Higgins Ridge
One to Watch: Higgins Ridge | UK Premiere
Monday 4 November, 8.15pm
The incredible story of 20 elite firefighters (smokejumpers) who parachuted into the Idaho wilderness to put out a wildfire burning on a mountain ridge. What looked like a routine fire from the air became a different story on the ground, as wind fuelled the blaze into a blowup. The smokejumpers, many in their first season on the job, pivoted from battling the fire to fighting for their lives as the fire surrounded them.
Ancient Secrets of Althorp with Charles Spencer
One to Watch: Ancient Secrets of Althorp with Charles Spencer
Tuesday 5 November, 8.35pm
Earl Spencer – historian and brother of Princess Diana – has long been fascinated by the legend of a lost Anglo Saxon village, which lies somewhere in the grounds of his famous ancestral home, Althorp. To find the settlement, he enlists leading archaeologists Cat Jarman and Mark Horton to carry out the first ever archaeological dig inside Althorp’s 500 acre park. But, despite the team’s highly scientific approach, the Anglo Saxons prove elusive. Just when it looks like the dig is set to end in failure, the archaeologists begin to unearth extraordinary evidence of truly ancient inhabitants living at Althorp – far older than Earl Spencer could ever have imagined.
Military Masterminds
One to Watch: Military Masterminds
Start Tuesday 29 Oct | Part 2: Wed 30 Oct
Part 3: Thu 31 Oct | Part 4: Fri 1 Nov
For thousands of years the fight for land, territory and resources has dominated the history books, as well as those military leaders who fought them. But one century stands out; a period full of conflicts, battles and revolutions. From the two World Wars and the Chinese Revolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Operation Desert Storm, the 20th Century saw momentous shifts in ideology and military advances in both technology and armaments. This century also saw the emergence of a new generation of warriors, whose ideas, tactics, manoeuvres and strategies would earn them their place in history as Military Masterminds. Explore who they are and what they did.
Hitler's Gold
One to Watch: Hitler's Gold
Starts Monday 28 Oct, 8.40pm | Part 2: Tue 29 Oct
Part 3: Wed 30 Oct | Part 4: Thu 31 Oct
Munich, September the 12th, 1919. History is about to be changed by a penniless army corporal thirsty to avenge his adoptive motherland. 13 years later, he will be saluted as the saviour of the German nation. His name is Adolf Hitler. By imposing his national economic policies by brute force, Adolf Hitler appears to fulfil his promise of returning Germany to prosperity within only 4 years – discover how?
Mandate for Murder: Britain's Struggle in Palestine
One to Watch | Mandate for Murder: Britain's Struggle in Palestine - UK Premiere
Thursday 24 Oct, 9.40pm
Set in the shadow of the Holocaust, Mandate for Murder takes place in Palestine in 1947. Using living people’s testimony; it tells the story of the British Government’s desperate attempts to suppress a Jewish insurgency using secret police units which became an international scandal and hastened the establishment of the State of Israel just a year later.
Jungle War
One to Watch: Jungle War | UK Premiere
Starts Tuesday 22 Oct, 8.40pm
Part 2: Wed 23 Oct | Part 3: Thu 24 Oct | Part 4: Fri 25 Oct
The series begins in the Second World War, in the jungles of the Pacific. As Japan shocks the world with the speed of its advance, the Allies scramble to halt what seems to be an unstoppable force. Amidst it all, the men on the ground struggle with another far more formidable opponent – the jungle itself. They endure energy sapping heat, diseases and starvation. Strategies and weapons are adapted, as they discover the jungle might be neutral, but it is far from benign.
Lost World of Angor Wat
One to Watch: Lost World of Angkor Wat
Monday 21 Oct, 7.35pm | Part 2: Tue 22 Oct
Archaeologists use scanning technology to uncover the rise and fall of the great medieval Khmer jungle empire, in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Cutting edge 3D digital graphics rebuild their lost world at Angkor Wat and expeditions into uncharted territory reveal undiscovered temples.
Forts of Verdun
One to Watch | Forts of Verdun : Thursday 17 Oct, 7.40pm
With 38 forts at stake, Verdun was a highly strategic place during WWI. Through rare archives, 3D animations and interviews of historians and scientists, this documentary plunges us inside the walls of these coveted fortifications from a fresh perspective.
The Ghettos & The Holocaust
One to Watch: The Ghettos & The Holocaust | UK Premiere
Wednesday 16 Oct, 8.35pm
New details are revealed about the Holocaust via research about the role of the ghettos as part of the Jewish community’s extermination process. This documentary reveals the place in history of these antechambers of death, based on exhumation and translation of diaries unveiling daily life in the ghettos.
The Great Fire
UK Premiere | The Great Fire, Starts Monday 14 Oct, 7.45pm
Part 2: Tuesday 15 Oct | Part 3: Wednesday 16 Oct
In this series Dan, Suzannah and Rob explore what really happened in the Great Fire of London. It was a catastrophe for Britain – the most devastating fire we have ever experienced. It destroyed almost every building inside London’s city walls and has burned its way into our national memory. We have all heard of the Great Fire but what do we really know about the events of those fateful four days back in September 1666?
Agatha Christie: 100 Years of Poirot and Miss Marple
One to Watch | Agatha Christie: 100 Years of Poirot and Miss Marple
Friday 11 Oct, 7.35pm
In a celebratory programme with access to the Christie estate archives, ‘Agatha Christie: 100 Years of #Poirot and #MissMarple’ explores ten of the best-selling author’s most iconic works in chronological order. From Murder on the Orient Express to And Then There Were None and Curtain: Poirot's Last Case, these timeless depictions remind us of another age, and also the brilliance of her literature.
The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump
One to Watch | The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump
UK Premiere: Thursday 10 Oct, 8.35pm
Investigating the lives and characters of #KamalaHarris and #DonaldTrump as they seek the presidency. In an historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal key moments that shape how they would lead America.
Forgotten Allies: The Search for Burma's Lost Heroes
One to Watch: Monday 7 October, 7.50pm
Forgotten Allies: The Search for Burma's Lost Heroes
In the darkest hours of World War 2, thousands of men from Burma gave their lives fighting a brutal war for Britain against the Japanese, and to carry out the most successful guerrilla campaign of the war. But after the Allied victory, Burma sank into isolation, dictatorship and civil war, and Britain forgot the bravery of these men. Only a handful of veterans remain – did they get the recognition they deserved before it was too late?
Auschwitz: the Inside Man
One to Watch - Auschwitz: the Inside Man | UK Premiere
Friday 4 October, 8.15pm
The incredible untold story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish officer who managed to infiltrate the Auschwitz death camp to smuggle information. A compilation of all the reports the undercover agent had secretly delivered to London during his internment. #Pilecki had a mission in #Auschwitz to create a support and information network.
Russia's Wars
One to Watch: Russia's Wars
Starts Monday 30 September, 9.40pm
Over centuries, from the mighty Tsars to secret service man Vladimir Putin, battles have shaped today’s Russia. With unseen archive footage, insights from international experts and high-end animated maps.
