Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

An unsettling yet visually fascinating documentary presenting the history of nuclear weapons development and testing between 1945 until 1963. Narrated by William Shatner, features extremely rare film segments from top secret government archives and startling footage of nuclear bomb tests conducted by Great Britain and China, plus the largest atomic explosion ever created by Russia, and de-classified U.S. footage released to the public as recent as May, 2006. Whether being exploded under the ocean, suspended by a balloon, shot from a cannon or even detonated in space, these weapons are capable of devastating destruction - the quality of these images is as startling as are remarkable.

David Attenborough concludes his epic history of the evolution of flight with an exploration of the highly advanced fliers that dominate our skies today – the extraordinarily diverse skills of the birds, and the sonar-guided precision of the bats. He encounters some of our planet’s most remarkable fliers – from peregrine falcons dive-bombing starlings over Rome, to hummingbirds hovering in the cloud forests of Ecuador. In a spectacular finale, he visits Gomantong cave in Borneo to witness the mass exodus of a million bats.

Dive with David Attenborough into a world where a single life can last a thousand years. See things no eye has ever seen, and discover the dramatic, beautiful plant life of Earth. In the first episode, Sir David Attenborough shows how more kinds of plants are crammed together in the tropical rainforests than anywhere else on Earth. The result is astonishing beauty and intense competition - a plant battleground.
New filming techniques allow us to enter the plants’ world and see it from their perspective and on their timescale. From fast-growing trees to flowers that mimic dead animals, this is a journey into a magical world that operates on a different timescale to our own.

The 80s was also an age of innovators and icons, of style and substance. In this chapter, Dylan Jones celebrates some of the stars who created the timeless legacy of the 1980s. From stellar BBC archive performances from the likes of Madonna, Depeche Mode, Sade, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys and Tina Turner to iconic MTV-era gems from Billy Idol, Eurythmics, U2, Janet Jackson, Prince and many more.
It also features rarely seen archive television footage from the BBC vaults, including Terry Wogan interviewing Grace Jones, Bruce Springsteen on the Old Grey Whistle Test and Adam Ant performing his own stunts in a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Prince Charming video.

A cult expert and her documentary filmmaker husband move into a secretive fundamentalist Mormon community linked to the polygamist FLDS movement, expecting to document a troubled religious group but soon uncovering something far more disturbing. At the center of the growing tension is Samuel Bateman, a self-proclaimed prophet who claims to be the successor to imprisoned cult leader Warren Jeffs. As the couple gains the trust of isolated followers, they uncover disturbing evidence of psychological control and a dangerous system hidden behind promises of faith and salvation. The documentary reveals the growing power of fanaticism and blind devotion inside one of America’s most controversial religious sects.
In the first two episodes of the series, Christine and Tolga settle inside the isolated community and quickly become suspicious of Bateman’s growing influence over vulnerable followers. As they secretly record testimonies and gather evidence, they desperately try to convince local authorities to intervene before the situation becomes even more dangerous. Meanwhile, Bateman strengthens his control through fear, isolation, and religious manipulation, while one woman inside the group slowly begins to realize the truth behind the prophet she once trusted. Combining undercover investigation, emotional testimonies, and mounting suspense, these episodes create a gripping and deeply unsettling experience.

In the final two episodes, the investigation reaches its most intense and disturbing stage as former followers finally begin revealing the full extent of the abuse, fear, and manipulation hidden inside Sam’s inner circle. A key witness opens up to Christine with shocking testimony about Sam’s crimes, while law enforcement closes in after a tense traffic stop in Flagstaff exposes how dangerous the situation has become. As the FBI prepares a major operation, the series builds toward a dramatic confrontation that changes everything for the Samuelites.
Even behind bars, Sam refuses to lose control. The final episodes reveal an increasingly unbelievable chain of events involving manipulation, blind devotion, and a brazen kidnapping plot orchestrated from prison itself. At the same time, the documentary follows the emotional struggle of former followers trying to rebuild their lives after years of psychological control. These episodes deliver the most powerful revelations of the series, combining true crime, cult psychology, and emotional testimonies in a finale that feels both disturbing and deeply compelling.