Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

Rainforests face more threats than ever before, but remain the last stronghold for some truly astonishing animal families. Today we know rainforests are some of the most wondrous and important habitats on Earth. It is the richest habitat on earth, teeming with millions of dramatic plants and animals. From giant landscape gardeners to a whole family supported by a single leaf, there are surprises at every turn.

Beneath the modern streets of Rome lies a city of breathtaking scale and ambition, once the heart of an empire that shaped the world. In this 15-part journey, archaeologist Dr. Darius Arya becomes your guide into a vivid time machine, where stunning CGI reconstructions resurrect the capital in all its glory. From the steamy elegance of vast bath complexes to the roar of chariot races, from awe-inspiring temples to political halls where history was forged, each episode reveals how engineering brilliance, artistic mastery, and human will transformed humble hills into the Eternal City. This is not just a tour of ruins—it’s Rome as its citizens once knew it.

New technologies are making rockets cheaper and more powerful than ever before. As companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic make space more accessible, and NASA returns to crewed spaceflight, a new era of space exploration may be on the horizon.

Andrew Graham-Dixon explores how Russia changed from a feudal nation of aristocratic excess to a hotbed of revolution at the beginning of the 20th century and how art moved from being a servant of the state to an agent of its destruction. From monuments that celebrate the absolutism of the tsars to the epic Russian landscape as inspiration; from the design and construction of gold and glittering palaces to the minutiae of diamond-encrusted Faberge eggs; and eventually to the stark and radical paintings of the avant-garde, the journey through Russian art history is one of extraordinary beauty and surprise.

The unearthing of a gruesome grave filled with thousands of skeletons at the beach of Kamakura in Japan could be about to unlock the true extent of the merciless violence and mystery surrounding the true origins of one of the most feared and revered warriors of all time: the Samurai.
In the Middle Ages, Kamakura was the capital of Japan. The 'Shogun', a kind of aristocratic military dictator, ruled here. This shogunate ended in 1333 with the Battle of Kamakura. A drastic event in Japanese history, because this resulted in not only political, but also social, philosophical and technical innovations. The remains of the samurai warriors who fell near Kamakura now provide scientists with detailed insights into the time of the Kamakura shogunate and the bloody conflict between the shogun and the emperor.
The chilling burial ground dates back to 1333. Kamakura was one of the most heavily fortified regions of Japan. When the Emperor became angered by the growing powers of the ruling Hojo family, he sought to retake control of the region, setting the stage for a war that would change the shape of the nation. Among over 4000 sets of remains, six have a unique story to tell: the husband and wife involved in a sword fight to the death; the warrior monk; a peasant boy soldier; and members of the ruling Hojo family, captured and decapitated, with their heads displayed as trophies of victory. These remains reveal the secrets of the Samurai, their ferocious fighting skills and their merciless killing techniques.

In the seventh and final episode, viewers are taken on a journey across Asia's diverse landscapes, from the vast Gobi Desert to the lush jungles of Borneo. The episode highlights the unique wildlife inhabiting these regions, such as the elusive snow leopard in Central Asia and the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin in the Mekong River. Through stunning visuals and compelling narratives, the documentary showcases the pressing conservation efforts aimed at protecting these species and their habitats.