Documentaries

Ancient historian, Bettany Hughes, explores the lost civilisation of the Minoans - considered to be the first European civilisation on the Greek island of Crete

Roman historian, Mary Beard, examines the ordinary lives of those people who were killed at Pompeii during the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Professor Joann Fletcher from the University of York hosts a series of documentaries on the wonders of Ancient Egypt.

This three part BBC series explores who the Celts were, where they came from and what made their culture so distinctive.

An excellent documentary by Thomas Penn that accompanies his book of the same title that explores the reign of Henry VII, the man who began the Tudor dynasty.

A four part series by Dan Jones that accompanies his book 'Hollow Crown' on the Wars of the Roses - a civil war that tore England apart for 30 years during the 15th century.

The Medici family from Florence are considered to be the godfathers of the Renaissance. Bankers by trade, they endorsed some of the most famous artists from Botticelli, Da Vinci and Michelangelo.

A three part series by Roger Bartlett on the Normans. He starts from their Viking origins to their conquest of England

A four part series by Professor Kate Williams on the frantic 17th century where England was ruled by the Stuart family: gunpowder, civil war and regicide await.

A four part series on how Britain changed under the leadership of the Georgian monarchs from Germany 1714-1837 by Lucy Worsely.

A six part series by Niall Ferguson, recognised as one of the UK's leading historians of finance and international relations. This take on empire presents a 'balance sheet' of good vs evil. Consider how you feel about this approach

A four part series by Dan Snow who explores the impact of the British navy from the Spanish Armada in 1558 to the Battle of Jutland against the German navy in 1916.

A BBC documentary from 2009 on the severe impacts of the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression

A three part series examining the life of Gandhi - one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.

'Hearts and Minds' is considered one of the best documentaries on the Vietnam War. It won a Oscar for best documentary in 1974 but is nearly 2 hours long but well worth it.

Interesting documentary on the importance and impact of the Women's Liberation Movement from the 1960s-1980s

Writer and historian David Olusoga presents a series of short films exploring critical moments in Black British history that have been forgotten or rarely discussed.

Available via BBC iplayer, David Olusoga presents a four part series on the history of Black British people over hundreds of years.

Available via BBC iplayer, David Olusoga reveals how British slave owners were compensated for the loss of their slaves after the abolition of slavery in 1833.

A brief summary of the contributions of Mary Secole, a black nurse who served in the Crimean War. A longer documentary is available here.