Boys watching TV in the 1950s

Historical film TV and radio

From binge-worthy period dramas to award-winning documentaries, find out why historical movies, TV and radio programs are more popular than ever, with this series of articles, podcasts and video

Paul Mescal as Lucius in Gladiator II

Sharks in the arena? Gladiator II's real history and historical accuracy explained

Engraving of Roman emperor Macrinus and Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator II

The real Macrinus: how Gladiator II’s power broker became a short-lived Roman emperor

Caracalla and Geta: the real lives of the mad emperors of Gladiator II

Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator

Was Maximus Decimus Meridius real? These five historical figures inspired Gladiator’s hero

Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Damien Lewis as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

Thomas Cromwell on screen: is Wolf Hall the best depiction of the Tudor statesman?

Should period dramas reflect modern sensibilities? (Photo by Hugh Cowling)

Should period dramas reflect modern sensibilities?

Lee Miller and Kate Winslet.

Second World War

Who was Lee Miller?The model-turned-war correspondent who photographed WW2 horrors

Henry Cavill as Gus March-Phillipps in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Second World War

Is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare based on a true story? The audacious real history of Operation Postmaster

Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots.

Why Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots never met

Two couples kissing in The Decameron

“Slapstick and smutty”: the real medieval history behind The Decameron

Leo Suter as Harald Sigurdsson in season 3 of Vikings: Valhalla

Vikings: Valhalla ending explained: here’s what would have happened in season 4, according to history

Video podcastThe real Lady Whistledown & the golden age of gossip

Choreographer Jack Murphy with Sam Phillips as Lord Debling, and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington.

How to recreate a Regency ballInsider secrets from Bridgerton's choreographer

Arthur Hughes as Matthew Shardlake in Disney+ drama Shardlake

Watch thisThe best historical movies and TV series streaming now

Video podcastMasters of the Air: the real history behind the show

A composite image of athlete Gertrude Ederle and actor Daisy Ridley

Gertrude Ederle: the first woman to swim the English Channel

A photograph of Huey P Newton sat at an event.

Is The Big Cigar true? The real story of how a fake Hollywood film helped Black Panther Huey P Newton escape the FBI

The real Lady Whistledown & the golden age of gossip

Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington

Bridgerton: the real history explained

Castle Howard.

General History

Where is Bridgerton filmed? 5 places to visit for fans of the popular Netflix period drama

From balls to Bridgerton: a brief history of debutantes and the social season

Jonah Hauer-King as Lali Sokolov and Anna Próchniak as Gita Furman in The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Second World War

Are we right to fictionalise the Holocaust? It’s a question The Tattooist of Auschwitz should make us ask ourselves

Jonah Hauer-King in The Tattooist of Auschwitz series

The Tattooist of Auschwitz: is it ok to fictionalise the Holocaust?

Shardlake: bringing the Tudor murder mystery to the screen

Roman pizza, the Black Room, and renovation: 4 incredible things we learned from Pompeii: The New Dig

Ben Willbond as Henry VIII

“It’s rare that a television show actually changes people’s lives”: 15 years of Horrible Histories

A black and white photo of Thomas Boston Corbett in front of a blurred drawing of the killing of John Wilkes Booth

Thomas ‘Boston’ Corbett: the man who killed Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth

Horrible Histories: 15 years of death, poo and talking rats

Michael Douglas as American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in Apple TV+ period drama 'Franklin'

Is Franklin a true story? The real story of Benjamin Franklin and the Franco-American Alliance

Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga in Shogun

Shōgun: release schedule: when is episode 8?