Design For Today

When the Wright brothers took to the sky in 1903, the world paid attention as a new era of adventure and innovation was born, one that would forever change mankind's fingerprints upon the pages of history. Civil aviation is now a multi-billion dollar industry capable of transporting cargo, military, humanitarian aid and commercial passengers from anywhere in the world, at any hour of every day. This exciting 13 part series reveals the incredible history and evolution of modern aviation, from the first conceptual drawings of aerial contraptions to modern marvels such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing Dreamliner.

The British Isles have a long, rich and celebrated seafaring history stretching from the earliest times through the victories of Drake and Nelson, the voyages of discovery and the defence of the realm by vessels of all types in the present century. Much of this history is recorded in literature and in museums but reaches its most tangible form in the large number of historical ships that have been preserved and are continually restored as monuments to a proud past.

Nuclear Secrets is a series of spy thrillers exploring the key turning-points in the race for nuclear supremacy. From the development of the A-bomb, via the Cuban missile crisis, to the spread of nuclear weapons to the Middle East and beyond, each story is told through the eyes of the men who risked everything to proliferate their nuclear secrets and those who tried to stop them. Nuclear weapons and the actions of these men have transformed the face of war – and now the world could pay the price.

Strange Planes have odd shapes, interesting tales. From the highly successful series "Wings" on The Discovery Channel comes the six-volume series "Strange Planes." For aviation buffs, this collection is an insightful look at the history of aircraft, sometimes amusing, sometimes bizarre and at times astonishing, yet always interesting.

The British Library in London is home to 14 million books, on shelves that stretch over 600km. Extraordinary vessels of ideas and knowledge, they testify to the love affair we have with books. This series explores the enduring appeal and importance of books from a 4th-century bible to present-day paperbacks.

In the centuries since the gun was invented, hundreds of innovators, engineers and inventors have brought their vision together to create what has become one of the most perfectly produced items ever made. TALES OF THE GUN chronicles the long history of firearm design and construction from the first, primitive weapons to today's computer-controlled, high-tech factories. From the gunslingers of the Wild West to the newest technology being developed for tomorrow s super-weapons, guns have etched a place in today s culture for their masterful combination of form, function and beauty.

Filmed over 12 months, with unprecedented access, this landmark film follows the English National Opera as they pursue the challenge of staging Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. One of the greatest British choral works of the 20th Century, War Requiem is seen by many as a true masterpiece.

The Chernobyl disaster on 26 April 1986 is considered the worst nuclear accident in mankind's history – both in terms of casualties and costs. It has impacted the world forever. Many have seen the fictional account. But the true story is even more complex, more human and more shocking than we could ever have imagined.

Writer Adam Nicolson is granted rare access to the ruins of the whaling stations on the remote British island of South Georgia. Amazing rarely seen archive footage and first-hand testimony from the last of Britain's whale hunters reveals what it was really like to have been a whale hunter in Antarctica, providing Europe with essential oils for soap and food. Putting our modern environmental guilt to one side, this provocative series looks at how and why whale populations were so drastically reduced in the 20th century and attempts to see whaling through the eyes of the time.

A series charting the life and explaining the work of modern artists Picasso, Matisse, Dali and Warhol, and looking at their influence on contemporary art, design and architecture.