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Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History

Episode 1: Home Waters to High Seas

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

The story of the top-heavy Mary Rose, the wrecking of the Spanish Armada and the real-life sea disasters that inspired The Tempest and Robinson Crusoe. Show more

Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History

Episode 2: A World Turned Upside Down

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

Dr Sam Willis takes the story of shipwrecks into the Georgian age when Britain began to rule the waves and disasters at sea imperilled its trading power. Show more

The Silk Road

Episode Six

Duration: 23 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC WORLD NEWS Asia PacificLatest broadcast: on BBC WORLD NEWS Europe

In the final episode of the series, Dr Sam Willis starts in Istanbul - the ancient city of Byzantium, then his last stop takes him full circle to Venice. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

The Silk Road

Episode Five

Duration: 23 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC WORLD NEWS AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC WORLD NEWS North America

In this episode Dr Sam Willis continues his journey to Iran. Sam begins in the legendary city of Persepolis - the heart of the first Persian Empire. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

The Silk Road

Episode 3

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Sam Willis continues his journey west in Iran. He begins in Persepolis, heart of the first Persian Empire, before heading to Istanbul and then coming full circle to Venice. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith
Series Producer:
Richard Downes

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

Sam Willis traces the history of the weapons that have shaped Britain. He gets a lesson in swordsmanship and finds out what the Bayeux Tapestry reveals about combat. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Producer:
Matt Thomas
Director:
Matt Thomas
Executive Producer:
John Das
Participant:
Hector Cole
Participant:
Jonathan Ferguson
Participant:
Benedict Green
Participant:
Robin Knight
Participant:
Mark Stretton
Participant:
Matthew Strickland
Participant:
Robert Tilney
Participant:
Lisa Traynor

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

Sam Willis on the history of weapons that have shaped Britain. He charts the impact of gunpowder on the battlefield, from the first cannons to early handheld weapons. Show more

Duration: 58 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four

Available for years

In the final episode, Dr Sam Willis looks at the drive to develop ever more precise weapons on the battlefield, from artillery shells to rifles to the Maxim machine gun. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Director:
Linda Sands
Executive Producer:
John Das
Interviewed Guest:
Jonathan Ferguson
Interviewed Guest:
Peter Johnson
Interviewed Guest:
Mark Murray-Flutter
Interviewed Guest:
Robert Tilney
Interviewed Guest:
Lisa Traynor
Interviewed Guest:
Rob Yuill

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Sam Willis explores Antigua's ruins and sees how the Caribbean's sugar islands were a kind of hell in Nelson's time. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Executive Producer:
Tim Green

Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History

Episode 3: Civilising the Sea

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

Dr Sam Willis tells how the Victorians found preventative solutions, from rockets that could fire rescue lines to lifejackets, lifeboats and the Plimsoll Line. Show more

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

Sam Willis explores the golden age of piracy during the early 18th century and charts the devastating impact pirates had during an age of colonial expansion. Show more

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Available for years

Sam Willis looks at urban crime, fraud and corruption in the 18th century, uncovering a fascinating rogues' gallery of charmers, fraudsters and villains. Show more

The Silk Road

Episode One

Duration: 26 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC News South AsiaLatest broadcast: on BBC News Europe

In the first episode of this series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, historian Dr Sam Willis is in Venice. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Director:
Tim Niel
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

The Silk Road

Episode Two

Duration: 23 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC News AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC News South Asia

In this episode, historian Dr Sam Willis continues to retrace the steps of explorer Zhang Qian to the city of Dunhuang. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Director:
Tim Niel
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

The Silk Road

Episode Three

Duration: 23 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC News AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC News Africa

Dr Sam Willis travels west to Central Asia, a part of the Silk Road often overlooked and yet the place of major innovations, big historical characters and a people - the Sogdians. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Director:
Tim Niel
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

The Silk Road

Episode Four

Duration: 23 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC News North AmericaLatest broadcast: on BBC News South Asia

Dr Sam Willis is in Bukhara where he finds out how goods were sent to the markets of the west, showing how trading methods sparked revolutions all along the Silk Road. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Director:
Tim Niel
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

The Silk Road

Episode 1

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four

Sam Willis traces the story of the famous trade route. He explores Venice's Renaissance architecture and art before travelling to the beginning of the Silk Road in China's Xian. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Director:
Tim Niel
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

The Silk Road

Episode 2

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four HD

Sam Willis travels west to Central Asia, a place of major innovations, big historical characters and a people - the Sogdians - whose role was pivotal to the Silk Road's success. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Series Producer:
Richard Downes
Director:
Tim Niel
Assistant Producer:
Jon Morrice
Executive Producer:
Mike Smith

Britain's Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates and Rogues

Episode 1: Knights of the Road: The Highwayman's Story

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC FourLatest broadcast: on BBC Four

Available for years

Series charting the age of the outlaw begins with the arrival of a new breed of gentleman criminal out of the ashes of the Civil War. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
Sam Willis
Producer:
Andy Hall
Director:
Andy Hall
Series Producer:
William Naylor
Executive Producer:
Michael Poole
Assistant Producer:
Christopher Boreham
Production Coordinator:
Emily Casstles

Front Row

Morrissey autobiography; Clio Barnard; Glee's Cory Monteith tribute

Duration: 30 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

Available for over a year

Philip Hoare on Morrissey's Autobiography; film director Clio Barnard on The Selfish Giant; Glee's tribute to Cory Monteith; Nelson, Navy, Nation at the National Maritime Museum. Show more

Contributors

Presenter:
John Wilson
Interviewed Guest:
Clio Barnard
Interviewed Guest:
Boyd Hilton
Interviewed Guest:
Philip Hoare
Interviewed Guest:
Sam Willis