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Simon Russell Beale begins a second journey through the history of religious music. This time, his focus is on the last 150 years, and his first two subjects are German composers Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner. Harry Christophers and the Sixteen add choral excerpts.
In February 1964, the Fab Four had only just reached number one in the USA. The future Muhammad Ali was still a contender, not a world champion. The fame of both would rise considerably in the wake of an encounter in a Miami gymnasium that seemed of little cultural significance at the time.
It’s 50 years since Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F Kennedy squared up in the first ever televised presidential debate. As Reeta Chakrabarti discovers via a rummage through the archives, it’s an idea that’s spread around the world. But how much do voters really learn from these encounters?
David Dimbleby’s history of Britain reaches the era of empire. As with previous episodes, he finds plenty of objects to make us look anew at an age when Britain was in the ascendancy, such as a jigsaw map of the world that once belonged to the young George IV.
Three years after the end of the Second World War and despite condemnation from the International Red Cross, Britain continued to use German prisoners of war as labourers. Mike Thomson looks back at political and moral debates surrounding the repatriation of the PoWs, who even helped to get Wembley ready for the 1948 Olympics.
In the wake of Kraft purchasing Cadbury, how important is it for British brands to be British owned? Jonathan Freedland and guests, including Lord Digby Jones, get the historical perspective on what’s currently a thorny political issue by looking back at 1920, when Boots was sold to an American company.
For the second part of his historical travelogue through the Alps, Misha Glenny asks how and why so many nations have grabbed themselves a slice of the mountains. He also looks at how Switzerland has survived and prospered against the odds.
In 1759, a British fleet sailed up the St Lawrence river to lay siege to Montreal, then a French possession. Britain’s eventual victory in Quebec would shape the history of North America. In an excellent documentary, Dan Snow recalls a campaign that, considering its significance, should really be far better remembered.
In the 1970s, cocaine replaced marijuana as the main drug smuggled through Florida to the USA. The lucrative new trade generated billions of dollars and utterly transformed a state that had hitherto been a relatively tranquil retirement spot. A film that looks at the reality behind Miami Vice via the stories of three gangsters.
The history of the Royal Bethlem Hospital dates back to 1247, when it was established as a priory on what’s now the site of Liverpool Street station. This intriguing documentary traces its long and rich heritage, including some decidedly dark times, such as when Bedlam became a tourist attraction and people paid to gawp at the lunatics.
Simon Russell Beale continues his history of western sacred music. His focus this time is on France and two composers: Gabriel Fauré and Francis Poulenc. Fauré’s Requiem, Beale discovers, laid the foundations for a distinct French style that was developed by Poulenc in the jazz age.
French Post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau died in Paris, aged 66. Although best-known for his jungle paintings, he never left France and the nearest he seems to have got to a jungle was the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.
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