From Communism to Terrorism • 2019 • episode "S1E1" • 1989: The Year that Made the Modern World

58:40

Professor Marcus du Sautoy goes in search of answers to one of science's greatest mysteries: how do we know who we are? While the thoughts that make us feel as though we know ourselves are easy to experience, they are notoriously difficult to explain. So, in order to find out where they come from, Marcus subjects himself to a series of probing experiments.

People

88:41

Tells the remarkable story of a charlatan art dealer who swindled over $50 million from the art establishment before going on the run. Michel Cohen, a popular and charming New York art dealer was originally from France. A high school drop-out from a poor background, Cohen was a self-invented man who went on to become a rich and successful art dealer, with homes in Malibu and New York. Throughout the 1990s, he sold paintings by artists such as Picasso, Monet and Chagall to America’s wealthiest elite. Cohen was living the high life until he began trading recklessly in the stock market and ran up considerable debts. In an attempt to recoup his losses, he swindled private collectors, auction houses and other art dealers out of more than $50 million. When his swindles were discovered, he fled the USA with his wife and two small children and went on the run. In 2003, he was found by Interpol in Brazil and was imprisoned in Rio de Janeiro, but seven months later, whilst awaiting extradition to the USA, he escaped from prison and vanished off the face of the earth. Sixteen years later, filmmaker Vanessa Engle has managed to track him down and persuade him to tell his extraordinary story - a highly entertaining crime caper that is also a rich exploration of greed, motive and morality.

2019 • People

177:36

Comedian, actor, president, war leader - in his own words. The extraordinary life of one of the world's most recognisable leaders, and how war in Ukraine changed everything. Produced by 72 Films. Chapter 1: The Comedian and The Dictator With unique access to Volodymyr Zelensky and Olena Zelenska, this episode charts Zelensky's extraordinary journey from aspiring comedian to president of his country. Opening with the collapse of the Soviet Union - an event which had a profound effect on Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in very different ways - to the Maidan Revolution sparking a political awakening in Zelensky, this episode explores his role as the Ukrainian president in the hit TV show Servant of the People and his decision to run for president in real life. Chapter 2: President in the Real World After the high of his election victory, Zelensky is forced to face political reality. Using in-depth interviews with Zelensky, his wife Olena Zelenska and their closest advisors, this episode puts viewers inside the room as Zelensky grapples with what it means to be the leader of a country. From Zelensky's infamous phone call with Donald Trump to his only meeting with Vladimir Putin in Paris, the former comedian has a brutal initiation into the ruthless world of power politics. As Putin becomes increasingly belligerent and the drumbeat of war grows louder, Zelensky is under a huge amount of pressure. Is Ukraine prepared for war? Is Zelensky up to the job? Chapter 3: War Leader Opening in the first hours of the Russian invasion, this final episode follows explores how Zelensky used the skills he'd honed as an entertainer to galvanise people, as well as taking viewers inside Ukraine's peace negotiations with Russia. And the Zelenskys reveal what happened in the first hours of the Russian invasion, open up about the realities of living through war and the difficulty of making life and death decisions.

2024 • People

50:41

The connections that shaped Bill's life come into focus, including a childhood friendship and his unique bond with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

S1E2 • Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates • 2019 • People

95:25

Documentary capturing one woman's experiences working in a hospital in a Syrian war zone, while also raising a daughter as well as becoming involved in the uprising against the Assad regime. The film captures her and her husband's efforts to create and run a series of makeshift hospitals in the midst of a bombing campaign by the Russian air force over the course of five years.

2019 • People

25:57

How do cults lure people in and exert control? Learn a cult’s telltale signs, and how loneliness and life online makes indoctrination easier than ever.

S2E1 • Explained • 2019 • People