Jun 3, 2026 | A country the size of Maryland built one hundred and seventy-three thousand concrete bunkers — roughly one for every sixteen people — against an invasion that never came.
For forty-one years it was the only nation in Europe to declare itself atheist by law.
One fifth of its people now live abroad.
This is Living in Albania. On a hillside above the village of Leskovik, a shepherd ducks into a concrete bunker the size of a refrigerator and hangs his canvas bag from a hook that was drilled into the wall in 1979. The country has one hundred and seventy-three thousand of them, built between 1967 and 1986.
On the Adriatic coast at Vlorë, a plaque above the harbour names a date: the seventh of March, 1991, when twenty-five thousand Albanians left this port in six days for the Italian shore. A few streets back from the water, the apartment blocks the regime poured in grey have been repainted, one building at a time, in cobalt and ochre.
Jun 5, 2026 | Using stunning colourised archive footage, this documentary brings 1930s Britain vividly back to life. From economic uncertainty and political tensions to new freedoms and modern lifestyles, discover what everyday life looked like as Europe moved closer to war.
Featuring rare footage of factories, gas mask preparations, public events, and Britain’s attempts to preserve peace with Nazi Germany, this film explores the hopes, fears, and realities of a nation standing on the brink of World War II.
Documentary: Thirties In Colour: Countdown To War EP:2
Directed by: Suniti Somaiya
Production: A Make Waves Ltd Production for Channel 5 (2019)
Sep 27, 2023 | …Join British historian Bettany Hughes as she examines a long-buried chapter of European history--the rise and fall of Islamic culture in what is now Spain and Portugal.
Although generations of Spanish rulers have tried to expunge this era from the historical record, recent archeology and scholarship now shed fresh light on the Moors who flourished in Al-Andalus for more than 700 years.
This fascinating documentary explodes old stereotypes and offers shocking new insights. You’ll discover the ingenious mathematics behind Granada’s dazzling Alhambra Palace, trace El Cid’s lineage to his Moorish roots, and learn how the Iberian population willingly converted to Islam in droves.
Through interviews with noted scholars, you’ll see how Moorish advances in mathematics, astronomy, art, and agriculture helped propel the West out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.
What emerges is a richly detailed portrait of a sensuous, inquisitive, and remarkably progressive Islamic culture in Christian Europe.
Bettany Mary Hughes OBE FSA (born May 1967) is an English historian, author and broadcaster, specialising in classical history. Her published books cover classical antiquity and myth, and the history of Istanbul. She is active in efforts to encourage the teaching of the classics in UK state schools. Hughes was appointed OBE in 2019.
May 22, 2026 | In the 1950s, Spain under Francisco Franco entered a new phase known as the “Leaden Age.” After years of international isolation following World War II in 1945, the regime began to regain legitimacy. Key agreements, such as the 1953 Pact of Madrid with the United States and the 1955 admission of Spain to the United Nations, marked a turning point in Franco’s foreign policy and international standing.
These developments brought economic opportunities and a sense of stability to the country. While Spain appeared to move forward, political opposition weakened and resistance largely disappeared. Behind this controlled progress, Franco’s dictatorship remained firmly in place. This period reveals how international recognition and economic change helped secure the long-term survival of one of Europe’s most enduring authoritarian regimes.
Jan 9, 2026 | The Road to War uses elaborate re-enactments, fascinating computer-generated imagery and previously unseen archive footage to examine how the assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 came about and how Austria-Hungary used the death of the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, to start a war against Serbia.
The film investigates how this regional conflict caused the central powers and the Triple Entente to enter the First World War - at the time, the biggest war in history, with 17 million soldiers and civilians killed and more than 20 million injured.
Documentary: The Road to War
Production: Metafilm for ORF (2014)
Directed by Robert Gokl
Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady - From her humble beginnings as a grocer's daughter, Margaret Thatcher fought her way through the sexist prejudices of the 1970s to become the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1979.
Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady (2012)
Director: Alan Byron
Stars: Tony Benn, Gyles Brandreth, Michael Brunson
Genre: Documentary, Biography, History
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Release Date: August 24, 2012 (United States)
Jun 26, 2024 | In 1939 on the eve of World War 2, Heinrich Himmler plans to establish his SS as the most powerful organization within the Nazi regime. To do this, he has a cunning and ruthless deputy: Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich will establish himself as chief architect of the Holocaust, masterminding the mass murder of millions of Jews.
Apr 17, 2026 | Munich was more than a backdrop to Hitler’s rise. It was the city where the Nazi movement took shape, where party ritual, propaganda, architecture, and repression were embedded into the urban landscape.
Documentary: Exploring Hitler's Munich
Directed by: Frank Gensthaler, Michael Kloft
Production: Spiegel TV (2007)
Mar 5, 2024 | Uncover the shocking history of the early 20th-century campaign to breed a “better” American race.
THE EUGENICS CRUSADE tells the story of the unlikely—and largely unknown—project to breed a better American race, tracing the rise of a movement that turned a scientific theory of heredity into a powerful instrument of social control. Populated by figures both celebrated and obscure, it is an often revelatory portrait of an America at once strange and eerily familiar.
Nov 10, 2025 | The Vatican media documentary about the roots of Robert Francis Prevost in his native United States. It follows an itinerary that begins with his childhood in Dolton, through the memories of his brothers Louis and John, and continues among schools and universities, communities and parishes, featuring the voices of confreres, teachers, classmates, and long-time friends.
A production of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Apostolate El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización (ESNE), broadcast on the official channels of Vatican Radio – Vatican News.
Aug 8, 2026 | Zionism is not Judaism — it’s an ethno-nationalist colonisation project built on land theft, ethnic cleansing and the denial of Palestinian existence.
Apr 4, 2026 | This documentary explores the intricate and often misunderstood bond between Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed. It moves beyond the tabloid headlines to examine the pressures of a newly divorced royal seeking a life of her own, and the man who became her final companion. From the quiet moments in St. Tropez to the fateful night in Paris, this journey reveals the human hearts beating beneath the most photographed romance of the century.
Mar 19, 2026 | How did Sarah Ferguson, a Duchess, find herself in financial turmoil time and time again? And how has she always managed to bounce back?
Fergie: Where Did All the Money Go?: This lively documentary takes us onboard Sarah Ferguson's financial rollercoaster.
Mar 25, 2026 | November 1979: The United States impose their first embargo on Iran in response to staff at their embassy in Tehran being taken hostage.
Today, relationships between Tehran and Washington continue to deteriorate and the Iranian economy is suffering under the weight of US sanctions. Inflation, unemployment, trafficking of medicines, and ration coupons – the Iranian people are paying a heavy price. But how do the Iranians survive under the heavy burden of this embargo? And just who is benefiting from it?
From Washington to Tehran, via Brussels, Paris, and Tel Aviv, this geopolitical documentary takes us behind the scenes of this shadow war and retrace the deployment of the US sanctions on Iran since they began.
With testimony from political leaders and economics experts from Europe, Iran, and America, along with extensive archive footage, this film questions the political effectiveness of these sanctions and reveals the input they are having on diplomacy and trade today.
Documentary: Embargo, Iran and the Sanctions
Directed by: Magali Serre
Production: ARTLINE PRODUCTION (2020)
May 29, 2025 | An exceptional dancer, Rudolf Nureyev changed his destiny in 1961 by fleeing the USSR to seek asylum in France. He was 23 years old, and this bold move would separate him from his family for more than 25 years.
Brilliant and uncompromising, he conquered the West and became a ballet icon. In 1983, he became head of dance at the Paris Opera.
This documentary, combining rare archival footage and intimate testimonies, traces the dazzling career of a free artist, who passed away in 1993 at the age of only 54.
Feb 27, 2026 | Edwardian Britain was the richest empire in the world. But behind the power of the crown stood millions of workers.
For the first time, rare archival footage from 1901–1914 has been carefully colorized, revealing the real faces of miners, dockworkers, factory girls, market porters, and children whose labour built modern Britain. From Queen Victoria’s funeral to the mills of Lancashire, from London’s docks to Blackpool’s seaside resorts, this is the story of a nation at its industrial peak — just years before the First World War would change everything.
Documentary: Edwardian Britain in Colour EP:1
Directed by: Alison Grist
Production: MAKE WAVES Ltd Production for Channel 5 [London & Singapore] [MW]
Mar 14, 2026 | Step back in time to explore the definitive story of history’s most iconic power couple: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In this special feature-length presentation, we have completely reimagined our original coverage of their lives to bring you a fresh, comprehensive viewing experience.
