People Who Made History

People Who Made History

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People Who Made History
  • The Greatest Knight

    Documentary about the adventures, life and times of William Marshal - an eminent English knight who fought in battles across Europe and survived court intrigue and exile.

  • Fire and Blood: Boudica's Vengeance

    In 60 AD, the fledgling Roman town of Colchester witnessed ancient Armageddon. Thousands of British warriors descended on the settlement, turning what was then the capital of Roman Britain to ash. At the head of these attackers was one of the most well-known figures in British history - the warri...

  • The Complete History Of Vladimir Putin's Rise To Power

    Vladimir Putin is the modern face of dictatorship, rising out of the ashes of the chaotic Yeltsin years. In the 90's, Putin was a relatively unknown figure would go on to occupy an untouchable position in a country spanning 11 timezones. We delve inside the twisted mind of Vladimir Putin.

  • 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...

  • The Life of Churchill's Cook

    Annie Gray's latest project is a biography of the woman who cooked for Churchill. Georgina Landemare was one of the few people able to cope with the demands, eccentricities and public nudity that came with working for the Churchills. Where all the other servants came and went fairly rapidly, she ...

  • My D-Day: Ken Cooke

    Private Ken Cooke, from York, of 7th Battalion The Green Howards, is a D-Day veteran and fought in battles across France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. He sat down with History Hit tell tell us about his experiences in Normandy 78 years ago.

  • The Making of Wellington: The Battle of Vimeiro

    On 21st of August 1808, the 39-year-old Sir Arthur Wellesley (later to become the Duke of Wellington) stood at the head of an Anglo-Portuguese army numbering approximately 14,000.

    His army was positioned on the blind side of a slope, awaiting the advance of a French Army under General Jean-Ando...

  • Ernest Shackleton: With Ranulph Fiennes

    In this fascinating interview, Dan Snow chats to the world's greatest living explorer Ranulph Fiennes about Ernest Shackleton and his heroic expeditions in the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration.

  • Becoming Anne Boleyn

    March 2022 marks the 500th anniversary since Anne Boleyn made her debut at the court of King Henry VIII.

    Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the story of Anne’s remarkable upbringing in England, the Netherlands and France before she arrived at the heart of Tudor England. For all Anne Boleyn’s...

  • Hitler: The Rise to Power

    In the 1930s Germany, one of the World's richest, most technologically-developed and culturally-sophisticated countries, was transformed into an extreme authoritarian state under its dictator Adolf Hitler. His unbridled ambition would plunge the World into a war bloodier and more destructive than...

  • Shackleton: The Story of Endurance

    1 season

    This 3-part documentary celebrates an explorer who failed in everything he set out to do, but whose toughness, courage and leadership made him a legend: Sir Ernest Shackleton.

  • Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon - Brilliant Rivals

    Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn - the first two wives of Henry VIII - are so often portrayed as opposites. Katherine as the loyal, scorned wife - Anne as the bright, bewitching upstart.

    But now Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb returns to Hever Castle to explore what Anne and Katherine were really l...

  • The Incredible Story of William J. Bankes - Adventurer, Collector, Spy

    Tristan Hughes follows in the adventurous footsteps of William John Bankes. From the deserts of Egypt to the elaborate interiors of Kingston Lacy, he explores the incredible achievements of this 19th century daredevil.

    Bankes was the Georgian Indiana Jones - an adventurer, collector and spy, cha...

  • Rebels
    2 seasons

    Rebels

    2 seasons

    Conflict analyst Professor Michael Livingston journeys across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom on the trail of some of Britain’s best known rebels.

  • Death in the Parsonage: The Brontës

    The Brontë family created some of the world's most passionate and enduring novels, yet their lives were shadowed by tragedy.

    Dr Maddy Pelling and Dr Anthony Delaney challenge the romantic myths surrounding the family, tracing the harsh reality of their lives in 19th-century Haworth—a crowded Yor...

  • Mary Ellis: Touching the Sky

    During the years of World War Two, a short lived, but remarkable, organisation existed. The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a civilian service that was tasked with the delivery of aircraft from factories to the squadrons of the RAF and Royal Navy, and the delivery of supplies. Featuring pilots ...

  • The Making of Wellington: The Lines of Torres Vedras

    In this film, military historian Mike Loades investigates one of the most impressive and successful creations of the Napoleonic Wars: The Lines of Torres Vedras. Mike explores the spectacular lines of forts that ran from coast to coast across the neck of the Lisbon Peninsular, defending the Portu...

  • Buffalo Bill: The Man Behind the Legend

    Buffalo Bill was America’s first celebrity… and the most famous man in the world at the turn of the 20th century.

    He was a former scout, soldier, Buffalo hunter…but what he’s most known for of course, is his showmanship. He vied with PT Barnum for the title of greatest showman on earth.

    At the ...

  • Sir Thomas More - Not Just the Tudors... Lates

    How far would you go to save your immortal soul?’

    This is the question that plagued Tudor High Chancellor, Sir Thomas More. Lawyer, philosophiser, and advisor to Henry VIII, when the court turned on its head at the arrival of Anne Boleyn. Hounded by prolific characters like Thomas Cromwell, his ...

  • Rollo the Viking: From Exile to Conqueror

    You’re probably familiar with Rollo, a main character of the series Vikings. But did you know that he is based on a real-life Viking leader: Rollo?

    After years of inquiry, based on a manuscript, you’ll discover, thanks to experts and re-enactments, the epic tale of this forgotten hero, ancestor ...

  • The Rise of Stalin

    He dominated the 20th century like no other, his shadow still hanging over the continent 70 years after his death.

    But how did a choir boy from provincial Georgia rise to become the most powerful man in Russia? And what was his role in shaping the revolution that swept aside the Romanov's and b...

  • Max Eisen: Surviving Auschwitz

    Max Eisen was only 15 when he and his family were taken from their Hungarian home to the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp during the Second World War. All of his relatives were killed; only Max survived to see VE Day and eventual liberation. 74 years on from being liberated, he talks about t...

  • The Man Who Volunteered for Auschwitz

    In 1940 the Polish resistance decided it needed to send an agent to Auschwitz concentration camp. They were desperate to find out what was going on in a place that even by that stage of the war had an evil reputation. Historian Jack Fairweather tells the story of Witold Pilecki the Pole who volun...

  • Simon Sebag Montefiore on Stalin

    How did a young boy from Georgia become a merciless politician who shaped the Soviet Empire in his own brutal image? Historian and bestselling author, Simon Sebag Montifiore talks to Dan about the rise of Joseph Stalin, a man who caused the death and suffering of tens of millions under his regime...