The Temple Woods Gang

Templar knights in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, brave in the face of death rather than fleeing from the enemy, fighting for Christ and the Pope in the Holy Land during the Crusades. This documentary series aims at reconstructing, for the first time, in a complete fashion the evolution of the knights belonging to the Order of Solomon's Temple, whose original goal was to protect pilgrims during their travels to Jerusalem after the victory of the Crusaders at the First Crusade. The Knights Templar grew in power and wealth becoming the earliest banking institution of the Middle Age. They were so rich that they financed the King of France and benefitted from a direct and exclusive link with the Pope.

Now in its 2nd Season, the story of archaeology fascinates both laymen and professionals. In these installments we accompany Ernst Herzfeld on his last expedition to Persepolis in 1923; we travel to Mexico with the man who cracked the code of the Aztec calendar; we visit the greatest pre-industrial city on earth at Angkor; we join Isidoro Falchi as he discovers proof of the existence of the Etruscans; and we watch Alfred Merlin found the discipline of marine archaeology when he discovers shipwrecks in the Mediterranean..

Dan Cruickshank's quest is to tell the story of civilisation through the greatest of man's achievements. It will also be the story of his travels, and who and what he meets along the way. Whether standing before the solemn heads of Easter Island, investigating the mysterious Nazca lines in Peru or the magnificent temple of Borobodur in Java, Dan is never less than fascinating about the origins, construction, mysteries and vicissitudes of each of these monuments to the great civilisations of the world.

Journey nearly 1,000 miles along the River Nile in this epic travelogue led by classical historian Bettany Hughes to see ancient Egypt’s most iconic and dazzling sites.

In this fascinating documentary, historian Bettany Hughes travels to the seven wonders of the Buddhist world and offers a unique insight into one of the most ancient belief systems still practised today. Buddhism began 2,500 years ago when one man had an amazing internal revelation underneath a peepul tree in India.

Journey nearly 1,000 miles along the River Nile in this epic travelogue led by classical historian Bettany Hughes to see ancient Egypt’s most iconic and dazzling sites.

The historian explores the land that inspired her passion for the past by embarking upon a 900-mile journey along the river Nile and examining how it shaped ancient Egypt.

The historian explores the land that inspired her passion for the past by embarking upon a 900-mile journey along the river Nile and examining how it shaped ancient Egypt.

Beneath the houses of Cairo lies a much older metropolis. In Heliopolis, as the ancient Greeks called the city, once stood the largest and most important temple of the pharaohs. It was here, the ancient Egyptians believed, that all creation had begun, and it was here where the King was given the power to rule.

The ebullient comedy films of the 1930s brought escape and laughter to millions of British cinemagoers, enabling veteran stars of the music-hall and theatre to reach out to a wider audience ­ making household names of performers like Leslie Fuller, Hal Gordon, Bobby Howes, Ernest Lotinga and Gene Gerrard. Although comedy would prove to be the decade¹s most successful film genre, many of these classic early talkies have remained unseen since their original release. From boisterous knockabout humour to polished adaptations of popular stage farces, this ongoing collection showcases a wealth of rare features, each presented uncut, in a brand-new transfer from the best available elements in their as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.