There are an estimated 1300 pawn-broking outlets in the UK, compared to just 800 in 2003.
In this tough economic climate, pawning is no longer just the pr... read more
December 2010 was the coldest in Britain since records began. This film tells the story of the extreme weather of 2010, and explores the science behind why B... read more
The BAFTA and Oscar-nominated film The King's Speech has brought to the fore the inspiring story of King George VI's struggle to overcome his crippling stamm... read more
On Friday 11 March 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale triggered a tsunami that devastated parts of coastal Japan.
Japan's Tsunami: How... read more
Into Eternity is a feature documentary film directed by Danish director Michael Madsen, released in 2010. It follows the digging and pre-implementation of th... read more
In 1939, a visionary aircraft designer called Barnes Wallis had an idea. He would design a very special bomb that would bounce across water and destroy Germa... read more
A decade after the end of the Second World War, Marcel Besançon, a Swiss executive working for the European Broadcasting Union, had the idea to stage a live ... read more
A team of international scientists and Brian Richards, who suffers from the same disorder as 'elephant man' Jospeh Merrick, uncover details of what Merrick w... read more
Jon Snow presents a forensic investigation into the final weeks of the quarter-century-long civil war between the government of Sri Lanka and the secessionis... read more
Documentary charting the history of Nasa's space shuttle programme, as Atlantis completes its 135th and final mission. The programme explores how the craft h... read more
The incredible story of how Rupert Murdoch used celebrity scandal to bankroll his expanding media empire, before scandal ultimately engulfed the News of the ... read more
Amy Winehouse was one of the most talented singers of her generation, winning five Grammies.
Jacques Peretti examines the life of the late singer, in a re... read more
Idris Elba reveals the defining moments in street music and culture over the last 35 years, featuring rare archive material, seminal music videos and insight... read more
A new generation of the very best urban sports stars are teaming up with incredible young film-makers. Together they've produced stunning films that have cap... read more
Documentary exploring how Phillip Garrido was able to kidnap 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard from outside her California home in 1991, hold her captive for 18 ... read more
Biographer Anne Sebba examines 15 letters by the American socialite, who was widely perceived to have lured Edward VIII away from the English throne. The doc... read more
In this brand new, one-off programme, British comedian, actor and gadget aficionado Stephen Fry chooses and presents his 100 all-time favourite gadgets. In a... read more
Of the 2752 people who died in the September 11 attacks, 343 were New York's firemen. This film tells the stories of those who died, those who survived and t... read more
This film tells of the emergency treatment of the injured that took place in and around the World Trade Center as the jets crashed and the towers fell on the... read more
This film tells of the emergency treatment of the injured that took place in and around the World Trade Center as the jets crashed and the towers fell on the... read more
The most complete story yet of the operation to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. A stellar cast of White House insiders speak on camera, including the first ex... read more
It is a mystery that has baffled scientists for centuries: how were the Ancient Egyptians able to perfectly preserve their pharaohs for millennia?
Now Cha... read more
The life story of the late co-founder of Apple, exploring his reputation for being controlling through interviews with those who knew and worked with him. In... read more
A new high-tech natural history event, Hippo: The Wild Feast presents the most comprehensive illustration to date of nature's food chain in action.
The pr... read more
Broadcast just days after the trial of Dr Conrad Murray returned a guilty verdict for the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson, this powerful and dram... read more
With exclusive access to Mark Kennedy, Britain's most controversial undercover police officer, this gripping and revelatory documentary tells the definitive,... read more
The story of the Queen Mother's nieces Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon, who were born with learning difficulties more than 80 years ago and spent most of th... read more
Alan Turing is the genius British mathematician who was instrumental in breaking the German naval Enigma Code during World War II, arguably saving millions o... read more
Linda Carty was born on the Commonwealth island of St Kitts. She's awaiting execution in Texas: if she's killed, she'll be the first British woman to be exec... read more
Fascinating documentary that ollows a team of engineers, archaeologists and serving RAF officers who have assembled on the site of Stalag Luft III - the supp... read more
Eyewitness accounts of the tsunami that devastated Japan in March 2011, captured by the people who kept filming as the cataclysmic events unfolded around them.
With a record-breaking cold winter, the tsunami in Japan, the extraordinary killer American tornado season, the floods in Australia and a hurricane in New Yo... read more
This one-off special looks at the untold life of British national treasure, comedian and magician Tommy Cooper.
Drawing on details from the meticulous dia... read more
Set in Clapham Junction, London, London's Burning is a dramatic interpretation of a single night of rioting and looting that took place in August 2011. Starr... read more
In the German hamlet of Herxheim, archaeologists excavating a 7000-year-old mass grave of up to 1000 Stone Age people have concluded that the site was not a ... read more
Graffiti - the work of mindless vandals or creative geniuses? To some it is art, to others it is a sign we've lost control of our cities. Since Roman times g... read more
This gripping, feature-length documentary charts the first year in the life of Britain's new Supreme Court - the highest court in the land. With unprecedente... read more
Acclaimed dancer and choreographer Akram Khan provides a remarkable insight into the creation of Desh - his first contemporary solo show in 11 years.
Desh, ... read more
Frozen for more than 5000 years on a remote mountain pass, Ötzi the Iceman now lies in a refrigerated tomb. He's a survivor from the Stone Age, bearing secre... read more
Britain’s Most Fragile Treasure sees historian Dr Janina Ramirez unlock the secrets of a centuries-old masterpiece in glass. At 78 feet in height, the Great ... read more
The Johnson family appeared to have it all after two decades of happy marriage: professional success, a beautiful house in Kent, flaxen-haired children...
... read more
A journey through some of the finest moments of acoustic guitar performances from the BBC archives, from Jimmy Page's television debut in 1958 to Oasis and B... read more
Three British families try out the tax, pensions and work practices that caused Greece's economic crisis and brought on the austerity measures aimed at cutti... read more
The story of the people of Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, where nuclear weapons tests during the Soviet era are thought to have caused genetic defects in a new... read more
Jon Snow turns his eye and mind back to an extraordinary 12 months of news in Britain and abroad, and reflects on how his own life has changed in the past ye... read more
Elephants can live for seventy years. But what happens when one of these magnificent beasts dies in the wild?
This stunning film turns normal wildlife doc... read more
Wallis Simpson was at the center of a national scandal when she was seen to ensnare Edward VIII and lure him from the throne. Recently discovered letters rev... read more
Who is the world's greatest TV prankster? Could it be Jeremy Beadle? Sacha Baron Cohen? Or maybe it's the Fonejacker? Comedian and presenter Mark Dolan holds... read more
Documentary capturing the impact of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan earlier this year, using amateur footage filmed by those caught up in th... read more
Bafta award-winning director Dan Reed (Dispatches: Terror in Mumbai) untangles the hysteria, fury and politics surrounding the ‘Mosque at Ground Zero'. His f... read more