Content from Blakeway Productions

In 1897 Queen Victoria antagonized family and court with her relationship with Indian servant Abdul Karim. Originally a waiter the devious and arrogant young man won over the queen by playing on her love of Indian cuisine and romantic view of the country,teaching her Hindistani,whilst she signed letters to him 'Mother',bestowing houses and gifts on him and his family. Already shocked that a Muslim should be at the heart of the court the Royal family stepped in when Victoria announced her desire to knight him and they threatened to have her declared insane if she went ahead. It worked. And in 1901 after the queen's death Karim was banished from Royal circles,returning to India where he died.

Documentary telling the inside story of the plans by Louis Mountbatten to maneuver his nephew and heir to the Greek throne, Philip, into marrying the future queen Princess Elizabeth and the tensions that that unleashed.

In August 1962, director Leslie Woodhead made a two-minute film in Liverpool's Cavern Club with a raw and unrecorded group of rockers called the Beatles. He arranged their first live TV appearances on a local show in Manchester and watched as the Fab Four phenomenon swept the world. Twenty-five years later while making films in Russia, Woodhead became aware of how, even though they were never able to play in the Soviet Union, the Beatles' legend had soaked into the lives of a generation of kids. This film meets the Soviet Beatles generation and hears their stories about how the Fab Four changed their lives, including Putin's deputy premier Sergei Ivanov, who explains how the Beatles helped him learn English and showed him another life. (Storyville)

In this gripping investigation, archaeologist Pepi Papakosta is on a hunt for Alexander the Great's lost tomb, and she makes an extraordinary discovery.

BBC memorial portrait of recently deceased Margaret Thatcher. With the help of never-before-seen archive material and interviews with colleagues and family, a portrait is painted of a politician who many have an opinion about and who has left a great impression, both in British politics and in the world.

This fascinating documentary reveals the behind the scenes story of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, drawing on rare archive footage and made using eyewitness accounts of participants and historical experts.

20 year-old Lady Diana Spencer laughed out loud when Prince Charles proposed to her having met her only 12 times. Five months later, she walked up the aisle - watched by three quarters of a billion people around the world - to marry what people believed was her Prince Charming. This is the true story of the seven days that led to the wedding of the decade - was it doomed before it even began?

How, in 1945, after the end of World War II and the fall of the Nazi regime, the defeated were atrociously mistreated, especially those ethnic Germans who had lived peacefully for centuries in Germany's neighboring countries, such as Czechoslovakia and Poland. A heartbreaking story of revenge against innocent civilians, the story of acts as cruel as the Nazi occupation during the war years.

On the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill's death, Jeremy Paxman tells the story of the send-off which Britain gave to the man who led the country to victory in the Second World War. More than a million people came to line the streets of London on the freezing day in late January to pay their respects as his coffin was taken from the lying-in-state at Westminster to St Paul's Cathedral. Millions more watched the state funeral on television. Churchill was the only commoner in the twentieth century to receive the honour of such a magnificent ceremony.

This illuminating documentary examines the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic death and the tense, dramatic week leading up to her funeral

A shocking look at how a recent anti-gay amendment to a Russian propaganda law has led to increased assaults on gay men and women. In modern-day Russia, where it is estimated that just 1% of the LGBT population lives completely openly, a recent anti-gay amendment to a “propaganda” law has been followed by a rising number of assaults on gay men and women by vigilantes who, more often than not, go unpunished for their crimes.

The BBC version of "King Tut In Color" documentary. A century after the world’s most exciting archaeological find - the tomb of Tutankhamun - we can witness the dramatic scenes of its discovery and marvel at its extraordinary treasures exactly as they were then, in colour.

Biographer Sir John Richardson and Picasso’s granddaughter, Diana Widmaier Picasso, are the star witnesses in a documentary that reassesses the artist’s output in the years before his death in 1973. The story is of a creative spirit finding new impetus in response to both death’s approach and the censure of contemporaries and critics. Those who were members of Picasso’s private inner circle – gossip about his lifestyle also helped to fire him back up – put the later work forward as some of his frankest, wittiest and most profound.

The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb is revealed for the first time in color, thanks to colorization of black-and-white newsreel and photographs.

A personal portrait of the victor of Waterloo, drawing on his own vast correspondence and the letters and memoirs of those who knew him best.

A Film Portrait of Edward Heath. Edward Heath was one of the most controversial Prime Ministers this century. He took Britain into Europe, but was brought down by the very trades unions he sought to tame. In an intimate Portrait Sir Edward talks candidly about his life and career, and of his stormy relationship with his successors.

William Courtenay's color film of the pacific campaign and Japan's downfall.

Tom Holland explores how our ancestors sought to explain the remains of dinosaurs and other giant prehistoric creatures, and how bones and fossils have affected human culture.

A documentary series that gives a historical account of the events of World War II, from its roots in the 1920s to the aftermath and the lives it profoundly influenced.

Celebrity hosts guide viewers through William Shakespeare's plays in performance. Each episode serves as a primer for newcomers to Shakespeare while serving up enough historical and theatrical insights to enchant lifelong fans.

Wife, monarch and much-loved public figure: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was one of the most respected members of the British Royal family. But did her friendly image disguise something darker? This moving profile reveals the dramatic inside story of her life. The moments of pain and upheaval that defined her legacy. How did this woman, who didn’t aspire to be Queen, fulfill her destiny?

Taking a 'bottom-up' view of history by exploring everyday lives of the nations ordinary people.

King George and Queen Mary: The Royals Who Rescued the Monarchy. Documentary examining the couple who rescued the monarchy. King George V was an unlikely moderniser but his innovations were key. A two-part portrait of Elizabeth II's grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, which examines the lasting legacy of the couple who rescued the monarchy from potential disaster, and whose influence persists to this day.

This three-part documentary series follows a trio of fighter pilot recruits as they attempt to become the best of the best - to be selected to fly the RAF’s brand new F35 Lightning jet.

In three fifty minute films,this series reveals the deals and the betrayals,the polite letters from palace press secretaries and the bollockings from tabloid editors,the telephone calls to the BBC Governors and the intercepted mobile phone calls from royal paramours which form the recent history of the relationship between the Royal Family,politicians and the media.

Tony Robinson goes on a journey across Egypt where a series of incredible new tomb discoveries are being made.

With Nicholas Rowe, Helen Rappaport, Lucinda Hawksley, Matthew Sweet.

How did Britain come to rule the world? asks Niall Ferguson in Empire. What would today's world be like now if it hadn't? Could such an organisation – run by, according to Winston Churchill, 'the greedy trader, the inopportune missionary, the ambitious soldier and the lying spectator' – ever have been a force for good?

A rare mass grave is discovered in Luxor making archaeologists wonder what happened when it was made. The grave contains the bones of nearly 60 people. A team of experts embark on an exciting quest in search for answers. They head down to Egypt and travel back to ancient times looking for clues that could reveal the story behind this mysterious grave.

Intimate docuseries following baby animals through their first months of life.

Documentary series charting the story of Queen Victoria after the death of her beloved husband Albert in 1861, examining how one-by-one her children rebelled against her and the family were touched by tragedy.

Two of Britain's greatest monarchs are profiled.

Yousef Makki was stabbed in the heart by a friend in a wealthy Manchester suburb. Three years later, a detailed look at the killing and at the trial acquitting the friend of murder and manslaughter.