Dante’s Inferno: The poetry of Hell

The imagined poetic voyage through Hell that explores the meaning of human existence

• 40 mins

The original Goths

The ancient tribe which shaped Europe's history

• 40 mins

Herman Melville: Moby Dick

The 19th Century epic novel on a vengeful sailor’s battle with the great ‘white whale’

• 40 mins

Yves Saint Laurent: Fashion revolutionary

Bridget Kendall and guests on the glamorous world of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

• 39 mins

Lawrence of Arabia

The life of T.E Lawrence renowned for his involvement with the Arab Revolt during WW1

• 40 mins

From Straw Poll to Opinion Poll

With us since the 1930s, polls help forecast elections and conduct market research

• 40 mins

Votes for Women: the Global Story

The extraordinary stories of the women around the world who won the right to vote

• 40 mins

What is Zoroastrianism?

The history of a venerable religion

• 40 mins

Sugar: A Sweet Menace

How sugar travelled across the world and seduced all on its path

• 40 mins

Plastic: How it Changed the World

Experts from the world of science discuss the story of plastic with presenter Rajan Datar

• 40 mins

Machu Picchu: The secrets of a forgotten city

The enigma of the Inca mountain retreat

• 40 mins

Material World: Making the Modern Factory

The global factory story

• 40 mins

Catherine the Great of Russia

A woman and a foreigner who usurped her way to the throne in 18th century Russia

• 40 mins

Simone de Beauvoir: Feminist thinker for modern times

How a philosophical thinker radically changed the way we see women

• 39 mins

The piano: Hitting the right keys

Bridget Kendall and guests lift the lid on 300 years of the piano

• 40 mins

The tales of Timbuktu

How a remote desert town in Mali became world famous

• 40 mins

J. William Fulbright: Scholarships and Soft Power

The man behind the renowned scholarship programme

• 40 mins

The life and works of William Blake

Radical visionary, artist and poet

• 40 mins

The invention of numbers

How numbers and counting shaped our world

• 40 mins

Pioneers of surgical hygiene

The painful route to cleanliness in 19th century hospitals

• 40 mins

Mark Twain: The 'father of American literature'

Bridget Kendall and guests discuss the life, work and legacy of Mark Twain

• 40 mins

Vincent van Gogh: The struggling artist

Charting the highs and lows of the influential Dutch post-Impressionist painter

• 40 mins

Christina of Sweden: Queen of surprises

The rebellious monarch who scandalised 17th-century Europe

• 39 mins

Waiting for Godot: The play that changed the rules of theatre

How a play in which nothing happens created a revolution in contemporary theatre

• 40 mins

Empress Nur Jahan: Leader of the Mughals

The woman who wielded unparalleled power over the Mughal Empire in 17th century India

• 38 mins

Friedrich Engels: The Man Behind Karl Marx

The eventful life of Engels and his pivotal contribution to Marxism

• 40 mins

The Acropolis: Cradle of democracy

How the Acropolis of Athens provided the West with its foundations of politics and drama

• 40 mins

The American author James Baldwin

A giant of twentieth century American culture

• 40 mins

The Making of Modern Japan

Rajan Datar and guests discuss the astonishing transformation of Japan over 150 years

• 40 mins

Edgar Allan Poe: Master of horror

The dark, tumultuous life of America’s great gothic writer

• 40 mins