War

In the 19th century, China held the monopoly on tea, which was dear and fashionable in the West, and the British Empire exchanged poppies, produced in its Indian colonies and transformed into opium, for Chinese tea. Inundated by the drugs, China was forced to open up its market, and the British consolidated their commercial dominance. In 1839, the Middle Empire introduced prohibition. The Opium War was declared… Great Britain emerged as the winner, but the warning was heeded: it could no longer depend on Chinese tea. The only alternative possible was to produce its own tea. The East India Company therefore entrusted one man with finding the secrets of the precious beverage. His mission was to develop the first plantations in Britain’s Indian colonies. This latter-day James Bond was called Robert Fortune – a botanist. After overcoming innumerable ordeals in the heart of imperial China, he brought back the plants and techniques that gave rise to Darjeeling tea.

A fascinating insight into the role of the bicycle in the First World War - from reconnaissance to transporting ammunition, historian and cycling enthusiast Jeremy Banning explores stories from the battlefield. Ollie Bridgewood discovers the role cycle scouts played in the Army Cycling Corp and rides the original bikes used in the conflict. Mark Beaumont meets the grandson of a WW1 soldier who rode for the Highland Cyclist Battalion and survived brutal combat on the front line.

Two Lodoss-obsessed students attempt to recruit party members so they can put on a Lodoss-themed play at their school festival.

Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer present a new game show featuring a series of unique and downright bizarre challenges carried out by two opposing family teams.

A historical saga, it tells the story of six young men and women who, in 1914, are full of plans and dreams for the future. Cutting between life at home, Gallipoli and Egypt, this spectacular drama begins in a time of optimism and hope, on the eve of war.

Jordan Goudreau, finds himself in over his head and on the run after mounting the failed Venezuela coup and being chased by the American government who he spent his life fighting for.

A docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain. After backing the film's development, the BBC refused to air it, publicly stating "the effect of the film has been judged by the BBC to be too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting." It debuted in theaters in 1966 and went on to great acclaim, but remained unseen on British television until 1985.

Danish soldier Esben fakes his own death in an attempt to flee the war and reunite with his beloved wife Kirstine and their son Karl after being apart for three years. However, everything has changed while he has been away. A charming German officer has taken over the role as the family’s father and is courting Kirstine. While hiding in his own attic, Esben witnesses this very real nightmare and must do everything in his power to survive, win back the love of Kirstine and save his family.

The reality of addiction in a tough-minded docudrama set in the bleak milieu of hustlers and junkies in Montreal.

As the Christmas holidays begin, a group of 10 war-obsessed kids have a wave of inspiration: What if they spend the next two weeks engaged in a simulated war, armed only with shields, wooden swords, snowballs, and a fierce sense of competition? With a bounty chest waiting for the winners, the two sides gradually grow in size, and the war grows in importance, taking over all aspects of their lives.

The upstart Godai family conglomerate plans to strengthen ties with the hardliners in the Kwantung Army as they plan military expansion into Manchuria.

War correspondent Lopatin takes a 20-day-leave from his hard work at the front in 1942. He travels to faraway Tashkent to meet the family of the killed soldier and visit the film set of the screen adaptation of his war-time stories. Lopatin also manages to walk the streets of Tashkent, take part in a factory workers' meeting and have a short-lived love affair. Although with no bombings and fighting, the city dwellers breathe the atmosphere of the ongoing war.

The lives of several Japanese families are shattered as the USA and the USSR move toward war, Japan finds itself caught in the middle, and Tokyo is ultimately evacuated as the two superpowers invoke the 'nuclear option'.

A group of friends strive to do the dumbest things possible.

Mark Sloper directs this feature-length documentary taking you through the thrills and spills of the 2013 British Superbike season. This year saw riders Shane Byrne and Ryuichi Kiyonari battle it out for the chance to become the first ever four-time champion.

Mihingarangi Forbes examines the armed conflicts of the late 1800s between Māori and the military might of the British Empire in this documentary series on the bloody birth of modern Aotearoa.

A documentary series that gives a historical account of the events of World War II, from its roots in the 1920s to the aftermath and the lives it profoundly influenced.

The follow-up to the movies "Cold War" (2012) - and "Cold War II" (2016)

International Flight 42 is on course, when all of a sudden a massive and weird storm crops up around the plane. This sends the plane back in time to the year 1940- smack dab in the middle of WWII! Now, the crew and passengers must not only find a way back to their time, but fight off the Axis powers.

Alberto Sordi directs and interprets a corrosive comedy, another "story of an Italian" that makes you smile and reflect. An arms dealer is exposed and would like to return to an honest business. But his family does not intend to give up that bloody money.