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Harry Potter - A History of Magic

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Three men rise from obscurity to unleash a bloody revolution that changed history forever.

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The Persians: A History of Iran

How was the world's first empire born and what led to its ultimate destruction?

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Secret Cities

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

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Queen Victoria and her Nine Children

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The Birth of Empire - The East India Company on BBC Select

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

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

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Genius of the Modern World

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

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

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People as property: historian David Olusoga on the untold stories of British slavery.

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