Tulum: The Last City of the Mayan Empire • 2023

135:09

Sian Phillips narrates the history of the Roman Empire through the eyes of Livia Drusilla, examining the reigns of the empress's husband Augustus, as well as Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Chapter 1: The story begins with the assassination of the Roman republic's most powerful general Julius Caesar, with the chaos and bloody power grabs that follow even taking down Egypt's legendary queen Cleopatra. Augustus and Livia seize their moment and through a ruthless combination of gladiatorial violence, sexual alliances and cold-blooded murder, they hoodwink the world's most powerful democracy into nominating Augustus as a single autocratic leader - the first emperor of Rome. Chapter 2: Tiberius and his notorious successor Caligula dragged the Roman empire into an age of tyranny, incest, and shocking depravity. Tiberius became Rome's second emperor with understandable paranoia and trashed what was left of democracy by making it punishable by death to speak out against him. With no son to name as heir, Tiberius invited his teenage nephew Caligula to join his court, but when the emperor fell ill, Caligula seized his chance to gain power and had him smothered on his sickbed. Chapter 3: Examines the reigns of Claudius and Nero. Claudius surprised everyone by taking Rome to its greatest heights yet, only to be brought down by his third wife Messalina and the seemingly unkillable Agrippina the Younger, the mother of his successor, the psychopathic Nero.

2024 • History

58:56

Historian Michael Wood looks back at the start of China's history from the creation legend to the first 3 recorded dynasties Xia, Shang and Zhou, to the unification of 7 states under Qin Shi Huang. The name China comes from this Qin Dynasty, although the Chinese people refer to themselves as The Han.

S1E1 • The Story of China • 2016 • History

46:29

War brings out the best and worst in humanity. It has revolutionized medicine, transportation and communication, and changed how we live and how we think.

S1E5 • Origins: The Journey of Humankind • 2017 • History

55:11

The discovery of a rare mass grave with the bones of nearly 60 people outside Luxor sends archaeologists on a quest to find out who the remains belong to, why they were buried the way they were and what was happening in ancient Egypt that would have led to a mass burial. Could the collapse of the empire’s Old Kingdom provide any clues?

Secrets of the Dead • 2019 • History

46:02

Get the inside track on five of the greatest heists in history. These are not petty robberies, but high-stakes operations meticulously planned and audaciously executed, with a cast of colorful characters from the mastermind to the snitch. Find out who gets away with the loot, and who doesn't.

S1E4 • History By The Numbers • 2021 • History

58:51

Andrew Marr sets off on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history. Using dramatic reconstructions, documentary filming around the world and cutting-edge computer graphics, he reveals the decisive moments that shaped the world we live in today, telling stories we thought we knew and others we were never told. (Part 6: Revolution) Andrew Marr explores the Age of Revolution. In the 17th and 18th centuries, people across the world rose up in the name of freedom and equality against the power of the church and monarchy. In America, people fought a war to be free from British rule. In France, bloody revolution saw the king and aristocracy deposed. And in Haiti, the slaves revolted against their masters. The world was also gripped by a scientific revolution, sweeping away old dogmas and superstition. Galileo revolutionized the way we saw humanity's place in the universe, while Edward Jenner used science to help save the lives of millions.

S1E6 • Andrew Marr's History of the World • 2012 • History