Season 17
13 episodes · Apr 7, 1998
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- S17E1
Hitler and the Invasion of Britain
Apr 7, 199850mExamines why Hitler abandoned plans to invade Britain in 1940 and prepared, instead, to attack the Soviet Union. NEW SEASON 1/6.
- S17E2
Grammar School Boys
Apr 14, 199850mNine grammar school boys recall their schooldays and reflect on how that system affected their lives. With former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke, film director David Puttnam, author Barry Hines, and biologist Steve Jones. 2/6.
- S17E3
The Oklahoma Outlaw
Apr 21, 199850mIn 1976 the chance discovery of a mummified body inside a ghost ride in Long Beach, California, unearthed a chain of events leading all the way back to 1911 Oklahoma territory and a bungled train robbery by small-time burglar Elmer McCurdy. 3/6.
- S17E4
The Roman Way of War
Apr 28, 199850mRoman Emperor Trajan led two great wars against the people of Dacia. No written documentation of this campaign survives, but its story is depicted in stone on Trajan's Column, a monument that has towered above Rome for almost 2,000 years. Starting here, the film retraces the steps of Trajan's army and the course of the wars, and uncovers the military secrets of an empire founded on war. 4/6.
- S17E5
Las Vegas and the Mormons
May 5, 199850mLas Vegas, the world's gambling capital: Over 30 million people visit each year, most of them unaware that clean-living Mormons played a major part in creating "sin city". 5/6.
- S17E6
Aborigine: A Collision of Conscience
May 12, 199850mAs the Aborigine people fight for their land rights, Australia's historians extract revelations from the archives. Letters and diaries from the Australian frontier help unravel the true story of Australia's land war as white settlers' attempt to maintain racial purity. 6/6.
- S17E7
Sex and War
Sep 29, 199850mAn estimated quarter-million homosexuals fought for Britain during the Second World War. At the time homosexuality was still a criminal offence, but the authorities mostly turned a blind eye during the national crisis. Tonight's programme tells the story of these forgotten fighters, revealing the extent to which homosexual activity was condoned within the ranks. NEW SEASON 1/6.
- S17E8
Lloyd George's War
Oct 6, 199850mEighty years ago the end of the First World War was celebrated as a triumph for democracy, yet some would later dismiss it as futile. The most surprising change of heart was that of wartime prime minister David Lloyd George, who led his nation to victory but condemned the sacrifice in his 1936 memoirs. Tonight's programme explores the reasons behind his apparent change of heart. 2/6.
- S17E9
The Pilgrim Obsession
Oct 13, 199850mIt is accepted in American history that the Pilgrim Fathers were a group of religious separatists who founded the first permanent colony at Plymouth, Massachusetts, after sailing to the New World to avoid oppression. As tonight's programme reveals, not only were the Pilgrims not the first European immigrants to America, but their journey very nearly ended in disaster, and initial attempts to establish a colony were met with death from exposure, disease, and starvation. 3/6.
- S17E10
Banking with Hitler
Oct 20, 199850mSwiss banks stand accused of collaborating with the Nazis before and during the Second World War. But 60 years ago, when US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau began investigating this collaboration, he found the Swiss were not alone. Tonight's film looks at Allied bankers - including British and Americans - who continued to do business with the Nazis during the war and how Morgenthau's inquiry led to some of the biggest names in British and American street banking. 4/6.
- S17E11
The British in India
Oct 27, 199850mTonight's programme follows historian Andrew Roberts across the Indian subcontinent as he argues that Britain should take pride in its imperial past. His opinions are then forcefully challenged in a discussion chaired by Kirsty Wark. 5/6.
- S17E12
An American Firefight
Nov 3, 199850mIn October 1993 elite units of the US army were pinned down on the streets of Mogadishu in Somalia by forces of Mohammed Farah Aidid, whom they were trying to capture. The ensuing battle left 18 American soldiers dead and 75 wounded. Timewatch explores this peace-keeping mission gone wrong. 6/6.