Spies of War

Michael travels to the Empire's Caribbean capital, Jamaica, to uncover how Britain amassed the wealth to conquer the world. In the mid-17th century, the undisputed global superpower was Spain, which controlled the Americas and Caribbean. But when Oliver Cromwell deposed King Charles I, he sent the first state-sponsored expeditions of conquest to take the parts of the Spanish Empire that were undefended. The first territory to be taken was Jamaica.

This documentary catapults viewers back to the late 1950s to tell the story of the nation's first astronauts, known as the Mercury 7.

This special event features the most critical military operation of World War II. This program presents this iconic battle using newly discovered colour footage, much of which has never been seen. For the first time, viewers can see the largest amphibious assault in history - 5000 Allied ships landing over 160,000 soldiers across a 80km stretch of Normandy beaches. This film is presented through the personal accounts of soldiers on both sides, focusing on three specific units: the American 1st Division at Omaha Beach, the American 507th Paratroopers, and the German 352nd Division. This program will tell the story in the first person, in the words of those who lived it, with actor voices reading from soldier diaries, oral histories, and immediate post-combat interviews - from famous leaders like Eisenhower, Rommel, Omar Bradley, and Adolph Hitler, to the unknown boots-on-the-ground soldiers, both American and German, who fought and died in one of history's bloodiest battles.