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Alan Turing: The Pride of Manchester
A special film exploring the life and legacy of Alan Turing - genius pioneer of modern computing. With Alan's nephew Sir Dermot Turing and exclusive access to unseen family records, we investigate lesser known aspects of his incredible work. This story is rooted in the City of Manchester, home t...
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Gwrych Castle: Catastrophe to Celebrity
Over November and December 2020, Gwrych Castle in North Wales is to become the most famous castle in the UK. It is in this castle that I'm a Celebrity is being filmed. But there is so much more to Gwrych than simply hosting the 20th series of I'm a Celebrity. The Castle's history is fascinating, ...
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Dynasties: Families that Changed the World
1 season
This documentary explores powerful families in different spheres of influence that have had an impact either directly or indirectly on the lives of others. How and why did they attain and maintain these positions over generations?
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Stand and Deliver! The Truth about Highwaymen
Mike Loades goes behind the mask to uncover the brutal truth about the myth of the highwayman. Unlike many other criminals, they've been glamorised and idolised, their names enduring as legends. They are considered by many as dashing romantic heroes, courageous adventurers and champions of the un...
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Georgian Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll: Unbuttoning Bridgerton
1 season
The fabulous wealthy elite of Bridgerton look perfectly preened, their teeth, hair, make up, even their sex scenes are all filled with opulent glamour! But in reality a lot of people in Georgian society, including the wealthy, were dealing with a myriad of issues, from syphilis, teeth decay, secr...
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Art Detective at Harry Potter: A History of Magic
Janina Ramirez escapes to a world of magic as she gets a special tour of the new Harry Potter exhibiton at the British Library.
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The Peaky Blinders: A History
Who were the real Peaky Blinders? Did they really exist? Carl Chinn reveals the true story of the notorious gangs that roamed Birmingham's streets during the city's industrial heyday.
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Band of Brothers Scene Reviews: With John Orloff
Screenwriter John Orloff, who wrote Episode 2 ("Day of Days") and 9 ("Why We Fight") of the hit TV series Band of Brothers on HBO, reviews some of his favourite scenes from the series.
From Lt. Speirs' valiant run across enemy lines and back, to Easy Company's discovery of a satellite concentrat...
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Quickfire Questions with Author Bernard Cornwell
English author Bernard Cornwell, best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe, sits down with Dan Snow to answer some quickfire questions for the fans. Ever wondered if an early 19th Century infantryman could really fire three rounds a minute? Or whether Bernard plans o...
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The Road to Rome
The Roman Empire was one of the greatest in history. At its height it stretched from northern Britain to the Persian Gulf, its might epitomised by the effectiveness of its core military unit: the Roman legion. The aqueduct, sanitation, irrigation, medicine, education, wine, public baths – all thi...
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History Under the Hammer: Lost Mark I Blueprints
Auctioneer Paul Laidlaw provides a tour of Laidlaw's Militaria collection in Carlisle, which is home to the only known surviving blueprint of the British Mark I Tank.
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Ada Lovelace: Computing Pioneer
Regarded by many as the world's first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace was also the first to envision a world where computers could be used for more than just number crunching. She saw in them the potential to not just solve problems, but create new ideas and even produce music and poetry as we ...
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Shackleton: The Story of Endurance
Part 1 of 3.
Explorers called it the 'Great White Silence', an inhospitable continent of rock, ice and snow on which no human has stepped until just over 100 years ago. Girdled by an ocean packed with shifting ice and beyond that, the roughest oceans on the planet with waves as tall as apartment...
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Queens on Screen: Victims, Villains, or Rebels?
Join Amy and Johanna as they delve into the world of cinematic queens. Examining how Mary Queen of Scots and Christina of Sweden are portrayed in film, Johanna and Amy will explore how these depictions affect modern popular perceptions of these royal women. Perhaps the most tense early modern rel...
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Philip: Prince, Husband, Father
When he died just weeks before his 100th birthday, the country celebrated Prince Philip's devotion to duty and to the Queen as friends and family paid tribute to his many accomplishments.
But, as the Queen also said, Prince Philip didn’t “take easily to compliments.’ This film, as far as possib...
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Endurance: Rediscovered
It was one of the last great lost shipwrecks of history - Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance. But now, incredibly, it has been rediscovered - over a century after it sank beneath the ice in freezing Antarctic waters.
Organised by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, the expedition to locate the...
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Ancient Britain: With Ray Mears
1 season
Britain is an island where history is well and truly part of the landscape and an island where human feet have walked for a million years. We are constantly making groundbreaking archaeological discoveries that are helping us to better understand the way in which our distant ancestors lived.
Joi...
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Great Excavations! Digging Charles Dickens' Workhouse with Sir Tony Robinson
Sir Tony Robinson comes to History Hit to present a special film about a remarkable excavation in central London, the workhouse that inspired Charles Dickens to write his famous novel, “Oliver Twist”.
In the middle of the capital, archaeologists are digging deep to find out more about the lives ...
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Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens with David Mitchell
Who was the worst King and Queen of England? What made a King or Queen successful?
To coincide with the US release of his new book, 'Unruly: A History of England's King and Queens', comedian and author David Mitchell, sits down with historian Dan Snow to explore how England's monarchs, while act...
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Horrible Histories with Terry Deary
Terry Deary, one of the most effective communicators of history ever, spoke to Dan about how Horrible Histories came about, his remarkable publishing career and what sparked his interest in the past.
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They Shall Not Grow Old: In Conversation with Peter Jackson
They Shall Not Grow Old is a remarkable new documentary made by Peter Jackson. The Oscar-winning director has restored and colourised World War One footage from the Imperial War Museum, adding a soundtrack with original audio and transforming the entire project into 3D. In doing so, he has create...
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The Pursuit of Endurance: On the Shoulders of Shackleton
In the heart of the Antarctic, nine adventurers are about to live an extraordinary story. They come from very different backgrounds, but one thing brings them together: a passion for adventure and testing the limits.
Their goal: to follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest legends of the go...
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Philip Pullman Meets the Art Detective
Janina Ramirez meets renowned author Philip Pullman.