Timewatch

Military historian Saul David draws on classic Timewatch documentaries and a wide range of BBC archive to examine how television has portrayed Russia through the years. At the outbreak of war in 1939, wondering whether Russia would join the fight with the Allies, Sir Winston Churchill famously described this nation as 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'. These words have almost come to define Britain's view of Russia ever since; an inscrutable power that always plays by its own rules. From our trusted World War II ally to the red oppressor of the Cold War, from a potential free-market friend when Communism crumbled to a new 21st-century foe under Putin, Russia has swung from friend to foe and back again - either way, we find it incredibly hard to understand her.

We are living through one of the greatest revolutions in history. One that has changed how we live in Britain forever, and yet many of us don't even notice it is happening. This revolution is the ongoing transformation of the rights and role of women. Historian and broadcaster Helen Castor examines the fundamental shifts that have taken place in Great Britain in this Timewatch Guide to Women, Sex and Society. Drawing on the Timewatch strand through the years plus decades of BBC archive, Helen investigates how this period of tumultuous change in our culture has been documented on television. From the heroic suffragette struggle for the female vote in the early part of the last century, right through the social and sexual rebellion of the 1960s and beyond, Helen explores how change has been driven by successive waves of feminism and activism, with each wave redefining what women want.

From the death penalty, to laws against homosexuality, Britain's criminal justice system has undergone momentous change in the last 70 years.In this Timewatch guide to Crime and Punishment, presenter Gabriel Weston examines how television has played a crucial role in documenting these seismic shifts in British law and policing.Looking back through the Timewatch back catalogue of documentaries and a host of BBC archive rarities, Gabriel discovers how historians and filmmakers have not only chronicled these profound changes in law but also managed to shape public opinion.By highlighting miscarriages of justice, like that of the wrongful imprisonment of the Birmingham Six, or by shining a spotlight on other issues of corruption and damning flaws in police procedures, Gabriel finds that television actually became a powerful agent for change.

Professor Saul David uses the BBC archive to chart the history of the world's most destructive war, by chronicling how the story of the battle has changed. As new information has come to light, and forgotten stories are remembered, the history of World War Two evolves. The BBC has followed that evolution, and this programme examines the most important stories, and how our understanding of them has been re-defined since the war ended over 70 years ago.

Using 50 years of BBC history archive film, Dr Alice Roberts explores how our views and understanding of Roman Britain have changed and evolved over the decades.Along the way she investigates a diverse range of subjects from the Roman invasion, through Hadrian's Wall, the Vindolanda tablets and the eventual collapse of Roman rule. Drawing on the work of archaeologists and historians throughout the decades, Alice uncovers how and why our views of this much-loved period of our history have forever been in flux.

Using the BBC film archives, historian Vanessa Collinridge explores how our view of Cleopatra has changed and evolved over the years - from Roman propaganda, through Shakespeare's role in casting her as a doomed romantic heroine, to her portrayal in the golden age of Hollywood.

Historian Dan Snow explores the greatest maritime archaeology project in British history - the Mary Rose. Using 40 years of BBC archive footage Dan charts how the Mary Rose was discovered, excavated and eventually raised, and what the latest research has revealed about this iconic ship and her crew. Dan also investigates how the Mary Rose project helped create modern underwater archaeology, examining the techniques, challenges and triumphs of the divers and archaeologists involved.

Following on from his documentary Operation Mincemeat, based on his book of the same name, writer and presenter Ben MacIntyre returns to the small screen to bring to life his other bestselling book - Agent Zigzag.As part of the Timewatch series, MacIntyre reveals the gripping true story of Britain's most extraordinary wartime double agent, Eddie Chapman. A notorious safe-breaker before the war, Chapman duped the Germans so successfully that he was awarded their highest decoration, the Iron Cross. He remains the only British citizen ever to win one.Including remarkable and newly discovered footage from an interview Chapman gave three years before his death in 1997, the programme goes on the trail of one of Britain's most unlikely heroes - a story of adventure, love, intrigue and astonishing courage.

James Holland presents an analysis of the legendary 1943 Dam Busters raid, a low-level night mission that took 19 Lancaster bombers deep into the heart of enemy territory to destroy German dams with a brand newweapon - the bouncing bomb.

Documentary that reveals the secret story behind one of the greatest intellectual feats of World War II, a feat that gave birth to the digital age. In 1943, a 24-year-old maths student and a GPO engineercombined to hack into Hitler's personal super-code machine - not Enigma but an even tougher system, which he called his 'secrets writer'. Their break turned the Battle of Kursk, powered the D-day landings and orchestrated the end of the conflict in Europe. But it was also to be used during the Cold War - which meant both men's achievements were hushed up and never officially recognised.

Historian Bettany Hughes unravels one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time. She presents a series of geological, archaeological and historical clues to show that the legend of Atlantis was inspired by a real historical event, the greatest natural disaster of the ancient world.

For centuries archaeologists have been trying to work out how the ancient Egyptians raised huge stone blocks to the top of the Great Pyramid.This documentary presents a radical theory by French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin. He believes that an internal ramp was used, which is still inside the Pyramid waiting to be discovered. If he is right, it is the greatest discovery since Tutankhamun.

Michael Palin tells the story of how the First World War ended on 11th November 1918 and reveals the shocking truth that soldiers continued to be killed in battle for many hours after the armistice had beensigned. Recounting the events of the days and hours leading up to that last morning, Palin tells the personal stories of the last soldiers to die as the minutes and seconds ticked away to the 11 o'clock ceasefire.

Kate Williams tells the story of how an unassuming little girl rose to be the most powerful woman in the world. At her birth few believed Princess Victoria would ascend the throne, but a number of untimelydeaths and the failure of her uncles to father any children meant that Victoria became heiress to the British throne. The battle between her and her mother the Duchess of Kent, however, was to become a fierce maternal struggle, as the duchess schemed to share in the power and riches that would one day be Victoria's.

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2nd June 1953 was the greatest spectacle ever staged in Britain. Three million people lined the streets in London, 20 million people watched it on TV, and 17million people clubbed together to hold coronation parties. Told by the people who watched, shaped and recorded it, this Timewatch celebrates the coronation that was to mark the birth of a new Elizabethan Age.

Documentary exploring the history of gladiators. Based on a study of thousands of bones found in a mass grave in Turkey, two forensic anthropologists reveal their scientific findings, helping to explain how gladiators lived, fought and died.

Documentary telling the stories of four children secretly hidden in France to avoid deportation to concentration camps during World War II. Award-winning director Jonathan Hacker accompanies these four survivors to their former hiding places of sixty years ago.

Documentary about Noor Inayat Khan, who in 1943 became the first woman wireless operator to be sent into war-torn France. It was the most dangerous job in SOE, Churchill's secret army, and she was not expected to survive long.The daughter of an Indian mystic and a writer of children's stories in pre-war Paris, she was a curious choice for a secret agent, but became London's vital link with Nazi-occupied Paris. Betrayed, captured and tortured, Noor revealed nothing before she was executed. She was awarded the George Cross for her bravery.

Documentary which looks at how, during WWII, the Americans tried to get inside the mind of Hitler by ordering a team of Harvard psychologists to draw up a profile of him.

Exploring the crucial battle of Julius Caesar's bloody campaign to conquer Gaul in 52BC, where Caesar fought the Gaul leader Vercingetorix in one of the greatest sieges in history.

Documentary telling the story of the Black African Kingdom of Kush and its battles with ancient Egypt for supremacy of the Nile Valley. The kings of Kush ruled Egypt for 100 years and became the most powerfulemperors of the ancient world. Though archaeologists were convinced Kush's influence had been underestimated, they had lacked proof until the recent discovery of an inscription in a tomb that tells of an invasion by a Kushite army.

Following 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 Romanarmy. The Roman army's success was founded on its superlative training and its discipline on the field of battle. The importance of being able to act as a unit is discussed, as are formations, amongst them the famous 'testudo', which is demonstrated.

A look at the effect of the tank on the First World War and how it was used as a propaganda weapon. Veterans contribute stories and experts put their arguments across.

Niccolo Machiavelli's name is synonymous with political intrigue, he was a political pragmatist, and his best-known book "The Prince" is as relevant today as it was in 16th-century Italy. Ian Richardson reads extracts.

Documentary exploring life for black people in the southern states of America at the turn of the century. Why did emancipation from slavery lead to another savage type of bondage for black Americans?

Second part of a Timewatch special on the Cuban Missile crisis, which almost sent the World to the brink of nuclear war. In 1962, President Kennedy demanded that the USSR remove their nuclear missiles in Cuba,which were only 90 miles from American shores. The story is told by insiders from the Kremlin, the White House, and Fidel Castro himself.

On 5 November 1688, William of Orange landed at Brixham and began the last successful invasion of England. His goal was London. The prize was the English crown. But why did William really invade?The traditionalview is that he only came because he was invited, and that he was the duller partner in the dual monarchy of William and Mary. But William was nobody's dupe. He saw England as a weapon to be used in his European campaigns.Peter France tells the story from William's perspective, and points out the price that was paid by the English for constitutional monarchy and the rule of Parliament.

Chris Andrew reassesses the legacy and turbulent reign of Mary Queen of Scots on the 400th anniversary of her execution.

The history programme that brings the past up to the presentThe Loved and Hated KingRichard III - hunchback murderer of the princes in the Tower, or victim of Tudor propaganda? On the 500th anniversary of his coronation, historians go into battle again over his reputation.The Silent Years of TelevisionIn 1950 politics were not allowed on British television. By the end of the decade television dominated the political scene. As an election approaches John Bowman asks how television has changed British political history. Animals and MenThroughout history man has used animals for food, companions and labour. John Tusa talks to Keith Thomas about his new history of Man and the Natural World -the background to today's concern for animal liberation and ecology.

The Peace Movement in the 1930s and TodayFifty years ago, British politics was dominated by campaigns for peace. What are the parallels with the 1980s? John Tusa reports.The Last MuggletonianIn 1652, the Muggletonians were a radical sect in Revolutionary England. Simon Winchester traces their secret survival until the death of the last Muggletonian in 1979. The Victorian PoliceWhat sort of Force was the Police intended to be? With a new Police Bill before Parliament, Bernard Clark returns to their original beat.

John Tusa investigates the work of a lifetime -the completed new edition of The Diary of Samuel Pepys. He talks to Robert Latham , editor of this unparalleled document of Restoration society, who has uncovered previously unknown details of Pepys's life.Peter Ibbotson uncovers 'the weeders'. Are civil servants destroying vital historical evidence when they decide Government records should not be kept?The Historical Cleopatra. As the BBC drama series approaches its climax, Timewatch asks 'Was Cleo patra's reputation as a lustful tyrant really deserved?'

The history programme that brings the past up to date, introduced by John Tusa.In this edition How do you Democratise a Nazi? On the 50th anniversary of Hitler's elevation to the chancellorship of the Third Reich Simon Winchester reports from Washington and Nuremberg on how America in 1945 tried to remake a nation in its own image through a process of forced re-education.The Venerable Bede-Britain's first historian. Who was he? Where and how did he live? Why is he so important? The story of a remarkable man who, over a thousand years ago, could have travelled from Northumbria to Rome.And The Levellers - three months ago in Putney church Michael Foot and other members of the Labour Party associated themselves with the men of the ' New Model Army' who spoke there 300 years before. Who were these men who, in their radicalism, saw Cromwell as the modern equivalent of establishment and right wing? How does the philosophy of these Levellers find echoes in the Labour Party today?

The monthly history show that looks at the present in the light of the past and re-examines historical reputation. Among the items in December's programme:Sir Thomas More , who lost his head on the scaffold in 1535. In 1937 he was made a saint. Now the heroic reputation of the ' man for all seasons' is under attack. Timewatch looks again at the life of a Tudor statesman.Unemployment in Britain 150 years ago when the workhouse became the symbol of oppression and poverty that lasted over a century. Bernard Clark investigates the Poor Law of 1834, designed to cut spending on the poor and unemployed and which left bitter memories for generations.And the Russian spy scare of 1927 when the British Cabinet unwittingly betrayed to Moscow the code-breaking secrets of British intelligence.

In this edition, ' if the Spanish Armada had landed ...'What would have happened if on Monday 7 August 1558 a Spanish Army had marched on London from the invasion beaches of Margate? Timewatch re-examines the fate of the 16th-century Spanish task force and asks how close did it come to success?What Makes Begin Tick?Vladimir Jabotinsky was the philosopher behind the fighting Jew and is the man whom Menachem Begin considers his mentor. Timewatch examines the vision of Jabotinsky and its influence on Begin both in his early life and in his years as Britain's most wanted terrorist.And Llywelyn ap Gruffydd-the first and last independent Prince of Wales. Simon Winchester tells his story and assesses his important place in Welsh nationalism today.

The China of the Manchu Emperors and the signing of the treaties which gave Britain Hong Kong. Why do the Chinese regard these treaties as unequal?Scotland and the great witch hunt of the 17th century: Marina Warner reports on the thousand women who were strangled or burnt. Was this persecution a political act by James VI which got out of hand? Why was it directed at women?The recently discovered diary of a Lancashire weaver John O'Neil who, a century ago, recorded his experiences as an early trades union leader in the recession of the 1860s.And new research on the founding father of the Irish Republic, Eammon De Valera. Was he as committed to a united Ireland as was always believed, or was he prepared to compromise?

In this edition, the continuing controversy surrounding the war-time role of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Victims of a bad press, they remained tactfully silent, but now answer back through Maitre Blum their lawyer, who gives her first television interview.Operation Hurricane, Britain's first atomic test, took place 30 years ago. Film of that secret explosion has been specially declassified by the Ministry of Defence for Timewatch.And Chatham Dockyard, now under threat of Government closure, the story of its contribution to naval history from the Armada to HMS Victory, to the Falklands.

Ben MacIntyre reveals the true story of Britain's most extraordinary wartime double agent, Eddie Chapman. Featuring remarkable footage of Chapman three years before his death.

James Holland presents an analysis of the 1943 mission to destroy German dams with a brand-new weapon - the bouncing bomb. Extraordinarily, the raid almost never happened.