King Louis XIV • 2017 • episode "S1E3" • Private Lives of the Monarchs

58:38

Jenny Clack recounts how she overcame setbacks before she found and described a fossil which offered new evidence of how fish made the transition onto land. For paleontologist Professor Jenny Clack, who solved one of the greatest mysteries in the history of life on Earth, success was far from inevitable. A chance discovery in 1986 in the earth sciences department of Cambridge University, of long-forgotten fossils collected from the Devonian rocks of East Greenland in 1970, was to shape the rest of her career. She recounts how she had to overcome a series of setbacks before she found and described the fossil Acanthostega, a 365 million-year-old creature that offered dramatic new evidence of how fish made the transition onto land. She authored or co-authored more than 120 research papers as well as numerous popular articles and book reviews. A measure of the significance of her work is that 15 of her research papers were published in the journal Nature. Her one book, "Gaining Ground, The Origin and Evolution of Tetrapods" (2002), summarises the results of research on early tetrapods over the previous 25 years.

S2E1 • Beautiful Minds • 2012 • People

58:43

What makes us good or evil? It's a simple but deeply unsettling question. One that scientists are now starting to answer. Horizon meets the researchers who have studied some of the most terrifying people behind bars - psychopathic killers. But there was a shock in store for one of these scientists, Professor Jim Fallon, when he discovered that he had the profile of a psychopath. And the reason he didn't turn out to be a killer holds important lessons for all of us. We meet the scientist who believes he has found the moral molecule and the man who is using this new understanding to rewrite our ideas of crime and punishment.

People

114:47

Uniquely adept at art as well as commerce, Walt Disney was a master filmmaker who harnessed the power of technology to tell stories of outsiders struggling for acceptance and belonging, while questioning the conventions of class and authority. As Disney rose to prominence and gained financial security, his work became increasingly celebratory of the American way of life that made his unlikely success possible. A polarizing figure - though true believers vastly outnumber his critics - Disney's achievements are indisputable. In this two-part, four-hour film, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE examines Disney's complex life and continuing legacy, featuring rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, interviews with biographers and historians, as well as the animators and designers who helped turn his dreams into reality. Both an inspiring story and a cautionary tale about the price of ambition, Walt Disney offers an unprecedented look at the man who created a world and built an empire.

S1E1 • American Experience • 2015 • People

173:15

The fight to break free from a New Zealand Christian cult. Gloriavale hides the darkest of secrets - as the promise of heaven on earth descends into seclusion and subordination. Chapter 1: In 1969 an Australian preacher set up a religious community in New Zealand known as Gloriavale. Today it is home to 650 people who live a closeted existence away from the rest of society. This documentary examines the dark secrets at the heart of this Christian sect and the allegations that its followers are indoctrinated to an oppressive existence for life. Chapter 2: Focuses on what life was like for the second and third-generation members of Gloriavale, growing up in a world where every decision is made for them. New Zealand journalist Melanie Reid recounts her experience of going undercover inside the community in the 1990s, and the work she did to try to stop the abuse she discovered. Chapter 3: Charts the impact of the loss of Gloriavale's charismatic leader Hopeful Christian and his successor's struggle to keep the community running. Meanwhile, an underground network helps one member leave, while two former children of Gloriavale expose one of its most shocking secrets.

2025 • People

44:10

Bill Gates talks to Amol Rajan about wealth, conspiracy theories and recent controversies. They visit a remote region outside Nairobi in Kenya, where Gates supports local farms and hospitals through his charitable foundation, for a rare, in-depth interview with the tech entrepreneur. Gates has spent much of his life being the richest man on earth. He excelled at school, founded Microsoft and helped to realise his vision of having a computer on every desk in every home. His public image has changed over the years, from geek to business titan and philanthropist. In recent years, he has become the subject of endless conspiracy theories and has attracted unfavourable headlines on the subject of his divorce and his association with Jeffrey Epstein. In this challenging and personal interview, Rajan tackles these issues head-on, talking to Gates about his early success, his wealth, how he uses it now, and the controversies that have arisen over the years. In this unusually candid interview, Gates is often revealing in his responses.

2023 • People

85:31

A fight on Everest? It seemed incredible. But in 2013 news channels around the world reported an ugly brawl at 6400 m (21,000 ft) as European climbers fled a mob of angry Sherpas. In 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay had reached the summit in a spirit of co-operation and brave optimism. Now climbers and Sherpas were trading insults - even blows. What had happened to the happy, smiling Sherpas and their dedication in getting foreigners to the top of the mountain they hold so sacred?

2015 • People