Season 20
12 episodes · Jan 12, 2001
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S20E1The Empire State Story
Jan 12, 200150mOpened 70 years ago, the Empire State Building remains one of the enduring symbols of New York City. Tonight's programme explores its colourful - and tragic - history. NEW SEASON 1/6.
- S20E2
Himmler, Hitler, and the End of the Reich
Jan 19, 200150mHeinrich Himmler was regarded as Hitler's most loyal henchman. But in the last days of the war, his role in a plot to make peace with the west emerged: the final act of a fascinating drama of double-dealing and ideological compromise. 2/6.
- S20E3
The King's Servant
Jan 26, 200150mHollywood's portrayal of Thomas More, Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, is that of a saint but in truth he was a much more complex and interesting man. This drama-documentary, presented by Professor John Guy, follows the last seven years of More's life, when England turned from being a Catholic to a Protestant nation, and assesses the part More played in his own downfall. 3/6.
- S20E4
Nero's Golden House
Feb 2, 200150mTen years into his reign, the notorious emperor Nero attempted to build the largest palace the Romans would ever see, the Domus Aurea or "Golden House". What remains of the building today lies alongside the Colosseum, barely noticed, but after 30 years of renovation it has reopened to the public. 4/6.
- S20E5
Public Enemy Number One
Feb 9, 200150mDuring the Great Depression the American public looked for real-life anti-heroes to match the gangster movies - and found one in John Dillinger. A desperado, a bank robber, a bad man no jail could hold, his reputation grew until he was named the country's first Public Enemy Number One. But J Edgar Hoover would use Dillinger's celebrity to burnish his own reputation and that of his new national police force, the FBI. 5/6.
- S20E6
Hitler, Churchill, and the Paratroopers
Feb 16, 200150mIn 1941 the first large-scale paratroop attack took place when Hitler ordered the invasion of Crete. Within a week Churchill gave the order to evacuate the island, but the two leaders' interpretations of the battle could not be more different. This film evokes the horror of the conflict, examines the war leaders' conclusions and the lessons that are still relevant to paratroopers today. 6/6.
- S20E7
The Last Surrender
May 11, 200150mFor Japanese officer Hiroo Onoda, the Second World War continued until 1974. Now 78 years old and living in Brazil, Onoda tells how he finally accepted defeat and emerged from the Philippine jungle. NEW SEASON 1/6.
- S20E8
Debutantes
May 18, 200150mArchive footage and interviews, with among others the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, help recapture the balls, dresses, romances, and broken hearts that made up the glitz and the glamour of the debutante season - the annual upper-class marriage market. 2/6.
- S20E9
Strangeways Revisited
May 25, 200150mRex Bloomstein returns to find out what happened to some of the prisoners featured in the award-winning documentary series he made 21 years ago. 3/6.
- S20E10
Scharnhorst
Jun 1, 200150mA documentary examining the mystery behind the demise in December 1943 of Germany's supposedly unsinkable warship, and a look at the current quest to detect the wreck by Norway's navy. 4/6.
- S20E11
Roman Soldiers to Be
Jun 8, 200150mFollowing guidelines described by the ancient author Vegetius nearly 2000 years ago, and supervised by historian Kate Gilliver, nine volunteers must learn from scratch to endure the harsh regime of the Roman army. 5/6.
- S20E12
Bombing Germany
Aug 23, 200150mTowards the end of the Second World War, many German towns with minimal strategic or industrial importance suffered "saturation bombing". The historical strand throws new light on the political decisions behind the Allied campaign's final stages, and tells the story of raids on two such towns. 6/6.