Catalogue
JIHAD: The Men and Ideas behind Al Qaeda
1 x 90’ - CPB/PBS USA and More 4
A television history of modern, radical Islamic groups. The ideas and the beliefs that inspire them and the challenge they present to governments in the Middle East and the West.
The Age Of AIDS
4 x 60 mins - WGBH Boston/PBS/Channel 4/Granada International
The most comprehensive and global chronicle of the struggle to understand and defeat this modern plague. Part scientific detective story, part political thriller and part human drama, this landmark four part series will engage, inform and bring much needed attention to one of the major issues of our time.
SINATRA: Dark Star
1 x 90 mins - BBC/A&E/ZDF/ARTE/BBC Worldwide
Sinatra's career was boosted and nearly broken by his Mafia connections. We reveal that he was closer to Mafia leaders than anyone supposed, and that the mob may even have seriously pondered murdering him. But did such a supremely talented man really need the Mafia?
Do You Speak American?
3 x 60 mins - MacNeil-Lehrer/WNET Thirteen/PBS
This series explores the vibrancy, energy and flashpoints of the many was Americans speak English and the inestricable link between American English and the broader cultural issues of race, gender, social standing and power.
1421 - The Year China Discovered America?
1 x 120 mins - PBS/Penguin Television
A journey of adventure and exploration that could turn history on its head examining the mystery surrounding the sailing exploits of the legendary Admiral Zheng He and his 30 year command of a gigantic Ming fleet.
PG Wodehouse: The Long Exile
1 x 75 mins - BBC
Creator of Jeeves, Bertie Wooster and Lord Emsworth, PG Wodehouse was interned by the Nazis during WW2 then released him under suspicious circumstances, some accusing him of treason. With previously unseen film and official documents we tell how this quintessential Englishman lived the rest of his life in exile.
The Curse Of Oil
4 x 50 mins - WNET Thirteen/PBS/BBC/CBC.Channel 4 International
Today we go to extremes to find new sources of oil. We criss cross the globe exposing a wide range of issues and meet the people who wrestle with the dilemmas of how to ensure the supply of oil we need, at a price we will tolerate.
Harem
2 x 50 mins - Channel 4/A&E
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Turks ruled the greatest Islamic Empire the world has ever known. Stretching from Baghdad to Budapest, it included hundreds of women brought as slaves to the imperial harem at Topkapi Palace. This is the story of that closed and secret world.
Commanding Heights
3 x 120 mins - PBS/BBC. WGBH Boston/BBC Worldwide
The first in depth documentary series that tells the inside story of our new global economy and what it means for individuals around the world. Based on the book by Pullitzer prize winner Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. Winner: Gold Medal, NY Film Festival and Best Director.
Nelson's Trafalgar
1 x 90 mins - Channel 4. Channel 4 International
This feature length biopic examines the man behind the legend, his affair with Lady Hamilton - one of the great romances of history, and the dark side of a hero whose exploits were described by his contemporaries as both "glorious" and "a stain on the national honour".
The Real Tommy Cooper
1 x 50 mins - Channel 4. Channel 4 International
The REAL Tommy Cooper goes behind the legend of one of Britain's greatest ever entertainers to discover the price he paid in the creation of his unique comic persona. "Pure Magic" (TV Times)
The Secret World Of Richard Nixon
2 x 50 mins - BBC/The History Channel. BBC Worldwide/A&E
Fresh revelations about the 20th Century's most controversial politician including revealing the motive for the Watergate break in that lead to Nixon's downfall. "Gripping Stuff" (Financial Times)
The Survival of Saddam Hussein
1 x 60 mins - PBS. WGBH Boston
The brutal career of the dictator.
Travels With My Tutu-With Deborah Bull
4 x 30 mins - BBC. BBC Worldwide
Royal Ballet star Deborah Bull steps out of her tutu and goes in search of the other side of dance - from Tango to Jive, Bellydancing to Breakdancing. "The most outstanding series in BBC2 schedules for this Christmas" (Financial Times)
Wallis Simpson-The Demonised Duchess
1 x 75 mins - Channel 4. Channel 4 International
A documentary special for C4's THE REAL on the controversial American who spent 36 years looking after an ex-King no one really wanted. "Riveting...presenting a wealth of new material with great care." (The Times)
Apocalypse!
1 x 60 mins - PBS/Channel 4. WGBH Boston
Broadcast on the eve of the second millennium, this film tells the story of the Book of Revelations and the origins of apocalyptic thinking. "A vibrancy that transcends a heavy load of information...this achievement is nothing less than extraordinary". (New York Daily News)
Athina Onassis-The Richest Little Girl In The World
1 x 60 mins - ITV. CS Associates
The story of fourteen year old Athina Onassis, grand daughter of the legendary shipping tycoon, and daughter of the tragic Christina Onassis, now at centre of a furious dispute between her father and the executors of her grandfather's will.
Dance Ballerina Dance-With Deborah Bull
1 x 45 mins - BBC. BBC Worldwide
A personal view by Royal Ballet star Deborah Bull of how choreographers have portrayed the ballerina over the last 100 years. "This sumptuous programme...not to be missed". (The Times)
Georgiana Duchess Of Devonshire-The People's Duchess
1 x 50 mins - Channel 4
Dramatised documentary on the most famous, glamorous and influential Englishwoman of her day for C4's SECRET HISTORY. "History is the new rock 'n roll...this sumptuous recreation of the life of Diana's equally ill fated ancestor will be the bench mark for all future history documentaries". (The Telegraph)
Plague Wars - with Tom Mangold
2 x 45 mins - BBC/PBS. BBC Worldwide
The first full investigation into the new threat posed by biological warfare. "Important TV...a chilling investigation into the new threat of biological warfare" (The Times) Winner Gold Medal Award, Chicago Int Festival for "Best Investigative series".
Red Files
4 x 1hrs - PBS
A four part series about the fogotten stories from the former Soviet Empire: Spies, Sport, Space and Propaganda. The series was broadcast amid much acclaim on the PBS network as well as Japan and is currently enjoying distribution worldwide. Winner: International Documentary Association Award for 'Best Series'.
Ambush In Mogadishu
1 x 90 mins - PBS/BBC. WGBH Boston
The story of the disastrous US Special Forces assault on Mogadishu where 18 died and which continues to haunt US policy today. "A tour de force" (New York Times) BBC TIMEWATCH & PBS FRONTLINE
From Jesus To Christ - The First Christians
4 x 60 mins - PBS. WGBH Boston
After Jesus was crucified, his followers were scattered and sometimes persecuted. This is the epic story of how these men and women became a movement that spread throughout the Roman empire in only 300 years. "This is what television should aspire to be" (New York Times)
Great Railway Journeys: From Tokyo To Kagoshima With Fergal Keane
1 x 50 mins - BBC
Writer/reporter Fergal Keene takes a train joureny through the land of the rising sun and sinking yen, riding the fastest train on earth, meeting the world's most useless inventor, survives earthquake training, visits volcanoes, drinks green tea with farmers and sips ptent saki in a garden for poets.
Lost In Africa
1 x 50 mins - Channel 4. Channel 4 International
The story of the International Red Cross team fighting to save 85,000 children separated from their families by the civil war in Rwanda. "This heart-rending yet uplifting film" (Daily Mail) Winner Golden Hugo Award, Chicago, for "Best Investigative Film",
My Brother, My Sister
2 x 60 mins - Channel 4. Channel 4 International
A two part series examining the nature of sibling relationships and the impact on adult life, told through the true life stories of brothers and sisters. "If you can sit through this without even a snuffle, I'll eat my Kleenex". (The Observer)
Royal Madness
1 x 50 mins - Channel 4. Channel
An investigation of the link between the disease that caused the 'madness' of King George and the Royal families of Europe. "Brilliant" (The Daily Telegraph)
The Last Flight Of Zulu Delta 576
1 x 50 mins - Channel 4. Channel 4 International
An investigation into what happened to the the Chinook helicopter that crashed 4 yaers ago 4 crewman and 25 of Britain's top Special Branch and M15 officers. Instigated the Parliamentary Inquiry that cleared the pilots of 'Gross Negligence'.
The Roman Way Of War
1 x 50 mins - BBC. BBC Worldwide
A BBC TIMEWATCH on the Roman Empire's last great conquest told through the carvings on Trajan's Column. One of the season's highest rated programmes. "Wonderful". (The Times)
Hostile Waters
1 x 90 mins - HBO/BBC in association with World Productions
The story of a collision beyween a IUS submarine and an armed Soviet sub spying off the coast of America, that leads to a terrifying stand-off between the two warships and the captains that man them, a stand-off that threatens to lead to all out nuclear war.
Lenin's Secret Files
1 x 60 mins - BBC. BBC Worldwide
For 75 years Lenin's files were kept secret, deep underground in specially strenthened vaults to withstand a direct hit from a nuclear bomb. What was so threatening to merit such precautions. We gain access to the archive and uncover the hidden truths of the leader of the October revolution.
The Boer War: First Media War
1 x 50 mins - BBC. BBC Worldwide
World opinion and the media were crucial in the Boer War in what became a grim campaign of guerilla warfare and counter-insurgency. An unprecedented number of newspaper reporters, photojournalists and newsreel cameramen made this the first media war and the last grand rehearsal for modern warfare.
Radio
BILL BUCKLEY: Mr Right
1 x 60’ Archive Hour for BBC Radio 4
Michael Portillo mines the archives for the wit and political wisdom of the late editor, essayist, verbal pugilist, chat show host and America’s leading political conservative William F. Buckley.
Britain’s Oldest New Mum
1 x 30’ for BBC Radio 4
We follow a 57yrs old first time mother, husband and baby from birth until her first birthday and ask what it is like to be an older first time mum.
Inside City Hall
1 x 30’ for BBC Radio 4
First Ken, now Boris - for the past eight years London has had its own high profile and sometimes controversial Mayor. Shaun Ley meets the key insiders who speak for the first time about what life is like inside City Hall.
Schumpeter Rising
1 x 15’ for BBC Radio 4
Hedge fund manager Hugh Hendry re-discovers Joseph Schumpeter, one of the 20th Century’s great economists, who prophesied much of what is happening to the global economy.