Journal - History Documentaries

From a flamboyant highwayman dancing his way to the gallows and a sailor kidnapped into Captain Cook's crew to an agonising amputation without anaesthetic, Georgian Britain was a brutal place for ordinary people. The episode reveals how poachers, gin sellers, sailors and criminals fought to survive in a society where poverty could easily become a death sentence.

Step inside Windsor Castle with Prince Philip as he reveals the royal home he helped shape over more than half a century. From transforming the Great Park and modernising the estate to rebuilding after the devastating 1992 fire, this documentary offers a fascinating portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh and the remarkable legacy he left behind.

From children being flogged and prisoners chained in pitch-black cells to public hangings watched by tens of thousands, Victorian justice could be extraordinarily brutal. But groundbreaking developments in policing, detectives, mugshots, fingerprinting and the courts would transform law and order and lay the foundations of Britain's modern justice system.

From match girls risking a horrific disease and female miners crawling through coal pits to navvies blasting through mountains and cabbies working London's chaotic streets, this episode reveals the extraordinary lives of ordinary Victorians. Their brutal working conditions, struggles and determination helped build the modern Britain we know today.

Step inside the shocking world of Victorian hospitals, where overcrowding, primitive treatments and deadly infections made medical care a terrifying experience. Discover how doctors and nurses battled disease and injury with limited knowledge—and how these grim conditions helped transform modern medicine.

From Olympic equestrian and kidnapping survivor to the royal family’s hardest-working member, Princess Anne has spent decades placing duty before popularity. This documentary explores her private struggles, public controversies and remarkable service to the Crown—asking whether she might have made a formidable queen.

Go behind the grand stories of Henry VIII to uncover the brutal reality of everyday life in Tudor England. From executioners and kitchen workers to farmers, soldiers, alewives and sailors aboard the Mary Rose, discover how ordinary people survived poverty, war, disease and the demands of a ruthless king.

From their fairytale wedding to years of public scandals, this documentary explores the extraordinary relationship between Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. It reveals how controversy, financial troubles, media scrutiny and Jeffrey Epstein transformed the once-popular royal couple into two of the monarchy's most divisive figures—while their remarkable bond endured.

This documentary explores how the Victorians invented the Great British seaside holiday. From Blackpool's famous piers, tower and trams to dazzling illuminations, grand ballrooms and spectacular entertainment, discover how Victorian engineering and innovation transformed a quiet fishing town into Britain's entertainment capital.

What shaped Queen Elizabeth II's extraordinary sense of duty? This documentary explores the defining moments that influenced her reign, from the abdication crisis of Edward VIII to Princess Margaret's forbidden romance, the breakdown of Charles and Diana's marriage, Prince Andrew's scandals, and Prince Harry's departure from royal life.

Inspired by a lifelong love of adventure, detectorist George Ridgway uncovers what becomes one of Britain's most significant Roman discoveries. After finding a single silver coin in a Suffolk field, George and archaeologists uncover a vast hoard containing 734 Roman and Iron Age coins. Experts at the British Museum reveal it is the largest Claudius-era coin hoard ever discovered in Britain, dating to the years immediately following the Roman conquest of AD 43. The extraordinary find offers a rare glimpse into a pivotal moment when Iron Age Britain was being transformed into a Roman province.

This documentary follows Princess Diana's final year, from her divorce and growing humanitarian work to her relationships with Hasnat Khan and Dodi Fayed. Through rare archive footage and first-hand accounts, it explores the extraordinary summer of 1997 and the events that led to the tragic car crash in Paris that shocked the world.

This documentary explores how Victorian engineers transformed Britain with revolutionary bridges. From Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Royal Albert Bridge to the mighty Forth Bridge and London's iconic Tower Bridge, discover how iron, steel and bold engineering connected the nation and changed the world forever.

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding just weeks away, this documentary goes behind the scenes of Britain's most famous royal ceremonies. Featuring exclusive interviews with royal insiders, dressmakers, florists, cake designers, photographers and former royal bridesmaids, it reveals the extraordinary planning, traditions and secrets behind historic royal weddings—from Princess Diana and Prince William to the modern celebration that captivated the world.

Ian and Butsy head to Manchester and Warrington on their first buying trip to England, hunting for mid-century bargains and quirky vintage treasures. From a Rolls-Royce mini bar and Victorian shamrock dress to rare smoke-room glass, prison cell doors and retro signage, the lads stock up on pieces they hope will bring big profits back in Dublin.

This documentary explores how Victorian Britain became the world's dominant naval power. From HMS Warrior and Brunel's revolutionary steamships to the Cutty Sark, the first submarines and record-breaking turbine-powered vessels, discover the engineering breakthroughs that transformed sea travel, global trade and naval warfare forever.

Ian and Butsy hunt for the perfect Irish treasure for Hollywood tattoo legend Mark Mahoney. Their search takes them from Athenry Antiques to a tough dealer in Tyrone, before a final stop at a Dublin salvage yard uncovers huge finds including Bewley’s café doors and a Braveheart movie prop. But the standout piece is a War of Independence medal belonging to an Irish spy — the ideal item to send back to LA.

This documentary explores how the Victorians transformed Britain through the railway revolution. From George Stephenson's pioneering steam engines and Brunel's engineering masterpieces to the first electric railway and daring mountain railways, it reveals how Victorian innovation reshaped transport, communication, tourism and everyday life—laying the foundations of the modern world.

This documentary explores the extraordinary story behind Princess Diana's groundbreaking 1995 BBC Panorama interview. Through the accounts of those who were there, it reveals the collapse of Diana's marriage to Prince Charles, her growing battle against the royal establishment, and the secret meetings that led to one of the most explosive interviews in television history.

Ian and Butsy head to Tipperary and Limerick, where a former antique dealer living in a ruined castle proves a tough negotiator. They uncover a military officer's trunk, a rare Croke Park stadium seat, and an Oliver Cromwell engraving before striking gold in a vast collection of music memorabilia. Later, a visit to a centuries-old religious restoration workshop leads to an extraordinary discovery — a forgotten mould of Irish revolutionary Pádraig Pearse that could generate profits for years to come.