The story of an unruly class of bright, funny history students at a Yorkshire grammar school in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or Cambridge. Bounced between their maverick English master, a young and shrewd teacher hired to up their test scores, a grossly out-numbered history teacher, and a headmaster obsessed with results, the boys attempt to pass.

David Scarboro, who played Mark Fowler in EastEnders (1985), fell to his death at Beachy Head in 1988. Simon, his younger brother, presents this tribute, featuring David's achievements as a young actor as well as his problems.

Story of the first woman to climb the Matterhorn in 1871.

Salman Rushdie speaks to Alan Yentob about the devastating knife attack he was subjected to in 2022, losing his right eye and almost his ability to write.

In medical science, there’s been no longer harder fight than against malaria. This is the inside story of a historic new vaccine - from the Oxford lab behind the COVID jab.

Chris van Tulleken takes a personal view at why ultra-processed foods are so irresistible and how they have come to dominate food culture.

A profile from 1972 of celebrated Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid on the occasion of his 80th birthday. In this film he talks about his uncompromising life and the ideas and circumstances that have shaped its progress.

Behind the singing, smiles and double denim was blood, sweat and tears. Heartthrobs from Take That to Westlife and 911 share tales of success, adoration and the flipside of fame.

Looking at the marriage of Charles Dickens through the eyes of his wife Catherine, Sue Perkins exposes the lesser-known reality of the Dickens family Christmas.

A star-studded documentary revealing the private man behind one of Britain’s greatest comic geniuses, using home movies and extracts from notebooks that he wanted to be burnt after his death.

Film about a family of lions living in the swamps of the Okavango delta, seen through the eyes of a cub born just before the annual flood

In 1986, six hopefuls awaited their turn on New Faces, the popular TV talent show. Among them were comedians, singers, a teenage violin prodigy, and a Birmingham club crooner. New Faces had launched stars like Victoria Wood, Jim Davidson, and Les Dennis. For these six contestants, it was a night that changed their lives in unexpected ways. Their subsequent 25 years involved tangled love stories, international drama, a business collapse, an appearance in Britain's Got Talent semi-finals, and even prison and homelessness.

The experiences of two young Jewish boys evacuated from Manchester to Blackpool during the Blitz.

Launched 30 years ago, Loaded magazine epitomised the 90s in its irreverence and appetite for hedonism. But how did it stand up to pressure to put more 'sexy babes' on the cover?

The Ruins Of Empires is an innovative performance piece by Hip Hop Artist and writer Akala. It is an abridged version of his epic poem of the same name and is a personal interpretation of history as told through the 'knowledge seeker' performed by Akala himself. He follows the course of mans evolution, via astral travel and multiple reincarnations, in an attempt to discover the cause of the rise and fall of Empires. It is driven by a musical score by Mala and Paul Gladstone-Reid and combines innovative animation techniques and emerging technology with some of the most ground breaking creative talents in the industry, under the creative guidance of Andy Serkis and The Imaginarium.

Experience the classic sci-fi film The Matrix like never before in this spectacular live show brought to life through mind-expanding dance and the latest immersive design.

In May 2024, Alan Bennett turned 90. This film celebrates the life and long career of one of Britain's best-loved playwrights. Part frank reflection on the ageing process, part remembrance of the joys of youth, Alan is aided by the films he has written and the documentaries he has presented in his quest to understand the person he has become.

Academic and activist Stuart Hall and actor and activist Maggie Steed present a rigorous deconstruction of the racism - both explicit and more insidious in its subtlety - of the British media from within.

From the giant King Cobra to the tiny sawscaled viper, India is home to many of the world's deadliest snakes. Now a new report has revealed that India is in the middle of a snakebite epidemic of epic proportions, with a loss of human life far in excess of any official figures. Armed with more than forty years of field experience, snake expert Romulus Whitaker and his team set out on a journey around India to investigate the natural history behind these chilling new statistics and to see what can be done to help India's people and ultimately, its snakes.

Part of the Birthrights series, this BBC Two documentary is a wonderful window into the groundbreaking contributions of Black writers and creatives to the world of science fiction across literature, film and television. The program explores the evolving portrayal of Black characters and narratives in a genre often dominated by exclusionary perspectives, featuring compelling interviews with trailblazers like Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Mike Sargent, Steven Barnes and Nichelle Nichols. Celebrating the imaginative brilliance of Black sci-fi and fantasy creators, this seeks to examine the complexities of race within said genres as well as the visionary paths these resilient storytellers forge for the future of speculative fiction.