Universe

Simon Schama explores the life and times of William Shakespeare to shed a new and fascinating light on some of the greatest plays ever written. He asks the question: "What came first, Englishness, or Shakespeare's idea of it?" and produces a persuasive argument in favour of the latter.

Emilia Fox and Britain’s top criminologist, Professor David Wilson, cast new light on the Jack the Ripper case. Together, they examine the Ripper’s modus operandi using modern technology to recreate the murder sites to help understand the extraordinary risks the Ripper took to kill his victims. Using the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System (HOLMES)—a bespoke computer system used by the police to help detect patterns in criminal activity—and evidence uncovered within the investigation, results strongly indicate another woman was, in fact, the first Ripper victim.

A fresh and revealing insight into Princess Diana through the personal and intimate reflections of her two sons and her friends and family.

A look at relevant scientific issues

Follows King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the aftermath of the death and state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and the start of his reign.

This documentary delves into the mysteries surrounding the Neanderthals and what their fossil record tells us about their lives and disappearance.

Seventy years on, brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor take viewers through the key moments of the Battle of Britain, when 'the few' of the RAF faced the might of the Nazi Luftwaffe. As they fly historic planes, meet the veterans, explore the tactics and technology, Colin and Ewan discover the importance of the Battle and the surviving legacy of the 1940's campaign for the modern RAF.

Documentary following the Queen and members of the British Royal Family.

Tarawa was the most strongly defended island in the Pacific which the Japanese boasted that a million Americans couldn’t take the island in one hundred years. On Tarawa the Marines faced their sternest test yet.

Ian Hislop explores the British obsession with the past. He reveals how and why, throughout our history, we have continually plundered 'the olden days' to make sense of and shape the present.

Dr Janina Ramirez travels across glaciers and through the lava fields of Iceland to find out about one of the most compelling of the great Viking stories - the Laxdaela Saga. This hour-long film explores how the unique literary achievements of the Saga writers were possible at a time of such immense cultural, political and religious upheaval.

It's one of the darkest murder mysteries in British history: did Richard III really kill his nephews in order to make himself king? Is he the greatest villain in English history, or the victim of centuries of grotesquely unfair Tudor propaganda? On the eve of Richard's reburial at Leicester Cathedral, this drama documentary assembles a stellar cast of experts, including David Starkey and Philippa Gregory, to examine all the available evidence. As it plays out the possibilities and tests the competing theories, it endeavors to get to the bottom, once and for all, of what really happened to the princes in the Tower. Is this a tale of naked ambition, cold pragmatism and bloody murder?

The definitive story of the 2019 Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand – arguably the greatest final ever played in any sport. It’s a tale of courage and comradeship. It reveals the human dramas lying behind one of the greatest days in England’s sporting history.