British Sculptors

Artists in stone, metal and wood

Exploring the work of Britain's most influential 20th-Century Sculptors.

Francis Bacon at the BBC

The artist discusses his paintings and influences

Examining the life and work of a controversial and respected artist.

Henry Moore at the BBC

The artistic life of a master of sculpture

From groundbreaking arts documentaries to 'Blue Peter', the BBC celebrates the art of a 20th-Century master.

Van Gogh

Portraits of the Artist

Exploring the continuing fascination with one of the world's most popular artists.

Agatha Christie

A look at the life and craft of the world's most successful crime writer

Remembering the best-selling author of all time.

Enid Blyton

Remembering the creator of Noddy and the Famous Five

Why have accusations of racism and sexism not diminished this writer?

George Orwell at the BBC

The writer of 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' holds true to his ideals

Documents, letters and internal memos explore Orwell's BBC broadcasting career.

HG Wells on the Future

BBC broadcasts from the father of science fiction

The novelist speculates on the shape of things to come.

Modern Writers

Interviews with remarkable authors

The story of the novel in the 20th Century, as told by the writers themselves.

Archive Pioneers

Saviours of sound at the BBC

Celebrating the creators of the BBC sound archives.

Dad's Army at 40

How Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson got called up

Celebrating the heroes from Walmington-on-Sea's Home Guard.

Enid Blyton and the BBC

Revealing the writer's troubled relationship with the BBC

Why the creator of Noddy and the Famous Five wasn't welcome on the airwaves.

Hollywood Voices

Interviews with stars of the Golden Age of American Cinema

BBC Radio celebrates the legends of American cinema.

James Bond

The changing world of 007

Exploring the enduring appeal of Ian Fleming's master spy

Talking Hamlet

Actors discuss playing Shakespeare's Dane

Giants of the theatre, including John Gielgud and Derek Jacobi, discuss this complex and sometimes terrifying role.

The CBBC Broom Cupboard

25 Years of live Children's BBC presentation

Presenters, puppets and live TV continuity.

The Changing Face of Doctor Who

How to regenerate a Time Lord

The stories behind each new incarnation of the Doctor.

The Genesis of Doctor Who

Creating a science fiction hero

How the TARDIS became the nation's favourite time machine.

Coal Mining in Britain

The story of mining from the coal face to the strike

Stories of courage, hardship, political conflict and the changing face of British industry.

Men and Money: The City in the 1960s

A portrait of the bankers who ran London's 'Square Mile'

From the Bank of England to the floor of the Stock Exchange in London's financial heart.

Chronicle: Archaeology on Television

Excavations and reports from Sutton Hoo to Machu Picchu

Exploring historical excavations and long-gone civilisations.

Music from the Mersey

The story of pop music in Liverpool

From the Beatles to Pete Wylie - remembering Mersey stars from the 1960s to the 1980s.

What We Wore

A history of fashion from 1720 to 1982

Programmes and documents remembering the evolution of style through the ages.

Survivors of the Titanic

Survivors from the famous shipwreck tell their stories

Uncover the real story of that 'night to remember' as we bring together survivors' memories and controversial BBC documents.

Bank Holidays

Celebrating the traditional British day off

A look back at British bank holiday traditions and celebrations from 1949 to 2000.

Marriage in the 1950s and 60s

From wedding vows to happily ever after?

Were women in the 1950s and 60s desperate housewives?

Birth of the National Health Service

The early history of the NHS

How the state of the nation's health became a political ideal.

Aerial Journeys

Looking at the British landscape from the air

Take an unconventional journey across Britain and through time with over 60 years of broadcasting from the air.

Northern Ireland Snapshots

Local history and famous landmarks in the 1940s, 50s and 60s

From Ballycastle to Waterfoot, a collection of television short films and images from Northern Ireland.

David Attenborough: Zoo Quest for a Dragon

Seeking the Komodo dragon in Indonesia

Venture into the tropics with the young David Attenborough in this quest from the 1950s.

Big Ben

Celebrating the world-famous clock tower

Glimpse inside the London landmark with the BBC archives.

Cambridge Spies

How Philby, Burgess, Maclean, Blunt and Cairncross were unmasked

Tutored at Trinity, recruited by Russia. The spies the Kremlin dubbed 'The Magnificent Five'.

Edward VIII

The king who gave up the throne for the woman he loved

How an abdication crisis changed the course of history.

Guy Burgess at the BBC

The early career of the Cambridge spy

Read about Guy Burgess' day jobs, what he was like to work with and how he left the BBC to join the Foreign Office.

Margaret Thatcher: From MP to PM

Mrs Thatcher's journey from Finchley to Downing Street

Remembering the early political career of Margaret Thatcher.

Princess Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II's journey to the throne

HM Queen Elizabeth II develops from a princess to a monarch in the midst of war and austerity.

Remembering Winston Churchill

Tributes to a legendary statesman and a wartime hero

Friends and colleagues share memories of Winston Churchill.

Suffragettes

Women recall their struggle to win the vote

Testimonies from the veterans of Emmeline Pankhurst's movement for female suffrage.

Swingometer

Remembering election nights with the pollster's favourite pendulum

Charting the swings in voter support with the BBC's famous election night prop.

The Duke of Edinburgh

Consort, conservationist and champion of the young

Programmes, images and documents about the life and work of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Apartheid in South Africa

Living under racial segregation and discrimination

The vicious divide - how the BBC helped expose the brutality of apartheid in South Africa.

Cuba and the Cold War

From Castro's rise to power to the missile crisis

A collection of programmes on the Cuban revolution and missile crisis.

Moon Landings

Looking back to NASA's Apollo lunar missions

Commemorating mankind's first steps on the surface of the moon and looking to the future of space exploration.

Nobel Scientists

Interviews with Nobel Prize winning scientists

Professor Lewis Wolpert in conversation with eight Nobel science laureates.

Richard Feynman: Fun to Imagine

Using physics to explain how the world works

The Nobel Prize winning scientist gives us a glimpse of the world through his eyes.

Space: Flying Visits

A roller-coaster ride through the solar system

Take a trip to the stars and discover some of the secrets of the cosmos with this series of programmes imagining our future in space.

The Great Egg Race

Cracking feats of engineering

Tomorrow's World

How television tried to predict the future of science

Reports from the BBC's popular programme on advances in science and technology.

Second Wave Feminism

The campaign for women's rights in the 1970s

A collection of programmes revealing the evolution of feminism in the 1970s.

The Gay Rights Movement

The campaign for sexual equality

From decriminalisation to the civil partnership.

Working Class Britain

Underclass to hero, how the working class has been portrayed

Exploring the roots of the British working class and how lives and attitudes have changed over the years.

Football Legends

The players who built British football

Interviews with World Cup heroes and superstars of British soccer.

The 1948 Olympics

Behind the scenes at the Austerity Games

Remembering the London post-war Olympics.

Steam Trains

Great British engines, railway journeys and steam enthusiasts

A celebration of steam trains and the people who preserve them.

Lord Haw-Haw

The Nazi broadcaster who threatened Britain

Original recordings and documents about the man behind the Nazi propaganda.

The Berlin Wall

A city divided between East and West by the Cold War

How people lived for 28 years in a city divided by a concrete barrier and an atmosphere of political distrust and repression.

WWII: Dunkirk Evacuation

How the 'little ships' helped rescue the Allied troops

Eyewitness accounts of how Operation Dynamo saved the Allied forces from the Nazis.

WWII: Outbreak

Britain on the brink of World War II

Experience British life in the shadow of war through original news broadcasts, eyewitness accounts and commentaries on some of the key events.

WWII: The Battle of Britain

Memories of 'Britain's finest hour'

Programmes and documents recalling the events of the Battle of Britain

WWII: The Soviet Union Joins the Allies

Reporting the uneasy alliance made with Stalin's Russia

A collection of programmes and documents exploring relations between the USSR and Great Britain during World War II.

WWII: Witnessing the Holocaust

Personal accounts of persecution and genocide by the Nazi regime

Programmes and documents from survivors and broadcasters testify to the murderous policies of the Nazis.