S1 E1 • London Rock

Many of the new sounds of the 70s looked to the past for inspiration. Kenny Jones admits the Faces focused a lot on “where we grew up and used to play on bombs,” others looked even further back, drawing inspiration from mythology, legend and traditional songs. Following artists including T-Rex, the Faces, Fairport Convention and Matthew’s Southern Comfort, London Rock examines the personal nature of putting down a track. Charting a musical journey from the dawn solstice ceremony at Stonehenge, through lazy afternoons writing lyrics in the open air, to city life in Portobello Road, and the spirit of a sleepless music festival in Bath, it provides an insight into the new sounds that emerged in the Seventies, while examining the philosophy of its young musicians and their early thoughts on music and stardom. With additional music by The Who, King Crimson, Marc Bolan, Traffic and Jethro Tull, the musicians involved explain the influences they explored in their work.

S1 E2 • Sid! By Those Who Knew Him

This documentary reveals the deeper life of the punk hero Sid Vicious. It features those close to him speaking out for the very first time. Charting his rise from John Simon Ritchie to an icon, this film takes us on an intimate tour of his life and death. Bandmate John Lydon gave Sid his moniker which came from his pet hamster. Many of Sid's close friends talk about his fast and frenetic life, including childhood friend Jah Wobble, Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, Vivenne Westwood and Steve Severin from Siouxsie and the Banshees amongst many others. Featured in the this 80 minute documentary is previously unseen archive footage. Sid's own music is the basis of the soundtrack and filmed in HD it gives the full experience of a man, who's life was short but made such a cultural impact. Sex Pistol, drug addict and alleged murderer, Sid Vicious led a short and troubled life. Revealing the chaos and the anarchy which marred his 22 years, friends and colleagues tell intimate stories about their experiences of the punk rocker. Siouxie and the Banshees’ Steven Severin, The Damned’s Dave Vanian and Rat Scabies, Caroline Coon, Vivienne Westwood, Glen Matlock and Marco Pirroni speak fondly about the man many thought was out of his depth in the Sex Pistols, both musically and personally. They speak of the furore surrounding his accusation of murder, after his girlfriend Nancy Spungen was found stabbed in the hotel room in which he slept out-cold on heroin. Additionally they consider his own overdose and the questions and legacy he left behind. A touching documentary - fuelled by the Sex Pistol’s music - capturing the rise and fall of Sid Vicious, from punk's hero to society's cultural icon of the twentieth century.

Première diffusion : 19 octobre 2010

S1 E3 • Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe is a film offering an intimate look at the working life of a unique theatrical institution. It charts a vivid journey from the reconstructionin London of the sixteenth-century open-air playhouse to the establishment of a centre housing the theatre, a permanent exhibition and an unrivalled education programme. The film explores a day in the life of this remarkable enterprise: behind-the-scenes preparations, rehearsals, backstage drama and performance extracts from a production of Romeo and Juliet, together with glimpses into Globe Education workshops and activities, the exhibition and tours. Actors, musicians, directors, Globe Education Practitioners and other experts reveal their knowledge of the original playhouse and its practices, and explain how the modern-day theatre continues to enthrall and challenge audiences.

Première diffusion : 1 janvier 2005

S1 E4 • Masterpieces - The Emperor's Secret Garden

The extraordinary story of Qianlong’s Garden over three centuries of Chinese history, from its Imperial past to the fast-paced modern China today

Première diffusion : 6 février 2013

S1 E5 • Masterpieces - Caravaggio's Secrets

Caravaggio was extraordinarily secretive about the techniques he used to create his ingenious and revolutionary art. He didn't employ assistants and hardly let anyone into his workshop. Although jealous rivals offered rewards to anyone who could discover his trade secrets, he took them to his grave. Or so everyone thought...

S1 E6 • Masterpieces - The Arch of Enlightenment

Documentary about the history and reconstruction of the Gwanghwamun, or Gate of Enlighhtenment, the symbol of Korean history and culture.

S1 E7 • Charles Dickens's England (part 1)

Première diffusion : 1 janvier 2009

S1 E8 • Charles Dickens's England (part 2)

Première diffusion : 2 janvier 2009

S1 E9 • Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero

Eric Clapton, Traffic's Dave Mason, The Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor, Slash and Ginger Baker from Cream pay tribute to the man who could play the guitar upside- down and back to front, with his teeth or while it was on fire. In this documentary, they discuss how, in many ways, Jimi Hendrix wrote the book on the electric guitar and left behind a range of sounds, riffs and styles that musicians have been trying to emulate ever since his death.

Première diffusion : 22 mai 2013

S1 E10 • Masterpieces - Artemisia Undaunted

Artemisia Gentileschi was deemed the first woman to earn a living from art but was her work of fantasies of revenge the result of a troubled early life? The darling of feminist French historians, she triumphed in the early 17th century, an era dominated by masters like Rubens and Caravaggio and has since inspired three best-selling novels and a film. Much of her art retells stories from the female perspective. In Susanna and the Elders, she twists the biblical story of the promiscuous Susanna to portray her cowering, naked and frightened beneath two older, conspiring men. Meanwhile, her multiple versions of Judith Slaying Holofernes reveal powerful protagonists beheading the invading general, while also capturing their fear and vulnerability. Gentileschi was raped at the age of 17 by a friend of her father, encouraging many historians to believe that she relived the event repeatedly on her canvases, as well as painted out her fantasies of revenge against the male sex. In this documentary, art historians, as well as Alexandra LaPierre, author of novel Artemisia, reflect on her works, questioning to what extent Gentileschi encapsulated her own life, fears and trauma within her art.

S1 E11 • Moog: The Man behind the Synthesizer

To the uninitiated, Moog was the dog in the 80s cartoon series, Willo' the Wisp, but to those in the know, Dr Robert Moog was the maverick inventor and cult icon behind the eponymous synthesizer. This fascinating documentary explores Bob Moog's story in his own words. The advent of the synthesizer revolutionised music. An entirely new analogue instrument, it had electronic components but was made user-friendly by incorporating a traditional keyboard. Its influence was huge: Moog synthesizers were used by everyone from popular musicians like The Beatles and Stevie Wonder to jazz pioneers such as Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. In this documentary, Bob Moog shares his ideas about creativity, design, interactivity, spirituality and of course, the invention that rocked the world.

S1 E12 • Gary Numan: Reinvention - The Electric Warrior

After rising to fame with Are Friends Electric? in 1979 with Tubeway Army, Gary Numan saw major success, and a serious career slump, before he was rediscovered by a new generation of electro fans. Examining the rise, fall and reinvention of the ‘Godfather of Electro’, this documentary tackles the question that badgers many Numan fans: was his success despite his undiagnosed condition of Aspergers or because of it? It also reveals how he accidentally discovered his unique musical style and his love of display flying, as well as and how he deals with his loyal, but often hypercritical, fans.

Première diffusion : 2 avril 2011

S1 E13 • Made In China: Copy Artists

John Myatt narrates this insightful documentary about a village in China where an army of artists painstakingly reproduce the works of the great Masters, generating 35 million dollars a year. The Dafen Village, the ‘copy capital of the world’, is host to thousands of painters who supply the world with oil painting copies of European masterpieces by Renoir, Rembrandt, Matisse, Raphael and many more.

S1 E14 • The Music Videos That Shaped The 80’s

Charting the history of pop videos Bold, decadent, ambitious and sometimes of questionable taste, there is no better symbol of the Eighties than the rise of the music video. With the launch of MTV in 1981, extraordinary music was suddenly matched with daring film-making in a medium that had budgets to blow and no existing rules. The Music Videos That Shaped The 80’s is a celebration of the ground-breaking music videos of the decade and the explosion of London-based talent that contributed to them. Artists including Bob Geldof, Herbie Hancock, Roger Taylor and Richie Sambora, and directors David Mallet, Russell Mulcahy and Kevin Godley, discuss some of the key videos of the period, from Queen’s ‘I Want to Break Free’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ to The Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’, aptly the first ever video to be shown on MTV. Also featuring music by Bon Jovi, The Boomtown Rats, The Cure and David Bowie, this documentary reveals how the most memorable videos of the decade helped to redefine the music industry forever.

S1 E15 • Hay Sessions 2011 - Henning Mankell

The Swedish crime writer discusses his experience onboard one of the aid ships that were seized by Israeli forces on their way to Gaza last May.

Première diffusion : 7 juin 2011

S1 E16 • Hay Sessions 2011 - Kevin McCloud

Design guru Kevin McCloud discusses modern layouts and architecture and celebrates his new book addressing interior design problems. From the Telegraph Hay Festival 2011.

Première diffusion : 9 juin 2011

S1 E17 • Inside the Mind of Leonardo

The inspiring world of Leonard da Vinci is brought to life by acclaimed BAFTA winning actor Peter Capaldi in a unique dramatised documentary Inside The Mind of Leonardo is based on the artist’s private journals dating from the Italian Renaissance. With over 6,000 pages of handwritten notes and drawings, da Vinci’s private journals are the most comprehensive documents that chronicle the work of the world’s most renowned inventor, philosopher, painter and genius. Using this precious collection of writings and drawings to recount Da Vinci’s story in his own words, and combining them with stunning visual effects and 3D technology, we re-create the mindscape and ideas of mankind’s greatest polymath. In a powerfully haunting performance, award-winning actor Peter Capaldi portrays Leonardo and dramatically narrates passages and monologues from these journals. Capaldi captures the passion of Leonardo’s ambition, his opinion of the world and his views on art and life. From the epic to the ordinary, Inside the Mind of Leonardo explores how Leonardo experienced the world around him. Following a biographical narrative, the feature captures the artist’s thwarted ambitions, hurt, anger and sexual desire as documented within his diaries, but also the mundanities of normal life: his shopping lists, health tips and bawdy jokes.

Première diffusion : 28 juin 2013

S1 E18 • Discovering Genesis

S1 E19 • Discovering Bryan Ferry

Documentary exploring the life and career of Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry, A rather miserly half-hour is allotted for a career overview of the Roxy Musician turned suave soloist. With his unique, sat-on-a-washing-machine vibrato, the singer has gone from sci-fi art rocker to mid-tempo crooner and from working-class upbringing to tuxedoed high society. Music critics weigh up the influence of pop’s Slave to Love and Jealous Guy, the unswerving vision he had for his group and the impact of their 1972 debut single Virginia Plain, notable for its pounded piano and early, Brian Eno synths.

Première diffusion : 2 février 2014

S1 E20 • Discovering Herge

The story of Tintin creator Georges Remi, better known by his pen name of Herge. The programme reveals how his best-known character began life as the star of satirical cartoons before political intervention saw the writer pen the swashbuckling adventures the boy reporter is known for today. The programme also looks at allegations of racism made against one of Remi's books, which saw Tintin and his friends visit the Congo.

Première diffusion : 21 août 2012

S1 E21 • Glass Now

Glass is a complex and alluring material: solid yet liquid, strong yet fragile, it reflects, refracts and absorbs light. These unique properties are being pushed to the limit by innovative artists in Britain today. Combining traditional techniques with cutting-edge technology, their creations include sculpture, architecture and installations. Glass Now offers an introduction to contemporary glass arts and profiles eight of Britains leading glass artists: Alexander Beleschenko, Katharine Coleman, Matthew Durran, Amber Hiscott, Angela Jarman, Helen Maurer, Colin Rennie and Koichiro Yamamoto. Short-listed for the prestigious Jerwood Applied Arts Prize 2003, these artists demonstrate the range, the excitement and the excellence of glass today.

S1 E22 • Dangerous Edge: The Life of Graham Greene

Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene, the first American-produced documentary about Greene, weaves his novels, including "The Quiet American," "Brighton Rock," "The End of the Affair" and "The Third Man," and moves into the story of his life and reveals an extraordinary man who travelled the globe to escape the boredom of ordinary existence. Participants include; novelists John Mortimer, John Le Carré and David Lodge, writer Paul Theroux, former CIA operative and author Frederick Hitz, and Greene’s daughter Caroline Bourget. Greene’s writing captures the essence of what it means to be human: The struggle between faith and doubt, love and betrayal, action and inaction, the individual and the state. Greene famously warned writers to avoid personal, political and ideological ties: A writer must “have a sliver of ice in his heart,” he said, and “be a piece of grit in the State machinery.” After Greene’s death in 1991, Paul Gray wrote in TIME Magazine, “No serious writer of the twentieth century has more thoroughly influenced the public imagination than Graham Greene.” His influence continues. Greene is quoted on average 100 times every month in publications around the world, and the British Film Institute recently voted The Third Man the industry’s best British film. While Greene’s work and influence are apparent, Greene the man remains an enigma. Despite repeated suicide attempts, he lived to be 86. He was a British spy who befriended traitor Kim Philby. He was a committed Catholic who referred to himself as a “Catholic agnostic.” He craved anonymity, yet his writing made him famous. Greene attributed such incongruities to manic depression. Rather than allowing his condition to cripple him, however, he channelled it into enormous creativity, and from his death wish ultimately sprang an acute awareness of the value of life.

Première diffusion : 13 mai 2013

S1 E23 • Discovering Pink Floyd

Music critics and fans look back at the 30-year career of progressive rockers Pink Floyd, famed for their hugely successful concept albums and elaborate live shows. Founded in 1965, the band originally consisted of students Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright. They first gained popularity performing in London's underground music scene during the late 1960s, and under Barrett's creative leadership they released two charting singles and a successful debut album. David Gilmour joined as a fifth member in December 1967, and Barrett left the band in April 1968 due to his deteriorating mental health. After Barrett's departure, Waters became their primary songwriter and lyricist. Pink Floyd achieved critical and commercial success with the concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), The Wall (1979) and The Final Cut (1983).

S1 E24 • Samuel Beckett: Not I

Documentary exploring the Significance, meaning and challenges of the Irish playwright and poet Samuel Beckett's dramatic monologue Not I, with Lisa Dwan performing her acclaimed interpretation of the piece.

Première diffusion : 31 juillet 2013

S1 E25 • Songs To Have Sex To

Edith Bowman takes viewers on a musical journey into art, science, history and popular culture as she attempts to uncover the answer to the question: what is the best song to have sex to?

Première diffusion : 12 août 2015

S1 E26 • Episode 26