History TV and radio in the UK: what's on our screens this week?

Saturday 2 December, 7.25pm

For the first time, cameras have been given unprecedented access to Blenheim Palace’s most important and spectacular season – Christmas. Around 250,000 visitors are expected to flock to the breath-taking state rooms and sprawling grounds, which have been transformed into an unrecognisable winter wonderland.

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Sandringham: The King at Christmas

Channel 5

Saturday 2 December, 8.25pm

This episode provides an hourly run-down of a royal Yuletide schedule that's timed with military precision and filled with royal tradition and quirks, while the palace chef reveals the huge number of ingredients required for their Christmas day feast.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber at the BBC

BBC Four

Sunday 3 December, 8pm

To mark his 75th birthday, the renowned composer takes a nostalgic journey through the BBC archives, looking back on a collection some of his biggest and best-loved songs. Featuring [new or historical?] performances by stars including Barbra Streisand, Elaine Paige, Diana Ross, Michael Ball and Michael Crawford.

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Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator

BBC Two

Monday 4 December, 9pm

In this second episode of the series, Julius Caesar leaves Rome to take the governorship of Gaul – modern-day France – to conquer its people and win yet greater power and prestige. But events beyond his control threaten to unravel him isolated. Pushed into a corner, he makes a decision that will change the course of the republic forever. Alongside the dramatic re-enactment, the series features a range of talking heads including historians Tom Holland, Mary Beard and Shushma Malik, and ex-MP and now-popular podcaster Rory Stewart.

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An Art Lover’s Guide

BBC Four

Monday 4 December, 8pm

From a spectacular monument to the maritime globetrotting of Portugal's Golden Age, and the work of a photographer documenting the city's large African population, in this episode Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke discover Lisbon’s complex history of former glories and a darker, slave-trading past.

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Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics

Radio 4

Tuesday 5 December, 11.30am

Taking a fresh and comedic look at the ancient world, in this episode Natalie Haynes tells the powerful story of a mother's love – Demeter – and her fury at the wrong that is done to her daughter.

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Inside Hamleys at Christmas

Channel 5

Tuesday 5 December, 8pm

This episode reveals the hidden stories of Hamleys, from its links to the royals to the vital role its owners played in the Second World War. The programme reveals why traditional teddy bears still remain a favourite, and why magic played an important role in the store hundreds of years before Harry Potter came along.

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The Secret Genius of Modern Life

BBC Two

Wednesday 6 December, 8pm

In this episode, Hannah Fry investigates the science and history behind the microwave oven, discovering how a melted candy bar in the pocket of an engineer kick-started its creation. She also learns about its hidden Second World War technology, and participates in a risky demonstration to show how the microwave zaps food and not the person using it.

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Free Thinking

Radio 3

Wednesday 6 December, 10pm

This episode of Free Thinking explores the literary and theological terrain of CS Lewis's Narnia.

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Inside the Tower of London

Channel 5

Thursday 7 December, 8pm

Harking back to sunnier days at the Tower of London, the Beefeaters are preparing to say goodbye to their Chief Yeoman Warder, Pete McGowran. There is still plenty for Pete to do in his last few days at the fortress, including paying a visit to Ravenmaster Chris Skaife to learn the name of the recently arrived baby raven.

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