Professor Jerry Brotton reveals that maps are far more than neutral guides to places: they are expressions of the societies that create them and powerful instruments for shaping territory, belief and authority. Beginning with some of the earliest known maps, he traces how cartography evolved from marking land and ownership to serving kings, empires, scientists and governments. From Henry VIII’s coastal surveys and the Cassini family’s scientific breakthroughs to the drawing of modern national borders, the series shows how maps can define who controls land, who belongs where and even how entire peoples understand the world around them. Across the three episodes, presented here together in a single uninterrupted video, the journey moves from ancient and medieval worldviews to imperial expansion and the digital age. Brotton explores religious maps, Aztec symbolism, Victorian attempts to classify societies, the politics behind projections of the globe, and the rise of Google Earth and data-driven mapping. He then follows the mapmakers and explorers who turned distant lands into targets for conquest and profit, from Ptolemy and Columbus to Walter Raleigh and the trading empires that followed. The story ends in the Arctic, where new maps are once again being used to stake claims over oil, gas and minerals, proving that even in the twenty-first century, cartography remains inseparable from power, plunder and possession.
From a small and aggressive republic fighting for survival in the ancient Mediterranean to an empire that dominated much of the known world, Rome’s story is one of extraordinary ambition, conquest and transformation. The documentary follows the decisive struggles that shaped its rise, from the wars with Carthage and Hannibal to the upheavals of Spartacus, Julius Caesar and the collapse of the Republic, before Augustus establishes a new imperial order. Military power, political rivalry, engineering, law, spectacle and ruthless violence combine to reveal how Rome created a civilization of unprecedented scale, but also planted the seeds of its own destruction. At its height, the empire reaches astonishing levels of wealth and power under rulers such as Trajan and Marcus Aurelius, yet the system becomes increasingly difficult to control. Plague, civil conflict, destructive emperors such as Commodus, religious transformation and mounting pressure from Germanic peoples, Goths, Vandals and other invaders gradually weaken the foundations of Roman authority. From the Colosseum and the grandeur of imperial Rome to Attila and the invasions that accelerate its collapse, the two-part series shows how one of history’s greatest superpowers ultimately became a warning about the dangers of unchecked power and overextension. Presented here with both episodes combined into a single video, viewers can follow the complete rise and fall of Rome without interruption.
In the final three episodes, the series follows animals being pushed to the edge as melting ice, extreme heat and prolonged drought reshape the environments they depend on. In the Himalayas, a snow leopard is forced from familiar territory, while an Arctic ground squirrel in Alaska undertakes an extraordinary migration and a young Arctic fox in Svalbard faces her first winter alone. These cold-adapted animals must rapidly change behaviours that once worked for generations as their frozen worlds become increasingly unstable. The struggle then shifts to the opposite extreme, where wombats, leopards and kangaroo rats are tested by record heat and worsening drought, pushing their remarkable physical and behavioural adaptations to their limits. In the final episode, attention turns to the people working directly to help wildlife survive these new extremes, revealing rescue efforts, scientific interventions and conservation strategies in some of the planet’s harshest environments. Together, these final chapters show that survival now depends not only on the animals’ ability to adapt, but increasingly on how far humans are willing to go to protect them.
Previously unreleased prison calls, firsthand testimony and archival footage open a disturbing window into the world Charles Manson created around himself. Against the backdrop of the late-1960s counterculture, Manson draws vulnerable and disillusioned young people into a tightly controlled group built on promises of love, freedom and belonging. His manipulation gradually deepens into paranoia, domination and violence, culminating in the 1969 murders committed by members of the Manson Family, including the killings at the home of Sharon Tate, and in Manson’s delusional belief that the crimes could help ignite a racial apocalypse he called “Helter Skelter.” The story then follows the investigation, arrests and extraordinary 1971 trial, where Manson and his followers turn the courtroom into a spectacle and become symbols of a darker side of the era. Recordings of Manson himself are joined by voices from people who lived through the events, including material connected to followers such as Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten, revealing how charisma, coercion and group loyalty were transformed into lethal obedience. Presented here with all three episodes combined into a single video, viewers can follow the complete story without interruption, from the formation of the Family to the murders, the trial and the disturbing legacy Manson left behind.
Click CC for subtitles. In the final three episodes of Season 1, Ari fully embraces his identity as Arminius and begins the dangerous task of turning divided Germanic tribes into a force capable of challenging Rome. While Varus believes he has placed a loyal Roman-trained leader at the head of the Cherusci, Arminius secretly works against him. Thusnelda and Folkwin seek support from the Bructeri, and Arminius realizes that defeating three Roman legions will require something almost impossible: convincing rival tribes to put aside their feuds and fight as one people. A political marriage between Arminius and Thusnelda strengthens their cause, while Folkwin, thought dead, is actually alive and enslaved in the Roman camp. Everything then moves toward the confrontation that will change history. Drawing on his intimate knowledge of Roman military tactics, Arminius persuades Varus to lead his legions through the forests and swamps of Germania, where their disciplined formations become a deadly weakness. As mistrust, betrayal and sacrifice threaten the fragile tribal alliance, Thusnelda takes an extreme step to preserve unity and Arminius prepares his ambush. The season culminates in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where three Roman legions are drawn into a trap that will become one of the most devastating defeats in the history of the Roman Empire.
In the final two episodes of Season 2, Ragnar’s hopes of securing land in Wessex collide with King Horik’s hunger for revenge. As the Vikings advance towards King Ecbert’s villa, they walk straight into a carefully prepared Saxon response. The resulting battle is brutal, leaving Rollo gravely wounded and forcing Ragnar to reconsider what victory should really mean. While Horik still dreams of plunder and vengeance, Ragnar begins to see a different future: Farmland for his people, an alliance with Ecbert and the possibility of using Viking strength in the struggle for Mercia. Back in Kattegat, however, the most dangerous battle is no longer being fought with Saxons. Horik becomes convinced that Ragnar has grown too powerful and secretly prepares to destroy him and his entire family. Floki appears to turn against Ragnar, Siggy is drawn into Horik’s plans and every friendship suddenly becomes suspect. But beneath the deception, Ragnar is quietly testing the loyalty of those closest to him. What follows is a tense and violent reckoning in which betrayal is answered with betrayal, old alliances are shattered and Ragnar’s rise reaches a decisive new stage.
Across the three episodes, presented here together in a single uninterrupted video, the journey moves from ancient and medieval worldviews to imperial expansion and the digital age. Brotton explores religious maps, Aztec symbolism, Victorian attempts to classify societies, the politics behind projections of the globe, and the rise of Google Earth and data-driven mapping. He then follows the mapmakers and explorers who turned distant lands into targets for conquest and profit, from Ptolemy and Columbus to Walter Raleigh and the trading empires that followed. The story ends in the Arctic, where new maps are once again being used to stake claims over oil, gas and minerals, proving that even in the twenty-first century, cartography remains inseparable from power, plunder and possession.