Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

A visit to arguably the most famous archipelago on Earth, the Galapagos. It's home to a myriad of bizarre and unique creatures, endemic to these islands - but how did they get here and what is the key to these extraordinary islands that allows them to thrive? The programme reveals that this key holds not just the secret to life here, but also to how Darwin was able to leave with the ideas that would revolutionise biology.

A celebration of the career of the musician, whose death from cancer was announced 11th Jan 2016. Bowie's work was the soundtrack to a generation and influenced countless musicians and this features memorable music videos and performances, as well as tributes from friends and fans around the world". Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, painter, and actor. He was a figure in popular music for over five decades, and was considered by critics and other musicians as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. Bowie's impact was enormous; he changed the nature of rock music, and changed his own approach repeatedly. During his career, he sold an estimated 140 million records worldwide. In the UK, he was awarded nine platinum album certifications, eleven gold and eight silver, and in the US received five platinum and seven gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Bowie stopped concert touring after 2004, and last performed live at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, he returned from a decade-long recording hiatus, remaining musically active until his death from liver cancer three years later.

Against the backdrop of Cold War tensions and a global race for supremacy, this riveting film unveils a deeply unsettling chapter in space history. It reveals how the triumph of the 1969 Moon landing was made possible through the morally contentious recruitment of former Nazi scientists—most notably Wernher von Braun—who had engineered Germany’s V‑2 rockets during World War II through Operation Paperclip. As America navigated the ethical maze of enlisting men with dark pasts, these scientists became pivotal in crafting the mighty Saturn V rocket and ushering in the age of space exploration. This documentary invites viewers to confront the unspoken complexity behind progress: the collision of ambition, conscience, and the weight of history.

A bird's-eye view of some of the world's greatest natural spectacles. Amazing sights from five continents are revealed in a whole new light. Using cutting edge new filming techniques to show everything in exquisite detail, viewers have a uniquely privileged perspective. The first episode takes flight across North America, as a flock of millions of snow geese discover what it is like to be on the hit list of America's national bird: the bald eagle. In California, pelicans reveal devil rays that perform astonishing somersaults and find bizarre grunion fish that wriggle ashore to spawn. In Alaska, bald eagles swoop among brown bears fishing for salmon. And on the Great Plains, cowbirds duck and dive under the feet of fighting bison.

Meet Perseverance, NASA's latest rover, as it heads to Mars to answer one question: did life exist on the red planet? On the way, it will lay the foundation for human exploration of our closest neighbour.
Today, Mars is hostile to life. It's too cold for water to stay liquid on the surface, and the thin atmosphere lets through high levels of radiation, potentially sterilizing the upper part of the soil. But it wasn't always like this. Some 3.5 billion years ago or more, water was flowing on the surface. It carved channels still visible today and pooled in impact craters. A thicker carbon dioxide atmosphere would have blocked more of the harmful radiation. The Mars 2020/Perseverance rover is designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient life. The mission will collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in the future. It will also test new technology to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars, as the Ingenuity Helicopter.

Groundbreaking missions and the latest research are finally uncovering the long-hidden secrets of Mars. From ancient water flows to possible traces of life, scientists are piecing together the planet's dramatic past. As powerful new technology scans its surface and atmosphere, experts confront extraordinary questions: Did Mars once support life? And could humanity one day make the Red Planet its second home? A stunning exploration into the evolving mysteries of our nearest planetary neighbor.