England

Explores the importance of an attitudes towards consumption of alcohol in English society by following five subjects through interviews, recitals of poetry, and song.

Chris Boardman, distinguished Olympian and road racer, embarks on a tour of Derbyshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire to discover how, in the last 20 years, this area has become a hub for UK cycling. Along the way he meets up with former Paralympic and World Champion Sarah Storey, track and road legend Rob Hayles and retired UCI president Brian Cookson. But the North West has more to it than just a velodrome. From humble cafe stops, legendary frame builders, Iconic bikes and Gold medal winners of the past and, hopefully the future. It's not just coincidence that has turned the north west into a cycling heartland.

When James Brindley built the first British canal in the early 1760s, few people could have imagined the impact it would have on the nation’s way of life. There was plenty of opposition to “Brindley’s stinking ditch” but the canals quickly linked all the country’s major towns, cities and ports. Described as “Canal Mania” it was, however, a short lived phenomenon and with the dawn of the railway age canals were quickly abandoned in favor of steam. It wasn’t until the early 1960s when people began to look for a wider choice in the vacation market that attention was turned to the redundant canal system. Many of the canals were overgrown and full of litter, but the structure was still intact, untouched in effect for over two hundred years. Restoration has since been ongoing and as a result thousands of people can now enjoy the peace and tranquility of narrowboating at a pace of life that had long been forgotten.

Autumn in New England

A documentary charting the weird and wonderful career of the Canadian-born British exploitation filmmaker Lindsay Shonteff.

Stand up special

As part of the Food, Glorious Food season, historian Lucy Worsley journeys across England and Wales in search of Dorothy Hartley, the long-forgotten writer of what is today considered to be one of the masterpieces of food writing, Food in England, published in 1954.

With the death of Elizabeth I, 1603 heralded the beginning of the Stuarts; a royal house that was to last for over one hundred years. Here was a period that would see amongst other events; civil war, a great plague, the fire of London, the abolition and re-introduction of the monarchy and the gunpowder plot. James I and Charles I ruled until 1649 when Parliament took over during an eleven year period which came to be known as the Commonwealth and Protectorate. The monarchy was finally restored in 1660 with the crowning of Charles II, he was followed by James II, William III and Mary II and finally in 1702 by Queen Anne. 1714 brought England a new royal line with the coronation of George I and so ended another turbulent chapter of England's royal history. With expert analysis from Alan Ereira and atmospheric period reconstructions this programme is an interesting and informative record of the Stuart years.

The Death of England series explores race and class in contemporary Britain.

A look at the traditional industries of the areas surrounding the Scotland/England border.

A state welcome for a Handley Page aircraft arriving in Kolkata.

Takes students to England to show them the land that inspired many great writers... the London of Chaucer, Dickens and Browning...the countryside which was so meaningful to Shakespeare, Keates, Wordsworth and Kipling...and the sea as Coleridge, Conrad and Masefield wrote of it.

An Italian working in England has to decide whether he should return home after the death of his father, or relocate his wife and child and make a home in England.

Come on a voyage of discovery and experience the many wonderous splendors of England, the country described in Shakespeare's Richard II as "This precious stone set in a silver sea." Enter the hallowed chambers of the House of Lords, fanciful Brighton Pavilion, the great cathedrals of St. Paul's and Canterbury. Explore delightful stately homes, such as Blenheim Palace (where Churchill was born) and Wilton House (where D-Day was planned). Enjoy uniquely English events, such as Trooping the Colour and the Henley Regatta. Soar high above for breathtaking aerials of Cheddar Gorge, the magnificent Lake District, and stark castles along the Northumberland coast. From the White Cliffs of Dover to Hadrian's Wall, from quaint villages with thatched-roof cottages to the splendid cities of Bath and Cambridge, you'll soon echo the sentiments of the poet Robert Browning, "Oh, to be in England..."

Embark on a journey across New England. Narrated by Uzo Aduba and Mindy Kaling, the film showcases the region's trademark tenacity and hope through perspectives of those who call it home.

In 1999 Wales faced England in the final ever Five Nations clash at Wembley. It was an historic and unforgettable game that paved the way for a new era of Welsh rugby. Fans who were at the ground and watching at home share their experiences of that extraordinary day.

The United States saw a revolution in popular architectural style between the 1930s and 1970s. American Modernism, originally influenced by the work of European masters including Le Corbusier and Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, began to establish footing in New England in early 1930-32. By the 1940s, the region was a hotbed of modernism, led by a group of architects known as the “Harvard Five” who settled in New Canaan and included Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson and Eliot Noyes.

Novelist Martin Amis, a fierce critic of contemporary society, examines his experience of Englishness. Richly illustrated with archive footage, he reflects on a nation barely recovered from the loss of empire. Amis brings a sharp, humorous and surprisingly affectionate touch to the exploration of sex, binge drinking, football hooliganism, the idea of fair play, multiculturalism, the royal family and the tabloid press.

England of Thomas Rowlandson's day, seen through his drawings and cartoons.

Jennifer visiting her Dad living on a Mediterranean Island, finds his way of life is now being threatened by local politics.