Absolute History

Casanova's Travels Around Europe | Casanova's Love Letters (Part 4 of 6) examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. A true son of the renaissance, Casanova was a musician, a healer, a spy and a lover. He led a tempestuous life where he made and lost fortunes, invented the National Lottery, fought duels with Counts, and had the most famous love life of all time. These letters are actual correspondence between Casanova and his lovers, offering a completely unique perspective to his story.

Tony Robinson goes on the trail of William Wallace, the Scottish warrior, better known as Braveheart. Was he really the way the film portrayed him? A charming, selfless patriot?

This amazing documentary focuses on the vital role women spies played in putting an end to World War II.

The Way Casanova Was Punished | Casanova's Love Letters (Part 3 of 6) examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. A true son of the renaissance, Casanova was a musician, a healer, a spy and a lover. He led a tempestuous life where he made and lost fortunes, invented the National Lottery, fought duels with Counts, and had the most famous love life of all time. These letters are actual correspondence between Casanova and his lovers, offering a completely unique perspective to his story.

The Woman Who Broke Casanova's Heart | Casanova's Letters (Part 2 of 6) examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. A true son of the renaissance, Casanova was a musician, a healer, a spy and a lover. He led a tempestuous life where he made and lost fortunes, invented the National Lottery, fought duels with Counts, and had the most famous love life of all time. These letters are actual correspondence between Casanova and his lovers, offering a completely unique perspective to his story.

In this fascinating and heart-breaking film, Eva Schloss talks about her memories of Anne, her experiences and survival, and life as the step daughter of Otto Frank, Anne's father and the sole survivor of the family.

Casanova's First True Love | Casanova's Letters (Part 1 of 6) examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. A true son of the renaissance, Casanova was a musician, a healer, a spy and a lover. He led a tempestuous life where he made and lost fortunes, invented the National Lottery, fought duels with Counts, and had the most famous love life of all time. These letters are actual correspondence between Casanova and his lovers, offering a completely unique perspective to his story.

The extraordinary and tragic story of Prince Charles Edward. As Queen Victoria's youngest grandchild, he was forced to take up the Dukedom of Coburg in Germany after a series of unexpected deaths. Transformed overnight from a British Prince to a German Duke, the course of his life was altered in ways he could never have imagined as he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Narrated by Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton.

On 29 April 2011, William and Catherine were married in a fairy tale wedding watched by more than two billion people and celebrated the whole world over.

From student to royal girlfriend and then to modern day princess, Kate Middleton has made a remarkable journey. In less than a decade, this normal girl from an ordinary background has won her prince charming and become the prospective Queen of England.

The extraordinary story of one of Britain's fastest-growing religious groups Wicca, and its eccentric creator - an Englishman called Gerald Gardner. The modern pagan witchcraft of Wicca was born in 1930s Britain in a nudist colony in Dorset. Wicca rapidly grew from a small New Forest coven to a worldwide religion in the space of just 70 years. British historian and leading expert in Pagan Studies, Professor Ronald Hutton, explores the unlikely origins of modern pagan witchcraft and experiences first hand its growing influence throughout Britain today.

The hidden world of the Harem has long been shrouded by mystery and erotic fantasies. At the centre of Suleiman the Magnificent's power was Topkapi Palace. Into it came hundreds of women from all over the empire and beyond. It was a place where intimacy could equal power.

The birth of Prince George to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked a new chapter in their lives and in royal history. The fourth-in-line to the throne has a special destiny - he will carry the monarchy forward - perhaps into the next century. With a home in Kensington Palace and time with Kate's more ordinary Middleton family, this royal heir will be raised as no other.

The documentary follows the story of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship, examining whether their marriage has already radically changed the British monarchy.

Who is the 'real' Prince Harry? Despite relentless media scrutiny, much of it negative, Harry remains a tantalising, elusive mystery.

For Christabel and Sylvia, their own sisterhood would be strained to the point of breaking for the suffrage movement.

Burma's Open Road explores the lives of every day Burmese intertwined with the fortunes of the reconstruction of the Burma Road through Asia's last great wilderness. Guided by the insights of a Buddhist monk, the film offers unprecedented access into Myanmar and the plight of opium growers, soldiers, villagers, poachers and prospectors, each connected by the reconstruction of an ancient road and is impact on their environment .

Since her death 1300 years ago, Wu Zetian has been remembered as a callous tyrant, who brought calamity to China. But now, extraordinary new discoveries are revealing a very different picture of her reign. As archaeologists investigate hidden tombs, spectacular pagodas, gigantic palaces and priceless treasures from her time, they are uncovering a very different story of China’s female Emperor, her skills and her empire. Wu Zetian’s China was a military, economic and cultural superpower, whose influence stretched from the edge of the Mediterranean to Japan and India. Recent discoveries reveal the wealth and stability of her reign, and point to her skills as a politician and a leader. But they also provide tantalising new evidence of the cruelty and violence at the heart of her regime. Produced by True North. Licensed from TVF International to Little Dot Studios.

Professor Kate Williams scrutinises the short reign of James II: the Last Stuart King. This is a re-upload from yesterday's release as it had audio issues. Apologies and thanks to our audience for bringing this to our attention!

This fascinating documentary takes us back to the early days of the Thames barge matches when they started in 1863 - the second oldest sailing competition in the world. This documentary includes the fifth and sixth episode.

The Sacred City presents compelling evidence that suggests the holy city of Mecca is in the wrong location and that the worlds 1.6 billion Muslims are praying in the direction of the wrong city. Compiling evidence from both historic sources and new technologies point to the correct location in this seismic, revelatory new film. In this startling and original documentary, writer and historian, Dan Gibson, shows that descriptions of Mohamed's original holy city - as detailed in the Qur'an and Islamic histories, do not match that of the Mecca we know today. If true this could shake Islam to it's roots, because every Muslim is required to pray towards the 'forbidden gathering place'. If Dan Gibson is right, Muslims are praying in the wrong direction. In the film 'The Sacred City' we set out his evidence from within Islamic and ancient histories - while also using modern technologies - to track down the biggest secret of the last fifteen hundred years. Gibson not only finds the location of the original Mecca but also provides a convincing argument as to how

This fascinating documentary takes us back to the early days of the Thames barge matches when they started in 1863 - the second oldest sailing competition in the world. This documentary includes the third and fourth episode.

Professor Kate Williams studies Charles II's reign through the Wynn family's eyes. From religious upheaval to fighting the Fire of London, we look at the indelible mark on the face of British history left behind in the wake of Charles II.

This fascinating documentary takes us back to the early days of the Thames barge matches when they started in 1863 - the second oldest sailing competition in the world. This documentary includes the first and second episode.

This is an in-depth look at the lives and marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

We delve into the whirlwind romance of Charles and Camilla; a story that divided the loyalties of The Royal Family and the British public for years.

Using unique BBC footage, this documentary tells the story of two royal women, each of whom rebelled against convention in her own way, until they both became royal outcasts.

Professor Kate Williams studies the reign of Charles I, who succeeded James I in 1625. Hear how religious upheaval and authoritarian rule led to civil war and a beheading.

A bodiless mummy head is examined and clues about the person are gathered from the head alone.

The remarkable transformation of a young English woman. Combining remarkable footage and expert interviews, this authoritative special presents the true story of Kate Middleton, the seemingly ordinary young woman now destined to be Queen of England. From comparatively modest circumstances, the Middleton family could not be more different from the royal family.

Prof Kate Williams studies the legacy of the Stuarts through the eyes of an aristocratic Welsh clan. After Elizabeth I's death in 1603, James VI of Scotland claimed the throne.

The Lost Tomb of Jesus is a documentary which makes a case that the 2,000-year-old "Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries" belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.

Tony Robinson goes on the trail of William Wallace, the Scottish warrior whose story was told in the film Braveheart.

Let's face it, there's always been plenty of extra work to be done at Christmas time. Be it late night shelf-stacking at your local mall, cramming this year's must-have items into valuable shop space in an effort to fuel the 'pile 'em high, sell 'em dear' festive shopping frenzy, or doing the night shift down the sorting office to help out the postie, it's a tradition for students, down-at-pocket teenagers and lonely housewives. But the seasonal labour market hasn't always been just about earning pin money and having a lark. Back in the olden days, folks had to work their fingers to the bone in some of the worst Christmas jobs in history...

According to the Bible, The Ark of the Covenant was a box which housed the two tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments. It was constructed by a man called Belazeel on Mount Sinai in Ancient Egypt to the instructions given to Moses by God. An object of immense power - capable of laying waste armies, of killing those who dared touch it in a flash of sparks, and guaranteed victory to those who carried it before them into battle. Over the centuries it has remained an object of great mystery, inspiring books, feature films and infinite questions. But can modern science shed new light on what the Ark really was? This compelling and controversial film aims to shed new light on the Ark of the Covenant and perhaps finally unravel the truth behind one of the greatest biblical mysteries of all.

The Mummy Research Team at the University of York examine a Peruvian mummy that had lain hidden in a London storage facility and attempt to discover why it was preserved in an unusual cross-legged posture.

Windows To The Past | Secrets of the Exhibit EP7 examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. undefined

Brendan Bracken was Winston Churchill's closest advisor for over 30 years. Was Brendan Bracken Churchill's illegitimate son? In the 1920s even Winston's wife had to ask. This documentary tells the truth about this remarkable man.

Stephen Fry takes a look inside the story of Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the world's first printing press in the 15th century, and an exploration of how and why the machine was invented.

The Mummy Research Team at the University of York is called out to look at the body of a South American mummy that has a number of visible wounds. Was the man a victim of crime?

The life of legendary painter Tom Thompson is explored through the relics of his life.

Once the biggest and most influential city on the planet, founded by Alexander the Great and home to Cleopatra, Archimedes and the largest library in the world. How did this shining beacon for civilisation and knowledge meet its classical demise? Featuring stunning visualisations from the major movie Agora, acclaimed historian Bettany Hughes looks at Alexandria past and present, unearthing archaeological gems and following in the footsteps of Hypatia, the city's last great female philosopher and guardian of great Library of Alexandria - whose murder would bring down the curtain not just on an era but on the ancient world as a whole.

Dr Suzannah Lipscomb shows us the top 3 scientific hidden killers from the Victorian, Edwardian and post-war eras.

Dr. Joann Fletcher and her team investigate a female mummy inside a sealed Egyptian coffin.

A Shelter From The Apocalypse | Secrets of the Exhibit EP5 examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. undefined

Tony's Top 5 Worst Royal Jobs examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. undefined

Documentary detailing the highs and lows of Queen Elizabeth II's reign as head of the British monarchy.

A body inside a coffin which it is too large for, missing genitals, and an obvious overbite are the clues which set the Mummy Investigation Team on the trail in this mystery. They know who the coffin was made for - a female Egyptian temple dancer - what they need to know is who rests there now and why this mummy is in such strange condition. Extraordinarily, what they discover is a tragic tale played out at the highest echelons of Egyptian society, set at the court of one of Egypt's greatest Pharaohs.