A series of documentaries examining the history of local people, places, inventions and events that changed the world. Adam Hart-Davis tells the remarkable story of Thomas Newcomen, the Devon man who invented the world's first working steam-powered engine.

A series of documentaries examining the history of local people, places, inventions and events that changed the world. Horrible Histories author Terry Deary tells the story of the country's biggest and bloodiest ever battle in which 28,000 soldiers died in a single day of slaughter during the Wars of the Roses.

Chris Tarrant discovers how one simple invention revolutionised the industrial heart of Britain. He travels by narrow boat to see how the Brindley Lock created a canal network that would transform the Midlands from rural backwater to industrial giant.

From its early years until the present day, London has provided powerful, emotional inspiration to artists.This documentary evokes the city as seen by painters, photographers, film-makers and writers through the ages.

Poet and author Owen Sheers presents a series in which he explores great works of poetry set in the British landscape.Sylvia Plath is one of the most popular and influential poets of recent history but her poetry is often overshadowed by her life.

Jonathan Dimbleby travels to South America to report on dramatic changes in one of the world's least understood continents

British-born Chinese vlogger Shu Lin explores the history of the Chinese community in the UK from the 1950s through to the present day.

Documentary which sheds new light on the greatest crisis to rock the British monarchy in centuries - the abdication of King Edward VIII. Usually, it has been presented as the only possible solution to his dilemma of having to choose between the throne and the woman he loved.

Documentary re-assessing the reputation of American president, Abraham Lincoln.

Mark Urban tells the inside story of Britain\'s fight for Helmand, told with unique access to the generals and frontline troops who were there.

In episode one Rory Stewart tells the story of British interventions in Afghanistan in the 19th century, when the British Empire became obsessed with the idea that their rival, Russia, was considering the invasion of Afghanistan as a staging post for an attack on British India.

Rory Stewart tells the story of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the twentieth century, and its parallels with the American-led coalition's intervention today.

A journey through the parts of Afghanistan that don't normally feature in news coverage to meet some amazing people and see fascinating places. Lyse Doucet uses her many years experience in Afghanistan to show a different side of a country which has been at war for 30 years.

David Attenborough comes face-to-face with a baby rhino and asks what the future holds for this little one. He meets the local people who are standing side-by-side with the wildlife at this pivotal moment in their history. We discover what it takes to save a species, hold back a desert and even resurrect an entire wilderness - revealing what the world was like before modern man.

The award-winning film-maker and academic Henry Louis Gates Jr takes a new look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century.

The award-winning film-maker and academic Henry Louis Gates Jr travels the length and breadth of Africa to explore the continent's epic history. In this first episode, Gates focuses on the origins of human existence and looks at the anthropological and scientific discoveries that point to Africa as the genetic home of all currently living humanity.

This episode charts the emergence of Christianity and Islam and examines how the two religions reshaped Africa between the first and the 12th centuries AD, as well as for centuries thereafter.

Empires of Gold marks an era of great commercial and manufacturing growth throughout several of the continent's regions.

This episode shines a light on the powerful, cosmopolitan cities that dotted Africa at the time when Europe was in its Middle Ages. From 1000 to 1600, commerce, wealth and prosperity expanded across Africa, building new cities and founding new powerful states that mark this golden age.

The Atlantic Age examines the tremendous changes that took place in Africa between the 15th and 18th centuries.

In the final part of Africa's Great Civilisations, Henry Louis Gates Jr reviews the 19th century, when a fierce competition for resources and trade stimulated ingenuity but also enticed European powers, triggering the 'scramble for Africa' and inciting conflicts that threatened the stability and wellbeing of the continent.

The European Union faces the biggest challenge in its 60-year history, with the rise of populist eurosceptic movements across the continent. As Britain prepares to begin the process of withdrawing from the EU, the BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler asks whether the Union itself can survive.

Coal had powered Britain's industrial rise, with her mills and furnaces, railways and steamships depending on it. In the peak years a million men laboured in the mines, many in poor and dangerous working conditions like those contributor Dick Martin found when he began as pit boy aged 14.

A series of films about how humans have been colonised by the machines we have built. Although we don't realise it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computer

A series of films about how humans have been colonised by the machines they have built. Although we don't realise it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers.

This looks at how the idea of nature as a self-regulating ecosystem is a machine fantasy.

Why do humans find the machine vision so beguiling - does it excuse our failure?

Lucy Worsley reveals the myths and manipulations behind American history.

Lucy Worsley explores how the history of the American Revolution has been mythologised and manipulated by generations of politicians, writers and protesters.

In the second programme of this three-part series, Lucy Worsley debunks the myths behind one of the USA’s great historical landmarks: the American Civil War.