Documentary series focusing on language. Stephen Fry seeks to uncover the origins of language and how and why we are the only species on the planet to have this gift. Show more

Documentary series. Stephen learns that swearing plays an important part in human communication, and that slang and jargon can both aid and thwart clarity. Show more

Matthew Collings charts the rise of abstract art over the last 100 years, whilst trying to answer a set of basic questions that many people have about this often-baffling art form. Show more

Documentary about artist David Hockney, from his early life in working-class Bradford to his relocation to Hollywood, with access to his personal archive of photographs and film. Show more

Bettany Hughes explores Venus, goddess of love, discovering her surprising roots and modern relevance. Show more

In this first episode, British-Nigerian poet and activist Femi Nylander starts his journey from his home in Oxford, to Niger, to discover the impact of century-old atrocities. Show more

Nick Broomfield takes a distinctly personal look at his relationships with his humanist-pacifist father, Maurice Broomfield, a factory worker turned photographer of vivid images of postwar England. Show more

A long-lost film of the creative community formed by Peter Beard, Jackie Kennedy's sister Lee Radziwill and her relatives, the Beales of Grey Gardens, in 1970s New York. Show more

A year in the life of Sean Scully, one of the world’s richest painters, as he flies around the world to open 15 major exhibitions - a journey that reveals his amazing life story. Show more

Bettany Hughes explores Venus - goddess of love - discovering her surprising roots and modern relevance. Show more

Documentary that follows Björn Andrésen, the boy catapulted to fame when Luchino Visconti chose him to play Tadzio in his screen adaptation of Thomas Mann's Death in Venice. Show more

Documentary in which architect Jonathan Adams travels America exploring the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, possibly America's greatest ever architect. Show more

In 1963, armed with just a typewriter, a Midlands housewife began a 30-year battle against the permissive society. But how successful was the original ‘cancel culture’ warrior? Show more

During the 1970s and 1980s, Mary's campaigns against pornography and 'video nasties' raise her profile still further. But new media forms overtake her efforts to censor content. Show more

Documentary in which Stephen Smith traces the revolutionary beginnings of Dr Zhivago, one of the best-known love stories of the 20th century, written by Boris Pasternak. Show more

The extraordinary story of Una Marson, a trailblazing poet, playwright and campaigner, and the first black producer and broadcaster at the BBC. Show more

TV director Jamie O’Leary faces eye surgery that could lead to sight loss. He goes on a journey with blind comedian Jamie MacDonald to see how blind artists achieve their vision. Show more

Michael Wood goes in search of the Roman poet Ovid. Metamorphoses made him a superstar but then came scandal and exile. His story is told in his own words, by Simon Russell Beale. Show more

Performance artist Marina Abramovic invites Alan Yentob into her home, opens her archive, travels to her birthplace in Belgrade and talks about turning her life into art. Show more

The turbulent life and fascinating music of British composer Michael Tippett, which has challenged or delighted musicians round the world with its energy and ecstasy. Show more