Schedule

10 Monuments That Changed America

It was often just a great man on a horse - Europe celebrated centuries of history by building monuments that were rarely imaginative, and never democratic. But in America, builders came up with creative, populist approaches to commemorating the past. In this episode we’ll explore the stories behind ten wholly-original American monuments, and the historical moments that inspired them. We’ll visit little-known locations like the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial, a sculptural masterpiece dedicated to one of the first African-American units to serve in the Civil War; and we’ll explore the surprising stories behind American favourites like the Statue of Liberty, which was devised as a propaganda piece by French republican politicians. It’s an episode full of epic battles over how to remember America's past: from Maya Lin’s fight to design the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, to the ongoing controversies over confederate monuments across the South. We’ll discover pivotal moments in the evolution of American monuments when daring artists found new ways to honour our history.

Mysteries of Mental Illness: Who's Normal?

Trace efforts to develop guidelines for diagnosing mental illness rooted in empirical science rather than dogma. Explore how science and societal factors are deeply entwined with shifting definitions of mental health and mental illness. Part 2 of 4.

World War II: The Last Heroes: D-Day

June 6, 1944: the biggest seaborne invasion in history. Allied soldiers from Britain, the US and Canada land on five Normandy beaches – Gold, Sword, Utah, Omaha and Juno. Encountering mines, machine gun fire, artillery and bunkers, 'D-Day' tells the heroic story of the soldiers who led the assault from the shoreline to the bluffs. Part 1 of 6.

China on Film:

This second episode includes the first-ever colour film recorded of China, capturing the sacred and the profane in 1930’s Beijing. Other filmmakers show Shanghai in the jazz age, but these film reels reveal a China that might have been - China before the Japanese invaded. The cameras document the struggle for China. Just as Shanghai’s Nanjing Road was filmed in 1900, so it was filmed 50 years later, as the victorious People’s Liberation Army parades along it, Mao Zedong’s portrait to the fore. Narrated by Christopher Doyle. Part 2 of 2.

10 Monuments That Changed America

It was often just a great man on a horse - Europe celebrated centuries of history by building monuments that were rarely imaginative, and never democratic. But in America, builders came up with creative, populist approaches to commemorating the past. In this episode we’ll explore the stories behind ten wholly-original American monuments, and the historical moments that inspired them. We’ll visit little-known locations like the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial, a sculptural masterpiece dedicated to one of the first African-American units to serve in the Civil War; and we’ll explore the surprising stories behind American favourites like the Statue of Liberty, which was devised as a propaganda piece by French republican politicians. It’s an episode full of epic battles over how to remember America's past: from Maya Lin’s fight to design the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, to the ongoing controversies over confederate monuments across the South. We’ll discover pivotal moments in the evolution of American monuments when daring artists found new ways to honour our history.

Mysteries of Mental Illness: Who's Normal?

Trace efforts to develop guidelines for diagnosing mental illness rooted in empirical science rather than dogma. Explore how science and societal factors are deeply entwined with shifting definitions of mental health and mental illness. Part 2 of 4.

World War II: The Last Heroes: D-Day

June 6, 1944: the biggest seaborne invasion in history. Allied soldiers from Britain, the US and Canada land on five Normandy beaches – Gold, Sword, Utah, Omaha and Juno. Encountering mines, machine gun fire, artillery and bunkers, 'D-Day' tells the heroic story of the soldiers who led the assault from the shoreline to the bluffs. Part 1 of 6.

China on Film:

This second episode includes the first-ever colour film recorded of China, capturing the sacred and the profane in 1930’s Beijing. Other filmmakers show Shanghai in the jazz age, but these film reels reveal a China that might have been - China before the Japanese invaded. The cameras document the struggle for China. Just as Shanghai’s Nanjing Road was filmed in 1900, so it was filmed 50 years later, as the victorious People’s Liberation Army parades along it, Mao Zedong’s portrait to the fore. Narrated by Christopher Doyle. Part 2 of 2.

Touching the Asteroid

If spacecraft OSIRIS-REx can grab a piece of an asteroid and bring it to Earth, scientists could gain insight into our planet's origins - and even how to defend it against rogue asteroids. But NASA only gets three attempts at collecting a sample. Can it be done?

Touching the Asteroid

If spacecraft OSIRIS-REx can grab a piece of an asteroid and bring it to Earth, scientists could gain insight into our planet's origins - and even how to defend it against rogue asteroids. But NASA only gets three attempts at collecting a sample. Can it be done?

Teleshopping