8 Days That Made Rome

Award-winning historian and host, Bettany Hughes, travels across the Roman world in this eight-part landmark history of ancient Rome. Across the series we explore eight key days that define the Roman Empire's remarkable success, and the series of events which would ultimately culminate in the end of Rome’s republic.

Man Made Marvels: Ancient China

Giant Buddha Four times the size of Mount Rushmore and twice as high as Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Leshan’s Giant Buddha is one of the world’s ancient wonders. Crafted over a thousand years ago on an inaccessible site in a place where carving anything should be impossible, the mighty Buddha has survived war, fire, earthquakes and extreme weather. But can it survive the modern world? China's Forgotten City With a history defined by the rise and fall of powerful dynasties and immortalized by some of China’s greatest architectural and engineering innovations, predecessors of modern day Xian have provided a blueprint for many of the world’s great cities. Using the best technology and science available, today’s Xian’s residents are rediscovering and restoring a city laden with ancient man made marvels.

Engineering From Above

This visually stunning and fast-paced series takes viewers on an exploration of staggering engineering marvels from around the world. Using cutting-edge technology and dynamic graphics, each episode reveals these iconic sites from new perspectives, uncovering the secrets hidden within. Through a unique view from above, the series answers the how and why behind these awe-inspiring feats of human ingenuity. With each episode, ENGINEERING FROM ABOVE delivers thrilling revelations about the world’s most remarkable engineering achievements.

Caesar

This is the story of a Roman youth at the end of the republic, Gaius Julius, who, with guts and good fortune reaches the heights of triumph. His story leads us to travel through six countries around the Mediterranean and retell the story of his military, political and love life unravelling. Told in the present tense, CAESAR creates a young hero that viewers can relate to - showing his humanity, struggles, doubts, hopes and flaws - in a way that today’s young audience can identify with. It is the man behind the statue that interests us. The orphan, the civil war outcast, the young impoverished conscript on the frontline, the hostage of pirates in the Aegean Sea, the bisexual lover of a Turkish king, the conqueror of Gaul and of Great-Britain, Cleopatra’s companion in Egypt, etc. This series follows Caesar’s footsteps along the shores of “mare nostrum.” From the Carthage ruins in Tunisia to the Lutece arena in Paris and Antakya’s victory arches in Turkey, we will explore the common history of three continents where the Roman heritage lives on.

City Guides

CITY GUIDES is a revealing series about the history of beautiful structures and their finer details, many of which are lost in the hustle and bustle of the cityscape. It is with this discerning eye for design that a city’s past, and its transformation over the years, is revealed. The first season spotlights Toronto, providing a new perspective on the stunning architecture that frames this beautiful city, while the second season episodes each focus on a different metropolis.

Jack The Ripper: Written In Blood

From leading producer Nutopia, JACK THE RIPPER: WRITTEN IN BLOOD is a gripping drama-documentary series that reveals a shocking new angle on the infamous Whitechapel murders: how a gang of ruthless reporters at The Star Newspaper created the legend of Jack the Ripper, and helped him get away with murder. Across three hours, we’ll go inside the real-life thriller of how penny-a-line journalist Fred Best and his colleagues at The Star, including its cunning editor TP O'Connor, manipulated the gruesome murders to sell papers. They actively misled the police investigation by planting false leads and fabricating evidence, and printing speculation as fact. With every lurid headline and forged letter, in which they pertained to be the killer, Fred and his cohorts steered the hunt away from the real murderer and made a fiasco of Scotland Yard’s investigation. By identifying false suspects, The Star whipped up mass hysteria and turned the streets of Whitechapel into a battleground, fuelling mob justice and violent suspicion. The city spiralled into panic, with the police chasing shadows while the real killer slipped through their grasp. In their relentless pursuit of headlines, Fred and his colleagues at The Star, didn’t just create the myth of Jack the Ripper, they ensured he would never be caught. They made him the story, guaranteeing he became a sensation, whilst the tragic stories of the murderers victims were lost amidst the press hysteria. The Star’s underhand tactics laid the foundation for modern tabloid journalism, a legacy of scandal, fear, and media-fuelled frenzy, that still shapes our world today.

Taking Venice

It’s 1964, the Cold War is raging, and the US sets its sights on a new front: the art world. At the prestigious Venice Biennale, a covert cultural campaign unfolds. A savvy Washington insider enlists a rising curator to organize America’s entry. Teaming up with a legendary dealer, they launch an audacious plan to make Robert Rauschenberg—an unorthodox artist using pop culture imagery and street junk—the grand prize winner. As the competition heats up, the team’s behind-the-scenes tactics echo a Hollywood thriller. When Rauschenberg wins, the art world erupts—and the artist is left questioning the political agenda behind his triumph.

The Black Death With Dan Snow

Dan Snow and archaeologist Raksha Dave investigate how the Black Death devastated Britain 700 years ago. This terrible plague killed around 3 million people across the country, 50% of the population. Visiting outbreak hotspots and unearthing evidence from the time, Dan and Raksha explore its horrific spread month by month as it crippled the country. Alongside dramatic reconstructions of events, they witness the terrifying symptoms of the disease. They experience the brutal methods used to try and cure it and they examine the latest cutting-edge research, revealing why the Black Death was and remains the most deadly pandemic in history.

Passage

PASSAGE charts the fatal true story of John Rae (1813-1893), The Hudson’s Bay Company doctor, who solved the two great mysteries of the 19th Century: the fate of the doomed Sir John Franklin expedition, and the location of the last navigable link in the North West Passage. Rae’s findings included the tragic news that the Franklin crew had resorted to cannibalism, and it was this truth that was his undoing.

Unsinkable: Japan's Lost Battleship (Musashi)

How did this unsinkable giant go down so fast? Was it overwhelming American air power? Or a fatal design flaw? Musashi was literally the King Kong of the sea— the largest and most heavily armed battleship of its time. Built in total secret Musashi was finally unleashed in the world’s largest sea battle, which began on October 24, 1944 in the Philippines. Japan’s navy gambled on winning a decisive victory to turn the tide of World War II. Instead Musashi, the pride of the Japanese fleet, ended up at the bottom of the ocean. How did this unsinkable giant go down so fast? Was it overwhelming American air power? Or a fatal design flaw? 70 years later American deep sea explorers and Japanese military experts are determined to solve this 70-year old mystery. But first they must find the missing Musashi.