History, Hobby, and Bio

The Dogon is an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali in West Africa. This documentary highlights this group's religious and oral traditions, both of which they are well known for. Their religious traditions include a sophisticated cosmology, a tradition of mask making, and unique architecture. Their rich oral tradition has preserved their history and traditional knowledge of the cosmos and their place within it.

Paralyzed by late-stage ALS and reliant on round-the-clock care, Kathryn clings to a mordant wit as she yearns to witness her daughter's wedding. Shot from her fixed point of view, this documentary delivers a brutally frank and darkly humorous portrait of a family grappling with the daily demands of disability and in-home caretaking.

Elizabeth II is born a minor princess in the second rank of the royal family and grows up away from the limelight. Elizabeth I is the only child of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn but, as a girl, she is an immediate disappointment. After Henry executes her mother, the young Elizabeth is cast into the wilderness. However, for both Elizabeth's an extraordinary sequence of events will catapult them both onto the throne and their journey through...

This episode explores the period from the birth of the Chinese republic in 1911 to the civil war, bloody Japanese occupation, the coming to power of Mao and the Communist Party, the Cultural Revolution, up to the present day. We visit Tiananmen Square, the booming skyscraper cities of Shanghai and Beijing and President Xi’s Belt and Road. How has the tumultuous last 100 years impacted Communist China’s ambitions as a superpower today and its relations...

Lucy Worsley continues her journey through Russia in the footsteps of the Romanovs, the most powerful royal dynasty in modern European history. In this episode she examines the extraordinary reign of Catherine the Great, and the traumatic conflict with Napoleonic France that provides the setting for War and Peace. Lucy begins in the 18th century, when the great palaces of the Romanovs were built. But in Romanov Russia, blood was always intermingled...

Grace Kelly, Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, Indira Gandhi, and Madame Chiang Kai-shek were worshipped, loved and sometimes even feared by millions the world over. These pioneers showed that a woman could be the equal of a man but behind the public success, there was often private heartache and personal tragedy. This series, featuring archive interviews and dramatic re-enactment, reveals the price these women paid for their achievements and adversities...

Largely unknown to most Americans, over the last 20 years, the United States has lost almost five times as many active service members and veterans to suicide than were lost in the entirety of the global war on terrorism combat operations. Final Fight goes deeper than any documentary to date in revealing the root causes of this tragic epidemic by profiling a diverse group of veterans struggling with PTSD. Leading experts in the field of PTS therapy...

Henry Louis Gates takes actors Claire Danes and Jeff Daniels on a journey into their roots, uncovering primal scenes from our nation’s past. Weaving together stories of soldiers and settlers, immigrants and entrepreneurs, Gates travels from World War One battlefields to Civil War prison camps to America’s most infamous witch hunt—offering his guests insight into what made them who they are today.

Inspired by David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography, this documentary brings to life the words of our country’s most famous anti-slavery activist. Actors Nicole Beharie, Colman Domingo, Jonathan Majors, Denzel Whitaker and Jeffrey Wright draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America.

After a slump in the ‘80s, Carlin comes back with a vengeance, reaching new heights – and new audiences – with another reinvention that highlights his prescient political commentary and sharply honed observations about the state of America and the world. Following his death in 2008, fellow comics reflect on his enduring legacy.