Arthur Demarest, Ancient Maya: The Rise And Fall of a Rainforest Civilization. 4th

When 23-year-old Israeli Jonathan Agassi arrived with a bang on the gay porn scene in the late 2000s, his rise to fame was stratospheric, revolutionising the industry. After a traumatic childhood growing up gay in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, the man behind the performer claims that porn saved his life, but at a cost. The Rise and Fall of a Porn Superstar charts Agassi's journey from prolific adult superstar to male escort, battling many demons. Filmed over seven years, this unflinching, emotional and at times funny and shocking film explores the deeper and more devastating reasons for Agassi's self-destructive behaviour with sensitivity and compassion.

Property tycoon Robbie Tchenguiz was once among Britain's super-rich. As one of the 'one per cent', this flamboyant tycoon amassed a fortune worth billions in the days when it was possible to have £16bn of assets - and yet £13bn of debt. But over the last ten years, Iranian-born Robbie's once gilded life - complete with superyacht, private jets and fast cars - has been in meltdown. He lost billions in the financial crash and then faced professional humiliation when arrested on suspicion of fraud. Though he was exonerated of any wrongdoing, today his empire is in tatters, and he is now fighting to save his home - a mansion next to London's Royal Albert Hall, worth an estimated £20million.

The war in Europe was reaching its cataclysmic final months with Germany surrounded on all sides. Hitler’s forces had been driven from Poland by the Red Army and the Soviets were poised a short distance from Berlin, while the Western allies, having repulsed the Führer’s Ardennes offensive, were preparing to cross the Rhine.