Britain's Biggest Dig

During World War Two, a remarkable band of female pilots fought against all odds for the right to aid the war effort. Without these Spitfire Women the war may never have been won. These trailblazers were part of the Air Transport Auxillary, a thousand-strong organisation that delivered aircraft to the frontline RAF during Britain's darkest hours. Every day, responsibility fell on their shoulders to get the planes to the fighters which often pushed them into dangerous and even deadly situations. Using interviews with the last few surviving veterans, archive footage and dramatic reconstruction, this documentary brings to life the forgotten story of the ATA. The resilience of these women in the face of open discrimination is one of the most inspiring and overlooked milestones in women's rights. Their story is one of courage, sexism and patriotism, but above all a story about women who want to break the confines of the world they live in and reach for the skies.

A single jewel in the Tower of London has seen the rise and fall of more empires, caused more bad luck and been more prized than any other precious stone on Earth. The Kohinoor is the most famous - and infamous - diamond in the world, but it’s only one of tens of thousands of jewels and numerous crowns that make up Britain’s most valuable treasure, the Crown Jewels. Now, to mark the Queen’s historic platinum jubilee - 70 years on the throne - Clive Myrie explores the objects that symbolize her authority. Collected over centuries by British kings and queens, these objects are now used on ceremonial occasions including the coronation, where they announce the arrival of every new monarch. With unprecedented access and the latest technology, Clive reveals the magnificent, astonishing, complicated thousand-year history buried within the Crown Jewels. These jewels - some of the most beautiful objects ever crafted - reveal the complicated story of our island over the last millennium.

A journey into our evolutionary past, piecing together the bodies of our prehistoric family.

The 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II marked the moment when she was formally recognized as England's new sovereign in front of God and her subjects. Three hundred million people tuned in, making it the most watched event in history. Now, for the first time, Her Majesty shares memories of the ceremony. Join us as we unlock a thousand years of coronation secrets and provide an unprecedented, up-close look at the legendary Crown Jewels.

Brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor follow up their documentary The Battle of Britain with a film exploring Bomber Command, a rarely told story from the Second World War. The film focuses primarily on the men who fought and died in the skies above occupied Europe, with numerous examples of individual heroism and extraordinary collective spirit, and Colin learns to fly the key aircraft of the campaign: the Lancaster bomber. But this is also the story of a controversy that has lasted almost 70 years. The program covers six years of wartime operations, and traces the obstacles and challenges that were overcome as the RAF developed and deployed the awesome fighting force that was Bomber Command.

With the help of a team of experts and the latest in 3-D scanning technology, Alexander Armstrong, along with Dr Michael Scott, explores the hidden underground treasures that made Rome the powerhouse of the ancient world.

Exploring the mass gang movement that originated in Birmingham and other industrial cities in the 19th century and evolved into modern gangsterism in the early 20th.

Using the latest 3D scanning technology, Alexander Armstrong and Dr Michael Scott uncover the hidden history of Italian civilisation and city life.

It is possible that only one per cent of the wonders of ancient Egypt have been discovered, but now, thanks to a pioneering approach to archaeology, that is about to change. Dr. Sarah Parcak uses satellites to probe beneath the sands, where she has found cities, temples and pyramids. Now, with Dallas Campbell and Liz Bonnin, she heads to Egypt to discover if these magnificent buildings are really there.

JFK enjoyed a number of sexual liaisons that could have ended his political career, but his brother Bobby always managed to keep the truth from the press. This explosive documentary focuses on four women who could have ended JFK’s presidency, and the deal the brothers made with J Edgar Hoover to stay in power.

Judi Dench, perhaps our greatest Shakespearean actor, puts acting to one side as she turns detective to solve a mystery from her family’s past. Did Judi’s ancestor meet her hero William Shakespeare?

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

A British genealogy documentary series in which celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering secrets and surprises from their past.

A fungi expert also shows Judi the incredible action going on beneath her feet, revealing an astonishing underground fungal network that looks up to the tips of tree roots, connecting many trees in a forest together. It's an incredible system known as the 'wood wide web'. It is confirmation for Judi that trees aren't just trees, they are a real community that help each other, humans and the planet.

A psychiatric hospital is turned upside down when a mysterious drifter is admitted and assigned to room 316. Known only as John Doe, the other patients believe that he bears an uncanny resemblance to Jesus Christ.

Judi Dench is setting out on a trip of a lifetime to uncover the lush rainforests, magical wildlife and spectacular coastlines of Malaysian Borneo. This will be an unforgettable journey for one of our country's most beloved national treasures.