Mankind Decoded

Mankind Decoded is the intriguing story of how 12 timeless forces have shaped human history in extraordinary ways. Find out how the implacable forces of nature have compelled us to adapt or die; how new technologies have transformed our existence; how our need for food brought forth civilization; and the desire for luxuries changed our world.

Britain Beneath Your Feet

Dallas Campbell reveals why we can only understand the familiar world around us by discovering the hidden wonders beneath our feet.

Thames Shipwrecks: A Race Against Time

Documentary series following the salvage of seven shipwrecks from the river Thames

Time Team

Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on British Channel 4 from 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode featured a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining the process in layman's terms. This team of specialists changed throughout the series' run, although has consistently included professional archaeologists such as Mick Aston, Carenza Lewis, Francis Pryor and Phil Harding. The sites excavated over the show's run have ranged in date from the Palaeolithic right through to the Second World War.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea

Andrew Marr explores how Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection has taken on a life of its own far beyond the world of science.

Expedition Volcano

Chris Jackson, Xand Van Tulleken and Aldo Kane take part in an extraordinary expedition to one of the world's most dangerous, spectacular and least known volcanoes.

Kate Humble: Into the Volcano

Kate Humble joins a team of geologists at the Vanuatu archipelago to investigate some of the most active volcanoes in the world - and to predict if another major eruption might be imminent.

Building the Ancient City: Athens and Rome

The first city of a million was built two thousand years ago. But how did they make Ancient Athens and Rome work without petrol, gas or electricity? Professor Wallace-Hadrill finds out.

Journeys from the Centre of the Earth

Geologist Dr Iain Stewart presents a series showing how the rocks beneath our feet have shaped the human history of the Mediterranean.

Journeys into the Ring of Fire

Touring the perilous and spectacular landscape of the Pacific Rim to discover how the rocks beneath our feet have shaped human history.

Earth: The Climate Wars

Dr Iain Stewart traces the history of climate change from its very beginning and examines just how the scientific community managed to get it so very wrong back in the Seventies.

Ancient Invisible Cities

Explores the hidden secrets of three of the most fascinating cities of the ancient world: Cairo, Athens and Istanbul. 3D scans allow us to view the architectural jewels of these cities as they've never been seen before.

Jerusalem: The Making of a Holy City

Author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore presents a three-part series that illuminates the history of the sacred, and peerlessly beautiful city - Jerusalem.

Le mystère des Mayas : des origines à la chute

Despite decades of research, many mysteries remain about the ancient Maya. Now, archaeologists are unearthing new clues that transform long held ideas about how these people came to dominate vast areas of Mexico and Central America. Through immense lost monuments, ancient inscriptions and new forensic evidence, this series tracks the Maya from their earliest origins all the way to the present day, unlocking the dark secrets of the rise and fall of the Maya.

Les mystères du Nil

Voyage of Darwin’s Beagle

Beagle: In Darwin’s Wake is a commemoration of 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s book “On The Origin of Species”. Almost 180 years after Charles Darwin’s journey circumnavigating the world, a crew of authors, artists, and scientists follow in his footsteps. Journalist and presenter Lex Runderkamp, biologists Dirk Draulans and Sarah Darwin (who is the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin), the artist Anthony Smith and the writer Redmond O’Hanlon are accompanied by a number of invited guests whose backgrounds are compatible with the theme of each of the 8 episodes. The series was initiated by the Dutch-Flemish state broadcaster VPRO. The crews 8 month long voyage on board of the clipper Stad Amsterdam began from the English port of Plymouth on September 1, 2009 and traced the route of the HMS Beagle’s 5 year voyage (1831-1836).

Extreme Archaeology

A new Channel 4 series takes archaeology to the edge this summer as a team of experts tackles sites across the country that are beyond the reach of normal investigations. In Extreme Archaeology, an eight-part series starting on 20 June, a team of archaeologists with help from top climbers, cavers and divers investigates amazing and unique archaeological sites throughout the UK. Many archaeological locations are beyond the reach of your average archaeologist. They are found in inaccessible caves, on treacherous cliffs, deep under water, or in locations simply too remote or dangerous for normal investigation. Their remoteness often means that their secrets are unique, but they can also be under threat from erosion or other factors and this adds a rescue element to any investigation. Using some of the most advanced scientific equipment available, and high-tech miniature cameras and communication systems to record the action, Extreme Archaeology's experts are dropped into extreme and inaccessible environments under time and other pressures that test their personal and professional skills to the limit.

Neanderthals - Meet Your Ancestors

According to recent science the Neanderthals are not the knuckle-dragging apemen of popular imagination. In fact they are our distant ancestors. About 2% of the DNA of most people is of Neanderthal origin—and it continues to affect us today. Ella Al-Shamahi enlists the skills of Andy Serkis, the master of performance capture, and a group of experts to investigate Neanderthals.

10 Things You Didn't Know About...

Iain Stewart reveals some surprising facts about the world's most destructive and spectacular natural phenomena, from earthquakes and tsunamis to avalanches and volcanoes.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

Carl Sagan covers a wide range of scientific subjects, including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe.