DOCUMENTARY foreign history & culture TV
by petros12 | created - 12 Aug 2020 | updated - 31 Mar 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Engineering an Empire (2005–2007)
TV-PG | 44 min | Documentary, History
A series of documentaries that go over the world's history and it's many accomplishments.
Stars: Michael Carroll, Peter Weller, J.J. Huckin, Sam Kalidi
Votes: 698
2. Immortal Egypt (2016)
59 min | Documentary, History
Joann Fletcher presents the extraordinary story of Ancient Egypt, from its beginnings to the great pyramid builders and on, to the last of the pharaohs.
Stars: Joann Fletcher, Chris Naunton, Glenn Godenho, Dirk Huyge
Votes: 229
3. The Greeks (2016– )
163 min | Documentary, History
They were an extraordinary people born of white rock and blue sea. They invented democracy, distilled logic and reason, wrote plays to plumb the deepest recesses of the soul, and captured ... See full summary »
Stars: Toby Leonard Moore, Bettany Hughes, Edith Hall, Michael Cosmopoulos
Votes: 256
4. Empires: The Greeks - Crucible of Civilization (2000)
150 min | Documentary, History
A documentary, narrated by actor Liam Neeson, that chronicles the rise and fall of the civilization of ancient Greece.
Stars: Liam Neeson, Nigel Spivey, Victor Davis Hanson, Josiah Ober
Votes: 390
5. In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1998)
240 min | Documentary, Biography
Documentary series retracing the journey of Alexander the Great across sixteen countries.
Star: Michael Wood
Votes: 473
6. Islam: Empire of Faith (2000)
160 min | Documentary, History
Islam: Empire of Faith is a documentary series, made in 2000, that details the history of Islam, from the birth of the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad to the Ottoman Empire.
The first episode ... See full synopsis »
Director: Robert H. Gardner | Stars: Esin Atil, Ben Kingsley, Michael Sells
Votes: 763
7. The Story of India (2007– )
TV-PG | 55 min | Documentary, History
Michael Wood visits places and interviews experts all over India to cover the great chapters of the subcontinent's history.
Stars: Michael Wood, Chris Baily
Votes: 1,094
8. The Story of China (2016– )
TV-PG | 59 min | Documentary, History
Michael Wood embarks on a great historical adventure, exploring the stories, people and landscapes that have helped create China's distinctive character and genius over four thousand years.
Stars: Michael Wood, Tao Tao Liu, Frank Ching, Baoxin Qin
Votes: 386
9. The Normans (2010)
Not Rated | 58 min | Documentary, History
British history professor Robert Bartlett explains, mainly on historical sites and illustrated with authentic artifacts, the eventful history of the Normans, some of the Norse men (Vikings)... See full summary »
Star: Robert Bartlett
Votes: 263
10. The Celts (1987)
55 min | Documentary
This TV documentary series was produced by the BBC back in 1986 and is about the people known as The Celts who lived in many areas of Europe around 2000 years ago.
Stars: Frank Delaney, Proinsias Mac Cana, Gwyn A. Williams, Liam De Paor
Votes: 91
11. A History of Britain (2000–2002)
60 min | Documentary, History
A comprehensive historical survey of the British Isles.
Stars: Simon Schama, Michael Kitchen, Samuel West, Lindsay Duncan
Votes: 936
12. The Adventure of English (2002– )
65 min | Documentary
The history of the English language.
Stars: Melvyn Bragg, Michael Cronin, David Gwillim, Mark Saban
Votes: 238
13. The Story of English (1986– )
60 min | Documentary
A history of the English language from its early beginnings to present day English in all its variations.
Stars: Robert MacNeil, J.L. Dillard, Alistair Cooke, Siaka Stevens
Votes: 159
14. A History of Scotland (2008–2009)
60 min | Documentary, History
A documentary charting the birth and growth of the Scottish nation.
Stars: Neil Oliver, Scott Glynn, James Fleming, Grace Beagan
Votes: 368
15. Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (2004– )
220 min | Documentary, Biography, History
From a small Italian community in 15th-century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would ... See full summary »
Stars: Massimo Marinoni, Peter Guinness, Ross King, Pip Torrens
Votes: 479
16. Conquistadors (2000– )
Documentary, History
This documentary tells the story of the Spanish expeditions in the early sixteenth century that conquests America. This 4-part series Michael Wood (historian) travels in the footsteps of ... See full summary »
Stars: Michael Wood, Peter Bieringer, Andreas Birnbaum, Nikolai Huebner
Votes: 185
17. Napoleon (2000– )
240 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary about the rise and fall of one of the greatest military geniuses of modern times from his Corsican childhood to final exile in St. Helena.
Star: David McCullough
Votes: 405
18. The Spanish Civil War (1983– )
315 min | Documentary, History, War
Documentary series which uses film and eyewitness accounts from both sides of the conflict that divided Spain in the years leading up to World War Two, also placing it in its international context.
Stars: Frank Finlay, Enrique Lister, Ramón Serrano Súñer, Narcís Julián
Votes: 194
19. Apocalypse: Stalin (2015)
157 min | Documentary, History, War
The rise of Stalin, from his early beginning as a bankrobber to the cold-blooded leader of the Soviet Union.
Stars: Mathieu Kassovitz, Doug Rand
Votes: 1,111
20. The Nazis: A Warning from History (1997)
292 min | Documentary, History, War
An examination of how a cultured people could have allowed Adolf Hitler's rise to power.
Stars: Samuel West, Adolf Buchner, Jutta Rüdiger, Günther Ruschin
Votes: 1,717
21. Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler (2011)
108 min | Documentary, History, War
Chronicles Hitler's life as a failed painter and far-right activist up to his election as Chancellor of Germany, leading to his relentless rise to power, culminating in the beginning of World War II.
Stars: Mathieu Kassovitz, Richard Lintern, Doug Rand
Votes: 2,033
22. Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain (2009– )
History
Andrew looks at the first period of the 20th century, in the wake of the death of Queen Victoria - a new dawn for Britain.
Stars: Andrew Marr, Katie Hardwick
Votes: 118
23. Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain (2007)
60 min | Documentary, History
Andrew Marr presents a history of Britain from the end of the Second World War to the start of the third millennium.
Star: Andrew Marr
Votes: 205
24. Inside the Commons (2015)
60 min | Documentary
A documentary series which shows the work done by Members of Parliament, both behind the scenes and in public proceedings in the House of Commons.
Stars: Michael Cockerell, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Ed Miliband, David Cameron
Votes: 77
25. The 50 Years War: Israel and the Arabs (1998– )
300 min | Documentary, History, War
Decision-makers from Israel, the Arab states, Russia and the US tell the inside story of the Arab-Israel conflict. Charts the evolution of tensions, violence and peace efforts from 1948 to 1998.
Stars: Tim Pigott-Smith, King Hussein, Shimon Peres, Abba Eban
Votes: 297
26. China: A Century of Revolution (1997)
360 min | Documentary
CHINA: A CENTURY OF REVOLUTION is a six-hour tour de force journey through the country's most tumultuous period. First televised on PBS, this award-winning documentary series presents an ... See full summary »
Director: Sue Williams | Stars: Kai-Shek Chiang, Zedong Mao, Deng Xiaoping
Votes: 111
27. Dead Souls (2018)
495 min | Documentary, History
A dozen aging survivors are interviewed from Jiabiangou, a complex of three work camps in Northwest China where supposed rightists were sent for re-education in the 1950s and 1960s under Mao Zedong.
Director: Wang Bing
Votes: 376
28. The Death of Yugoslavia (1995–1996)
50 min | Documentary, History
This captivate documentary covers the struggles of the Yugoslavian people during the collapse of their country, and the subsequent wars to finally find hope with the signing of the Final Peace Accords.
Stars: Robin Ellis, Slobodan Milosevic, Franjo Tudjman, Borisav Jovic
Votes: 1,281
29. Daughters of Destiny (2017– )
60 min | Documentary
Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth follows a group of rural India's most disadvantaged children over the course of seven years.
Stars: Shilpa Anthony Raj, Abraham George, Mariam George, Ajit George
Votes: 1,012
30. Crusades (1995)
200 min | Documentary, History, War
Terry Jones presents the history of the medieval religious wars in the middle-east known as the Crusades.
Stars: Terry Jones, Marcello Walton, Kammy Darweish, Antony Zaki
Votes: 531
31. The Great War (1964)
40 min | Documentary, History, War
One of the greatest achievements of television -broadcast from 1964 in 26 episodes. Use of extensive archive footage and sound effects, linked with contemporary classic music of that area. ... See full summary »
Stars: Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Emlyn Williams, Marius Goring
Votes: 743
32. The Great War: 1914-1918 (1996)
Documentary, Biography, History
A unique first-person narrative, sewn together from genuine testimonies of frontline soldiers.
Stars: Judi Dench, Salome Jens, Jay Winter, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 378
33. World War Two: Behind Closed Doors (2008– )
300 min | Documentary, History, War
A story showing the 3 allied leader's, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin's actions and relationships behind the scenes during World War 2. It isn't as friendly as it seems. Shows how close ... See full summary »
Stars: Aleksey Petrenko, Bob Gunton, Paul Humpoletz, Samuel West
Votes: 541
34. Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (2005)
285 min | Documentary, History, War
The history of the Final Solution phase of the Nazi Holocaust, particularly with the most infamous of the death camps.
Stars: Samuel West, Linda Hunt, Gert Heidenreich, Horst Günter Marx
Votes: 4,641
35. Third Reich: The Rise & Fall (2010)
180 min | Documentary, History, War
THIRD REICH: THE RISE & FALL tells the story of Hitler's Germany through rarely seen films of the people who were there. Immersive and evocative, it takes viewers inside the Germany of the ... See full summary »
Stars: Tony Call, Dan Bittner, Geoffrey Cantor, Eliza Foss
Votes: 1,188
36. In Search of the Trojan War (1985)
360 min | Documentary, History
Over six hour-long programs, Michael Wood marshals the disparate strands of evidence to present as fully rounded a portrait as possible of both the historical and the legendary city of Troy... See full summary »
Stars: Michael Wood, John Chadwick, Colin Renfrew, Jerome Sperling
Votes: 299
37. Wild China (2008)
60 min | Documentary
An in-depth look at some of China's most impressive natural sites such as the ancient Han kingdom, the Mongol steppes, the Silk Road and the Tibetan Plateau.
Star: Bernard Hill
Votes: 2,873
38. India's Daughter (I) (2015)
63 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
The life and death of Jyoti Singh, an Indian medical student whose violation and murder by gang rapists exposed the violent misogyny of Indian society.
Director: Leslee Udwin | Stars: Asha Devi, Badri Singh, Satendra, Mukesh Singh
Votes: 2,217
39. Legacy: The Origins of Civilization (1991– )
52 min | Documentary
What can the past teach us about the present? Come along as charismatic historian Michael Wood (The Story of India) travels the globe to trace the origins of six great civilizations: Iraq, ... See full summary »
Star: Michael Wood
Votes: 128
40. The Spartans (2004– )
175 min | Documentary, History
A history of the ancient Spartans, featuring historian Bettany Hughes as presenter and narrator.
Star: Bettany Hughes
Votes: 239
41. After Hitler (2016 TV Special)
91 min | Documentary, History
What happened in France just after WWII, between 1945 and 1949? An interesting historic documentary looks at the fate of male and female (presumed) collaborators with the Nazis, the use of ... See full summary »
Director: David Korn-Brzoza | Stars: Will Johnson, Vincent Lindon, Georgi Zhukov
Votes: 447
42. Byzantium: The Lost Empire (1997– )
208 min | Documentary
John Romer recreates the glory and history of Byzantium. From the Hagia Sophia in present-day Istanbul to the looted treasures of the empire now located in St. Marks in Venice.
Star: John Romer
Votes: 226
43. Egypt (2005)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, Drama, History
Dramatization of the great discoveries of ancient Egypt, from the exploration of tombs in the early 1800s, to the unraveling of the Rosetta Stone to translate the ancient language on the tombs, to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb.
Stars: Andrew Sachs, Neji Nejah, Elliot Cowan, Stuart Graham
Votes: 834
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