History TV and radio in the UK: what's on our screens this week?
Can't decide which shows to watch or listen to this week? Here are the latest history radio and TV programmes airing in the UK that you won't want to miss
Bettany Hughes’s Treasures Of The World
Channel 4
Saturday 15th November, 7pm
Heading to spots where few European travellers journey, the classicist and historian visits Oman on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Here, she tells the story of a powerful “Desert Lord” laid low by dental issues and sees archaeological evidence of Oman’s first sailors.
Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint Of A Dictator – pick of the week
Channel 4
Saturday 15th November, 9pm
Here’s an intriguing two-parter. At the end of the Second World War, an American soldier took a blood-stained swatch of material from the bunker sofa where Adolf Hitler had committed suicide. Professor Turi King, famous for identifying the remains of Richard III, is among the team analysing DNA extracted from the fabric.
Sunday Feature: The Great Egyptian Music Mystery
BBC Radio 3
Sunday 16th November, 7.15pm
In 1937, an Egyptologist at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art verified that a collection of manuscripts that seemed to show an ancient musical notation were genuine. So what do these fragments tell us about Ancient Egypt’s musical culture? And what did the music sound like?
Fatherhood: Is It Working?
BBC Radio 4
Monday 17th November, 11am
Horatio Clare looks at how the role of fathers has changed down the years. Drawing on his own family history, he begins by looking at parenthood during the reign of Queen Victoria, a time when the law and politics profoundly shaped what it meant to be a dad. Postponed from last week.
Once Upon A Time In Space
BBC Two
Monday 17th November, 9pm
The excellent series concludes with the recent history of the International Space Station. The USA was, in the post-Shuttle era, often reliant on Russia to ferry astronauts into space. But what of the future of such cooperation in an era of Russian aggression? Plus how will the rise of China and businesses such as SpaceX play in here?
The Forsytes
5
Monday 17th November, 9pm
A huge hit for 5, The Forsytes has already been recommissioned. Meantime, here’s episode five of six in the first series. We return to the family saga to find James delighted by the return of Soames, Frances planning a shopping trip with Irene, and the price of Ceylon Gold continuing to rise.
Sandi Toksvig’s Hidden Wonders
More4
Tuesday 18th November, 9pm
The broadcaster continues her archaeology series by heading for Northumberland. More specifically, joined by her friend Raksha Dave, President of The Council for British Archaeology, she takes her first trip to Hadrian’s Wall to report on what’s being discovered during excavations at the Roman-era Magna Fort.
Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks
BBC Two
Wednesday 19th November, 9pm
Timothy Spall, who played JMW Turner in Mike Leigh’s biopic Mr Turner, charts the artist’s life story through some 37,000 private sketches, drawings and watercolours. The overall idea is that these works, not intended for the public display, reveal different sides of Turner. Contributors include Tracey Emin, Ronnie Wood and Chris Packham.
Toast
BBC Radio 4
Thursday 20th November, 12.30pm
Business journalist Sean Farrington and entrepreneur Sam White return with a new series of the show where they examine the stories behind products and companies. First up, they focus on the Blackberry handset. Why and how did it become so popular before then falling out of favour? Contributors include Blackberry fan Stephen Fry.
Empire With David Olusoga
BBC Two
Friday 21st November, 9pm
In the final episode of the series, the historian focuses on contested histories and hybrid identities. It’s a documentary that emphasises the “messiness” that flows from Britain’s imperial history. Olusoga’s own family history, we learn, involves both colonisers and those who were colonised.