Thur 1/7/10: 9pm Channel 4 The Untold Invasion of Britain

In 207AD, Britain was just a far outpost of the mighty Roman Empire with the north holding out. With a vast army, Severus marched over Hadrian's Wall. Using guerrilla tactics, the Britons attacked isolated Roman patrols, and then melted into the mountains. THE BLACK ROMAN EMPEROR

WED 30/06/10: 8pm Channel 4 The Untold Great Fire of London

Everyone knows that the Great Fire of London started at a baker's in Pudding Lane; that it was a terrible accident; and that hardly anyone died. However, many Londoners, reeling from plague and war, and torn apart by sectarian tensions, believed that the fire had been started deliberately by a foreign enemy living within their midst. And they wanted to make sure a foreigner would pay for this crime of the century.

Part of Channel 4's Bloody Foreigners series

Below is a amateur effort in explaining the traditional view

WED 30/06/10: Historical Selection

History Channel

8pm Richard Hammond and the Holy Grail

9pm Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death


Yesterday Channel

9pm Nazi Hunters - Himmler

TUE 28/06/10: 9pm Channel 4 The Untold Battle of Britain

This dramatised documentary recounts how, during the most decisive phase of the Battle of the Britain, a single squadron of 34 Polish fighter pilots wreaked havoc on the Luftwaffe, in the process helping to change the course of history and overturning RAF prejudices.

From 303 Squadron's bitter struggle for acceptance when they first arrived in the UK, to the crucial part they played in averting the German invasion, and their ultimate betrayal by the Allies, this unknown story is one of the most extraordinary episodes of World War II.

Part of Channel 4's Bloody Foreigners series

BelowPart 1/5 Traditional Battle of Britain Documentary

MON 28/6/10: History Selection

The Channel Islands at War Monday to Wednesday on the Yesterday Channel at 10pm


The Plague Part 2/2 8pm on the History Channel


Battles BC - Israelites - 9pm on the History Channel



ALL DAY 9am-7pm then 7pm till 1am

Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

MON 28/6/10: 9pm Channel 4 - The Untold Battle of Trafalgar

Twenty-five different nationalities fought on behalf of Nelson at Trafalgar. For many, the Royal Navy was the first equal opportunities employer, offering freedom and potential fortune.
Part of Channel 4's Bloody Foreigners series
Play Channel 4's Online Game

(8pm Channel 4 Time Team Special in Westminister Abbey)

Below is the more traditional documentary on the event

FRI 25/05/10: 9pm MORE 4 - Good Morning Vietnam

One of my favourite films for its comedy, pathos and at a few points realism. This film will touch your heart and reveal to you the spirit and horrors of man.

1987, An American Comedy War Film. Set in Saigon during the Vietnam War, Adrian Cronauer, a DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, proves hugely popular with the troops serving in South Vietnam, but infuriates his superiors. Directed by Barry Levinson, featuring, Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Bruno Kirby, J.T. Walsh.

It is a 15 and its 120mins long. Trailer below

THURS 24/06/10: 8pm History Channel - Warriors: Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte
How did a penniless French soldier rise to create the most powerful empire since the Romans? Napoleon Bonaparte himself wrote that the answer lay at the siege of Toulon in 1793. It was at Toulon that France's leaders first recognized his tactical genius.

Below is a foreign language trailer for the episode

23/06/10: 8pm Yesterday Channel A History of Britain - 1066

Conquest.

A look at '1066 and all that' in the epic series that brings the past gloriously to life. In nine short hours, the Battle of Hastings was won by William. Old fashioned documentary style from a modern historian.

Part 1 is available online on Youtube.

22/06/10 9pm Yesterday Channel Nazi Hunters

The Angel of Death.

The search for the elusive Josef Mengele, for many years the world's most wanted criminal, lead by one of his captives in Auschwitz.
The series continues throughout the week.

Below is an older documentary narrated by Leonard Nimoy

MON 21/06/10: 8pm History Channel - The Plague

Part one of two. Exploring how the 14th century pandemic wiped out half of Europe's population.

Also on Yesterday Channel
9pm Nazi Hunters
10pm Who Do You Think You Are?

FRI 18/06/10: BBC 1 7:30pm Victoria: a Royal Love Story

Fiona Bruce traces the story of one of history's great royal love affairs: the love between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It was a love based on a powerful physical attraction, and grew into a marriage that set the tone for the Victorian age.

Preview of the full show is below

THUR 17/06/10: History Channel 9pm - Warriors: Richard the Lionheart

Warriors: Richard the Lionheart

Docu-drama investigating whether Richard the Lionheart was a hero during the Crusades or a villain who looted the holy land. A commander during the Third Crusade, he struggled with the problems of leading a fractious international coalition against a Muslim opponent who could not be beaten - the ageing but brilliant Jihadist warlord Saladin.

Here is a clip from the show

WEDS 16/6/10: Five 7:30pm Daring Raids of World War II

Gordon Corrigan recounts the story of the 1943 attack on a German hydroelectrics factory in Norway, aimed at thwarting Hitler's plans to build an atomic bomb. The Germans had been carrying out research into harnessing nuclear fission to create a weapon since 1939, and the conquest of Belgium and France had provided them with the materials they needed. The Norwegian plant was producing the 'heavy water' essential to the generation of nuclear power, and once it was in German hands, its resources were diverted to the atomic weapons programme.

Wikipedia Link
NOVA Science Website link

TUES 15/06/10: Five 8pm Britain Nazi King - Revealed

The historical documentary series continues. Edward VIII is popularly remembered as the king who gave up the throne for the woman he loved. Yet his reputation has been tarnished by revelations that Hitler planned to install him as a pro-Nazi king in the event of a German occupation of Britain. Newly released FBI files reveal the extent to which Edward was distrusted by the British and US governments, and the risk he posed to the war effort.

Link to the show in full on Youtube



Here is a clip from a 1994 documentary on the subject

Mon 14 Jun: Channel 4 - 9PM Gladiators: Back from the Dead

Drawing on sensational new archaeological discoveries, this programme recreates the world of the Roman arena through the lives and violent deaths of six British gladiators.

Up to a million gladiators are thought to have died in arenas across the Roman Empire. And, apart from ancient Italy itself, Roman Britain had the highest density of purpose-built gladiatorial arenas in Europe. Watch the advert below.

SUN 13/6/10: BBC 1 9:15pm - Who Do You Think You Are? - Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker has always assumed that her ancestors were recent immigrants, and doubted that her family had any significant lineage in the United States. On her father's side she knew that she had Jewish roots, but her mother's side was more of a mystery. First in a new Hollywood series. Watch the promo below.....

SAT 12/06/10: More 4 9:45pm - 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth

PART 1 - Epic drama revealing the untold story of the Norman Conquest through the eyes of the ordinary villagers caught up in the chaos.
Watch both parts now on YouTube or right here on this page! (15+ due to violence)

Friday 11/6/10 9pm: DEFIANCE (15) Sky Crime

Daniel Craig is Tuvia Bielski, the tough Jewish Pole who saved hundreds from the Nazis. Powerful true story drama.
(Links are to Wikipedia)

The film opens with on-screen text stating: "A true story". It is August 1941 and Nazi forces are sweeping through Eastern Europe, targeting Jewish people. Among the survivors not killed or restricted to ghettoes are the Bielski brothers, who are Jews: Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), Asael (Jamie Bell), and Aron (George MacKay). Their parents are dead, slain by the local police under orders from the occupying Germans. The brothers flee to the forest, vowing to avenge their parents.



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10/6/10 6:30pm The Changeling (15)

Angelina Jolie is a telephone operator and single mother who finds herself in a Kafkaesque nightmare when her son goes missing and an indifferent LAPD attempt to fob her off with another boy.


Great for looking at life in the 1920s and the police corruption of the era.


Suitable for GCSE and A-Level students looking at USA in the 1920s and American Studies students examing the Age of Prosperity and Despair.
Trailer for the film, which is a 15.

9/6/10 Five 7:30pm Daring Raids of World War II

Historical documentary presented by Major Gordon Corrigan recounting the story of paratroopers who carried out a dangerous mission to steal German intelligence in northern France in 1942.
Here is a video of Modern British Paratroopers

Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed – Five, 8pm

Tutankhamun is, for sure, one of the world's icons, but beyond the golden fortune, what is known about this shadowy figure?

Who were his mother and father? Why have their bodies never been found? Why was his name, and theirs, erased from the Book of Kings? And how come his face never went rusty?

It has now fallen to Egypt's foremost archaeologist, Dr Zahi Hawass, and his fellow experts to unlock Tutankhamun's secrets using state-of-the-art technology.
Video below sums up 4hrs of television in 2 minutes!

7th June This Week in History

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8/6/10 9pm BBC3 Who is Nelson Mandela?

Crichlow, the actress visits the prison on Robben Island where Mandela was locked up for most of the 27 years he spent in jail and she sets to paint a picture of how determined and dedicated Mandela must have been. But at the same time, this documentary is not airbrushed; it debates the issue that while many see Mandela as a hero, he has his critics who believe he betrayed the struggle.

The programme is also an opportunity to look not only at the life and incredible times of the man and the adversity he conquered, but offers an insight into his country and its present-day citizens. Crichlow talks of discovering a vibrant rainbow nation, but also learns more about the horrors of apartheid and the extent of poverty and violence in the country today.