Perspectives

David Suchet follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, the famous Fleet Street photographer Jimmy Jarche, in a quest to capture on camera how Britain has changed in the past century.

David Suchet finds out what gave Christie's stories worldwide appeal and why characters such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple captured the imagination of so many devotees.

Actor Warwick Davis explores the miraculous survival story of the Ovitz family - ten Jewish brothers and sisters from Romania, seven of whom were born with dwarfism. Their musical group The Lilliput Troupe toured Eastern Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, managing to elude Nazi persecution of Jews until 1944 when they were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The family underwent horrific experiments but lived to see the liberation of Auschwitz, spending several months returning to their home on foot. Warwick heads to the small Transylvania village where the five sisters and two brothers were born, their incredible yet poignant story prompting him to reflect on his own experiences as a dwarf actor and entertainer.

Sheila Hancock sets out to discover what inspired the Bronte sisters to write such epic novels seemingly worlds apart from their own lives.

Having had a fascination with the world of magic since he was a boy, Alan Davies explores the extraordinary life of illusionist and stunt performer, Harry Houdini, the man who against the odds became one of the most successful entertainers in the world.

Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp investigates the modern art world, 25 years since it was rocked on its heels by by the arrival of Hirst, Emin and the other Young British Artists.

Having first discovered Rene Magritte’s art as a teenager, singer Will Young was immediately struck by Magritte’s strange distortions of familiar objects and his subversive humour. So much so that Will opened his last tour donning a bowler hat and raincoat, so synonymous with Magritte.

It was one of the best days of Ashley Banjo’s life when Michael Jackson invited the young British choreographer and his dance group, Diversity, to support him at his planned London concerts in 2009. But the concerts never happened – the American superstar died – so Ashley never got to meet his musical idol. This documentary follows Ashley as he finds out more about the man who inspired him to dance and, in particular, Thriller - the album which catapulted Michael Jackson to global superstardom.

Len Goodman is a man who has dedicated his life to dance, and in this film he is travelling across America to explore the extraordinary life, and the imaginative mind of his greatest hero, Fred Astaire. From his daughter to his dance partner, Len leaves no stone untouched as he discovers more about how and why this man became one of the greatest dancers of all time.

Antonio Vivaldi’s the Four Seasons is the most popular piece of classical music of all time. It’s become so ubiquitous that it has been denounced as Muzak for the middle classes. Rick Wakeman – platinum-selling prog rock keyboardist and television Grumpy Old Man – thinks the critics are wrong. He believes that the Four Seasons was so far ahead of its time that it was actually the first ever concept album – and that Vivaldi was the world’s first rock superstar.

David Harewood embarks on a very personal, three year journey across Britain, Jamaica and Crimea following the creation of a major new statue of a woman who has always been a heroine of his, Mary Seacole.