Fengyang: The Forgotten Imperial City

Today, City of Fengyang, east-central China. Archaeologists are hard at work. This ancient imperial city, rediscovered by chance over 50 years ago, has never been excavated. Initial excavations reveal a gigantic city, even more imposing than Beijing’s famous Imperial City. What did it look like? When and how was it built, and why was it destroyed in obscure circumstances?

We discover the treasures and peculiarities of a forgotten city with a unique destiny, which has suffered from oblivion and the ravages of time. At the same time, scientists are carrying out numerous geophysical, geological and chemical analyses to help them understand how this city, which served as a model for Beijing’s prestigious Forbidden City, was built, then destroyed and abandoned…

By following this unique archaeological excavation, the restoration of several of the city’s buildings and its virtual reconstruction, the story of the forgotten imperial palace of Fengyang and its builder, Emperor ZhuYuanzhang, is revealed anew.

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From The Ashes Of World War II

As the second world war engulfed the globe, buildings – historic, magnificent, monumental, were brought crashing to the ground. Whole cities were flattened, knocked down and burned down. But from the devastation, through vast re-planning, restructuring and re-building – emerged new cities for a new world. This is the story of those cities that were attacked, damaged and destroyed during WWII that rose again – from the ashes.

Secrets of the Pharaohs

Egypt created the world’s first empire, yet much of what we know about ancient Egyptian culture is pieced together from very little archaeological evidence, and so many intriguing mysteries remain. New scientific techniques are now enabling historians to uncover many of these hidden secrets. Behind them lie tales of power and intrigue, love and madness, passion and murder.

Shipwrecked: The Crispi Sinking

In 1943, a troop transport ship operated by the Italian Royal Navy called the Francesco Crispi, was attacked by an enemy submarine off the cost of Corsica. The Crispi sank within 16 minutes, taking 945 of the 1300 men with it. More than 70 years after the tragic event, researchers surveyed the wreck at a depth of over 100 metres in Corsican waters. Using a wire-guided underwater robot that can descend to a depth of 1000 metres, investigations have brought new information to light and provide answers to the families of the men who were lost.

Burning Sky

During the Cold War, the US Atomic Energy Commission carried out top-secret activities in the Pacific Ocean. The US Marines aboard the USS Curtiss were ordered to detonate a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb, but due to critical errors in the scientific calculations, the incident was the worst radiological disaster in US history. To this day, it is the biggest detonation ever set off by the US Government, creating a mushroom cloud 40,000 metres high and 7 kilometres wide, and generated a worldwide backlash against atmospheric nuclear testing.

Burning Sky reveals the secrets of this mission, we hear from participants involved in the experiment, experience the devastating aftermath of the mission, and hear from scientists about why the operation went so wrong. The film also reveals the impact of extensive radiological contamination and how the fallout affected nearby islands, and how the US Government is assisting the native islanders, their region, and others who have been affected.

Six Degrees of Inspiration

A documentary series about the evolution of humanity’s greatest breakthroughs, the individuals and their connections, and the often entirely unexpected circumstances behind the shaping of our modern world.                     

From the first discoveries to today’s modern marvels, there exists an unbroken chain of remarkable individuals who had the courage and the will to shape their time, drawing inspiration from those who came before them.

Six Degrees of Inspiration showcases the indomitable spirit of human innovation, emphasizing that behind every ground-breaking invention, there’s a story of perseverance, vision, and unwavering determination.

History: The Interesting Bits

It’s safe to say that never has there been so much history as there is now. Most of it is a matter of opinion. Much of it is really hard to understand. Half of it is probably wrong. And a lot of it, frankly, isn’t very interesting. So what’s needed is a totally fresh, different, exciting look at history’s ‘Interesting Bits’. History with the boring bits taken out. 8 fast paced episodes using animation, archive and recon to reveal the funny, disturbing, weird, but always interesting bits of history!

Bronze Age Apocalypse

This documentary film delves deep into the mysterious and catastrophic collapse of ancient civilizations during the late Bronze Age, as empires from Greece to ancient Egypt were wiped off the map. It explores the various theories and hypotheses that have emerged to explain their sudden downfall, revealing the tumultuous events that brought an end to a once-thriving era of human history.

Through invasions, mega-droughts, natural disasters, and rebellions, we discover the complex web of factors that were involved. With stunning visual imagery, expert interviews and immersive storytelling, this film offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the most pivotal and enigmatic periods of human history. And it warns that we could be facing a similar combination of threats today.

WWII’s Most Daring Raids

From the days when Britain stood alone to D-Day when Allied soldiers crashed ashore to reclaim Europe, daring raids shocked and battered the German war machine, pioneering new forms of warfare and setting new standards for bravery and leadership.

Now WW2’s Most Daring Raids takes you into the heart of the action as an elite band of soldiers battle terrifying odds and daunting obstacles in a mission that could change the course of the war. Through eyewitness accounts, drama reconstruction, expert commentary, live weapons demonstrations filmed at high speed and cutting edge computer game graphics, every aspect of these raids is visualised and analysed.