History TV on demand

Catch up on, or re-watch, some of the top history programmes now available on BBC iPlayer and other catch-up services. From historical dramas to documentaries, we'll take you straight to some of your favourite history programmes

Available to watch now   

Ancient Egypt - Life and Death in the Valley of the Kings
Egyptologist Dr Joann Fletcher discovers what life was like for ordinary Egyptians 3,500 years ago. She looks at the mysterious world of the ancient Egyptian afterlife.
Available until 12 April 2013 on BBC iPlayer

1963: A Year to Remember
A look back at the tumultuous political events of 1963 including the Profumo scandal, the assassination of President Kennedy and the rise of Alec Douglas-Home and Harold Wilson.
Available until 13 April 2013 on BBC iPlayer

Hidden Killers of the Victorian Home
In a genuine horror story, Suzannah Lipscomb reveals the lethal products, gadgets and conveniences that lurked in every room of the Victorian home and shows how they were unmasked.
Available until 15 April 2013 on BBC iPlayer

Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places
Ifor ap Glyn sets out to understand the appeal of islands as holy retreats in a journey that takes him to the Lake District, Lindisfarne and the Western Isles in Scotland.
Available until 18 April 2013 on BBC iPlayer

War Hero In My Family
Factual series following the personal journeys of 12 celebrities as they trace their ancestors' roles in the Second World War.
Available until May 2013 on Demand 5

Gladiators: Back from the Dead
Drawing on sensational new archaeological discoveries, this programme recreates the world of the Roman arena through the lives and violent deaths of six British gladiators
Available on Channel 4OD

The Celts
Richard Rudgley explores the history and myth of the Celts, the first masters of Iron Age Europe. Sidelined by the Romans, their influence still lives on.
Available on Channel 4OD
 

The Ancient World with Bettany Hughes
Bettany Hughes' definitive history of the ancient world and classical civilisation.
Five episodes available on Channel 4OD

Civilization: Is the West History?
Niall Ferguson asks why it was that Western civilization came to dominate the rest of the world.
Six episodes available on Channel 4OD

Leonardo's Machines
Experts assess designs by Leonardo da Vinci to determine how far ahead of his time he was in flight.
Two episodes available on Channel 4OD

The Worst Jobs in History
Tony Robinson takes a look at some of history's worst occupations, including food tasters, whipping boy and water caddy.
Six episodes available on Channel 4OD
 

Apocolypse: The Second World War
This six-part series telling the epic story of th Second World War through the personal testimony of those who were there.
Six episodes available on Channel 4OD

The Long View
Jonathan Freedland presents the programme which looks at the past behind the present. He compares the London 2012 Games with the first time the city hosted the Olympics, in 1908.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)

Evita's Odyssey
Linda Pressly tells the stranger-than-fiction tale of what happened to Eva Peron's embalmed corpse in the two decades after her husband Juan Peron was deposed in 1955.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)

Unbuilt Britain
Primrose Hill in London is today a much-loved park, but Jonathan Glancey discovers 19th-century plans to build a giant pyramid there, a place of burial for millions of corpses.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)
 

Words and Music 
A sequence of poetry, prose and music celebrating the Victorian era, with readings by Rory Kinnear.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)

Through Persian Eyes 
A programme exploring the often fraught historical journey of Iran.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)
 

Sunday Feature – The Heritage Wars
Historian Dr Anna Whitelock explores the UK's love affair with its past and examines how the heritage industry is battling for our money, becoming more of an entertainment.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)

In Our Time – Voltaire's Candide
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Voltaire's novel Candide, first published in 1759.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)
 

In the Highest Tradition
First transmitted in 1989, this is the final part of a six part series which delves into the world of the British Army’s Regimental traditions and the stories behind them.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer

Sunday Feature – Europe: The Art of Austerity
Michael Goldfarb looks back to the Europe of the 1930s and asks how artists, writers and film-makers responded to the poverty, mass unemployment and poltical instability of the Great Depression.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)

Hurricane Rash
Dr Kevin Fong looks at the history of modern plastic surgery, born not out of vanity, but developed to combat the terrible burns suffered by fighter pilots during the Second World War.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)
 

Making History
Helen Castor presents Radio 4's popular history programme in which listener's questions and research help offer new insights into the past. This week, the origins of May Day.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)

Shakespeare's Restless World: Shakespeare Goes Global
The last in the series of Neil MacGregor's object-based history.
Available indefinitely on BBC iPlayer (radio)