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

Michael Portillo learns how the railways helped to make Birmingham the world's pen-making capital and hears tales of a notorious Victorian murderer. Show more

Series on how London has changed since Charles Booth's 1886 survey. Portland Road, Notting Hill, was once London's worst slum but has since been transformed by wealth. Show more

Historical drama. Beautiful sisters Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) are drawn into a dangerous rivalry for King Henry VIII's affections. Show more

Dan Cruickshank looks at the extravagant 19th-century castles and palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, believing them to be the work of an architectural genius ahead of his time. Show more

David Reynolds re-examines the war leadership of American president Franklin Roosevelt, who inspired millions with stirring visions of a new and better postwar world. Show more

Series on how London has changed since Charles Booth's 1886 survey. Portland Road, Notting Hill, was once London's worst slum but has since been transformed by wealth. Show more

Dan Cruickshank looks at the extravagant 19th-century castles and palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, believing them to be the work of an architectural genius ahead of his time. Show more