Recent Additions to History Hit
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Too Much, Too Young: Children of the Middle Ages
Medievalist Dr Stephen Baxter takes a fresh look at the Middle Ages through the eyes of children. At a time when half the population was under eighteen he argues that, although they had to grow up quickly and take on adult responsibility early, the experience of childhood could also be richly rew...
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Hadrian with Dan Snow
Dan Snow presents this Bafta Cymru-winning film following the travels of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
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Sing for the King: The Search for the Coronation Choir
In 2023 a choir of various singing groups organised to sing at King Charles' coronation concert.
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Blitz Spirit
Lucy Worsley explores the lives of six real people who lived, worked and volunteered during the Blitz. Using the same style as Lucy's film about the Suffragettes, the film shows their remarkable resilience, as well as the terrible suffering they endured, shining a light on the role of the front-l...
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Churchill: Winning the War, Losing the Peace
Just weeks after VE day, Winston Churchill found himself in new battle to be reelected Prime Minister.
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
1 season
A docu-drama covering the rise and the fall of the Roman world, including the establishment of strong individual rule by Julius Caesar and the rebuilding of Rome under Nero.
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Structures of Marvel: Medieval Paris
In the heart of Paris, Île de la Cité once featured one of the most majestic palaces of medieval times: The Palais des Rois. Built in the early Middle Ages, only two parts of this grandiose palace remain: The Sainte-Chapelle, the largest and most daring palatial chapel of the time; and the Concie...
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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 ...
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Diana's Dresses
This programme, produced in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces and presented by Brenda Emmanus, looks at some of Diana's most celebrated and exquisite dresses, brought together for an exhibition of her clothes at Kensington Palace.
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Lost City of Gaul: Unearthing Bibracte
In the heart of the French region of Burgundy, deep in a forest, lies a hidden city that had been dormant for 2,000 years. It’s called Bibracte, the most important oppidum in all of Gaul. That is where the Aedui, a Gallic tribe allied to the Romans, once built a fortified city on top of a mountai...
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Cluny Abbey: The Lost Holy City
In the heart of Burgundy, the small town of Cluny holds a secret. The abbey standing tall in the city center is a mere fragment of what the 11th-century Maior Ecclesia once was, the biggest church ever conceived at the time. A feat that was accomplished in less than 70 years.
How were the builde...
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Diana: Seven Days that Shook the World
Diana: Seven Days that Shook the World examines the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic death and the dramatic week leading up to her funeral.
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The Queen Mother
1 season
Wife, monarch and much-loved public figure: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was one of the most respected members of the British Royal family. But did her image disguise something? This moving royal family documentary reveals the dramatic inside story of her life and the moments of pain and up...
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Hannibal
1 season
The story of legendary Carthaginian general Hannibal. From his beginnings as an enemy of Rome in the Iberian Peninsula, to his daring crossing of the Alps and the decisive Battle of Zama against Roman general Scipio Africanus.
Alexander Siddig performs as Hannibal, supreme commander of the Carth...
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Our Queen at War
Our Queen at War reveals Princess Elizabeth's extraordinary teenage life; from broadcasting to the children of the Empire, to putting on pantomimes for the war effort.
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Who Killed the Princes in the Tower?
In 1483, the twelve-year-old King Edward V and his younger brother were put in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. Weeks later, Richard pronounced himself King. The boys were never seen again.
For more than 500 years it has been assumed that Richard III killed hi...
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Maya: Ancient Metropolis
1 season
Recent discoveries from archaeological excavations reveal much of the Maya civilization: lost citadels in the Guatemalan jungle found around Tikal, a sacred cenote at Chichen Itza, and underground network of tunnels discovered at Teotihuacan. How were these ancient people able to build such struc...
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The Count of Monte Cristo: The True Story
Behind the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas about the adventures of a man betrayed, abandoned, and left for dead who resurrects to quench his thirst for vengeance, lies a true, dreadful story.
Turned in by his so-called friends, a man named Picaud is locked away for years in the Alps with a prie...
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Chambord: The Leonardo da Vinci Mystery
A building lost in the midst of a 5 000 hectare park, that’s the equivalent of the surface of Paris, Chambord is the castle of all superlatives. 156 metres of façade, over 400 rooms, 77 stairways. The castle commissioned by François 1st in the 16th century is also the most mysterious. For over 5 ...
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Mauthausen: Camp of No Return
In August 1938, just west of Vienna, Hitler ordered the construction of the Mauthausen concentration camp, one of the deadliest in history. Some 200,000 people would be deported there. Over 120,000 would perish.
The Nazi regime didn’t settle for inflicting violence, hunger, and terror onto the ...
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Elizabeth I and II: The Golden Queens
1 season
Both were massively powerful and history-defining women. Both courted controversy as they devotedly ruled over a nation. But what similarities exist between Queen Elizabeth I and II? In this fascinating royal documentary, two of Britain's greatest monarchs are profiled, revealing what unites or d...
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On the Rocks
1 season
A being with a cube-shaped skull, like an astronaut’s helmet sprouting long antennas linked together with filaments, and without feet, nor legs. This picture does not come from some visionary artist’s canvas but it is drawn in the Utah desert. Here, as in many other incredible natural spots, awes...
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Undermining the Nazis: Paris' Secret Tunnels
On June 14th, 1940, Paris falls under German occupation. Two doctors, Jean Talairach and René Suttel, discover an entrance to the mines of the city. They start a mapping operation of the catacombs in order to help the Resistance and de Gaulle.
How did two young resistance fighters manage to find...