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Categories: Factual: History

  1. The Chaplin Archive

    Exploring the vast archive of Chaplin's unfinished scripts, letters and press cuttings

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

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  2. A History of Ancient Britain

    Neil Oliver's epic story of how Britain and its people came to be

    BBC Two

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  3. Bosphorus

    Edward Stourton explores the life and history of the Bosphorus

    BBC Radio 4

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  4. How Did We Get Here...? Egypt

    Stephen Sackur uncovers the history behind the upheavals in Egypt.

    BBC Radio 4

  5. The Secret History of Social Networking

    Rory Cellan-Jones traces its roots

    BBC Radio 4

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  6. King James Bible

    The enduring appeal of the King James Bible, 400 years after its original publication.

    BBC Radio 4

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  7. Ancient Worlds

    Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles explores the roots of civilisation.

    BBC Two

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  8. Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey

    Poet Simon Armitage follows in the footsteps of one of his personal heroes, Odysseus.

    BBC Four

  9.

    Dam Busters Declassified

    Martin Shaw retraces the 1943 raid which used bouncing bombs to destroy German dams.

    BBC Two

  10. Digging for Britain

    Prof Alice Roberts follows a year of British archaeology, joining up the results of digs.

    BBC Two

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  11. Treasures of the Anglo-Saxons

    Art historian Dr Nina Ramirez reveals the codes and messages hidden in Anglo-Saxon art.

    BBC Four

  12. Voices from the Old Bailey

    Amanda Vickery presents dramatised extracts from 18th-century Old Bailey court cases

    BBC Radio 4

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  13. The London Nobody Knows

    Historian and broadcaster Dan Cruickshank goes off the beaten track in London

    BBC Radio 4

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  14. A Brief History of Mathematics

    Professor Marcus du Sautoy reveals the personalities behind the calculations.

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

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  15. Who Do You Think You Are? USA

    Lost connections and unknown histories are revealed as US stars trace their family trees.

    BBC One

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  16. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll

    Author Howard Sounes reveals the story behind Bob Dylan's song.

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

  17.

    The Tudor Tarantino

    Dominic Arkwright charts the life of Thomas Middleton, the bad boy of Renaissance drama

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

  18. Democracy on Trial

    Michael Portillo examines the development of democracy over 2,500 years

    BBC Radio 4

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  19. Good King George

    Simon Heffer re-evaluates the reign of George V.

    BBC Radio 4

  20. A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus

    The British Museum's Neil MacGregor tells A History of the World in 100 Objects.

    BBC Radio 4

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  21. A History of the World in 100 Objects

    Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells humanity's history through objects

    BBC Radio 4

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  22. Great British Railway Journeys

    Documentary series in which Michael Portillo travels the country by train.

    BBC Two

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  23. Defining The Decade

    Edward Stourton tries to make sense of the past decade

    BBC Radio 4

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  24. Witness History

    The story of our times, told by the people who were there

    BBC World Service

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  25. Parting Shots

    Matthew Parris marks the passing of the valedictory despatch from British ambassadors

    BBC Radio 4

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  26. In the Footsteps of Blair Mayne

    Eddie Irvine walks in the footsteps of his hero, World War Two legend Blair Mayne.

    BBC One Northern Ireland

  27. An Solas Buan (Lighthouses of Scotland)

    A series looking at Scotland's lighthouses

    BBC ALBA

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  28. A Short History of Ireland

    A series exploring Ireland’s rich and turbulent history.

    BBC Radio Ulster

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  29. Iran: A Revolutionary State

    John Tusa chronicles the making of modern Iran

    BBC Radio 4

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  30. Hunting Haydn's Head

    Simon Townley learns how 'the father of the symphony' lost his head for 145 years.

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

  31. Hearts and Minds

    Nick Fraser considers the role of intellectuals in relation to world events and conflicts

    BBC Radio 4

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  32. The Hidden Henry

    Five academics present portraits of unknown, intimate and surprising aspects of Henry VIII

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

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  33. Horrible Histories

    Historical sketch show, based on the successful books by Terry Deary.

    CBBC

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  34. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Men of Fashion

    Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen tells the story of dandyism and male peacockery through the ages

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

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  35. The Prime Ministers

    Nick Robinson explores the history of Britain's prime ministers

    BBC Radio 4

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  36. A Voyage on Livingstone's Lake

    The story of the MV Ilala, a 60-year-old boat still in use in Malawi and Mozambique.

    BBC Radio 4

  37.

    Brand Cuba

    Allan Little analyses some of the factors that have given Cuba such a prominent image.

    BBC Radio 4

  38.

    Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails

    Ian Hislop looks at the 1963 Beeching Report, which closed a third of the UK's railways.

    BBC Four

  39. America, Empire of Liberty

    Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds

    BBC Radio 4

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  40. Forbidden Families

    Bettany Hughes tells the stories of women denied their families by the march of history

    BBC Radio 4

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  41. The Black Pharaohs

    The story of the Black African Kingdom of Kush.

    BBC Two

  42.

    How to Build a Cathedral

    Documentary discovering how our medieval forebears built the wonders of their world.

    BBC Four

  43. In Living Memory

    Series examining contemporary history

    BBC Radio 4

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  44. Britain's Sputnik

    Roland Pease recalls ZETA, a nuclear energy project unveiled in 1958 by British scientists

    BBC Radio 4

  45. Random Edition

    History series investigating stories taken from archive newspapers

    BBC Radio 4

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  46. The Real Spooks

    A look into the shadowy world of Britain's security services

    BBC Radio 4

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  47. The Trumpet Shall Sound

    Jazz composer Julian Joseph goes in search of black classical musicians from the past.

    BBC Radio 4

  48. Garibaldi's Grand Scheme

    Misha Glenny traces the career of Italian nationalist hero Giuseppe Garibaldi

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

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  49. Roy Noble

    Music, guests and chat for Sunday, plus listener requests in Roy's Golden Postbag.

    BBC Radio Wales

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  50. The Eureka Years

    Series exploring spectacular years in the history of science

    BBC Radio 4

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