The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

Julia Bradbury walks along a 20km stretch of the Kennet and Avon Canal and tells how it was restored after being awarded a big lottery heritage grant. Show more

Sam Willis tells the story of the English ruler who left the most indelible mark on the castle, Edward I, as he turned it into an instrument of colonisation. Show more

The inside story of the design and construction of 'the most perfect suspension bridge in the world', and how its unique slimline structure arose by accident. Show more

Series in which Andrew Marr explores the books we read. He investigates detective fiction, a genre whose most famous heroes are now embedded in our collective psyche. Show more

In the deserts of coastal Peru, Jago Cooper explores the rise and fall of Chimor, the first empire of South America, whose subjects transformed the landscape. Show more

Neil Oliver charts the story of little-known Scotsman William Speirs Bruce, who was determined to conquer Antarctica in the name of science. Show more

Archive footage and testimony from the last of the whale hunters helps Adam Nicolson reveal what it was like to have hunted whales in Antarctica in the early 20th century. Show more

Penelope Keith looks into the BBC's secret dealings with some of the 20th century's most intriguing figures, including Winston Churchill, Tony Hancock and Alec Guinness.

The inside story of the design and construction of 'the most perfect suspension bridge in the world', and how its unique slimline structure arose by accident. Show more