The Story of Hipnosis

Professor Jim Al-Khalili tells the electrifying story of our quest to master nature's most mysterious force - electricity. Until fairly recently, electricity was seen as a magical power, but it is now the lifeblood of the modern world and underpins every aspect of our technological advancements. Without electricity, we would be lost. This series tells of dazzling leaps of imagination and extraordinary experiments - a story of maverick geniuses who used electricity to light our cities, to communicate across the seas and through the air, to create modern industry and to give us the digital revolution.

Mankind The Story of All of Us is an epic 12-hour television event about the greatest adventure of all time—the history of the human race. It takes 10 billion years for the ideal planet to form and 3 billion more for the right conditions to emerge before it finally happens: mankind begins. From there unfolds a fast-paced story told here through key turning points—stepping stones in our journey from hunter-gatherer to global citizen. It’s a tale of connections—why some ideas take hold and spread around the globe, and how the lives of people in one part of the world are shaped by events in another.

Simon Schama explores the history of the Jewish experience from ancient times to the present day.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey is an unprecedented cinematic event, an epic journey through the history of world cinema that is a treat for movie lovers around the globe. Guided by film historian Mark Cousins, this bold 15-part love letter to the movies begins with the invention of motion pictures at the end of the 19th century and concludes with the multi-billion dollar globalized digital industry of the 21st.

Hans-Joachim Marseille was one of the most successful fighter pilots of all time. Despite being shot down a number of times in his early career as a fighter pilot, he made his name in the African campaigns where he became known as 'The Star of Africa'.

Documentary recalling Britain's early 1960s music show Ready Steady Go!, which revolutionised television `for the kids' and introduced emerging talent from the era. The ITV programme, synonymous with its hosts Keith Fordyce and Cathy McGowan, showcased top acts of the day including the Beatles, the Who, Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones. Contributors include original producer Vicki Wickham and pioneering director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, plus Annie Nightingale, Eric Burdon, Chris Farlowe, Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves, Paul Jones, Gerry Marsden and Jools Holland.

The hitmakers reveal the secrets behind their biggest hits. Three of Cher's biggest hits - I Got You Babe, If I Could Turn Back Time and Believe - come under the spotlight.

With guests including Bono, Sinead O’Connor, Dave Stewart, Jools Holland, David Mallet and Sting, as well as music writers, photographers and historians, this film explores the musical and social legacy of Ireland’s first rock superstars The Boomtown Rats, who changed their own lives, helped to change Ireland and, with Bob Geldof’s Live Aid, changed the world. In this entertaining, dramatic and absorbing film, director Billy McGrath digs deep into the band’s history and remarkable songbook and highlights the key moments of its huge success and subsequent fall in 1985. And after over 30 years, why did the band regroup in 2013?

In early history, nudes were gods or heroes. Since then, the nude has often been about sex but also a powerful influence on how we view the body. Art historian Kate Bryan explores six decades of BBC archive to discover how television has influenced our understanding of the nude and how our attitudes have changed. As she examines the archives, Kate finds that while beauty and sexuality are never far away, artists have always used the nude as a vehicle to defy conventions.