In 1926, 49-year-old Violet Gibson, daughter of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland and a debutant at the Court of Queen Victoria, shot Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini at point-blank range in front of an adoring crowd in CampidoglIo Rome.Her assassination attempt saw her imprisoned and interrogated, before a deal was brokered by Mussolini and the British Foreign Office to have Violet committed to a lunatic asylum, written off as a lone "mad Irishwoman,"...

In January 1961, a new generation in the guise of John F. Kennedy moved into the White House. All of a sudden politics were youthful, dynamic, and sexy. During the brief period in which he was in office, the first pop star of politics accompanied America through the darkest days of the Cold War. At the same time, his signal to embark in new directions was eagerly welcomed by younger generations all around the world. Later on, Jackie Kennedy was to...

This powerful documentary tells the story of Leon Blum, a Jew who served as prime minister of France, and who was also a prisoner of the Nazis at the Buchenwald concentration camp. Blum, the first Jew to lead France, devoted his life to improving the well-being of workers and was an early champion of women’s rights. In 1936, as the head of the Popular Front, an alliance of leftwing movements, he became prime minister. In 1940, his socialist views...

Melvyn Bragg explores the dramatic story of William Tyndale and his mission to translate The Bible into English. Bragg reveals the story of a man whose life and legacy have been hidden from history, but whose impact on Christianity in Britain and on the English language endures today. His radical translation of The Bible into English made him a profound threat to the authority of the church and state, and set him on a fateful collision course with...

The Iron Curtain parts for a portrait of the Russian strongman who ruled supreme for 25 years and left a legacy of fear and death.

Discover the public and personal life of Fidel Castro, from his upbringing to the beginning of his dissent and beyond—everything that led to the man history knows today.

This searing, intimate portrait of Robert F. Kennedy features rare archival footage and exclusive new, emotional interviews with his children.

He is perhaps the most famous and revered figure in Zulu history and one of the most famous South Africans ever to have lived. Shaka Zulu transformed the Zulu tribe from a small clan into the beginnings of a nation.

Melvyn Bragg sets out to unravel the many questions surrounding one of The Bible's most enigmatic and controversial figures. In the gospel accounts, Mary Magdalene plays a central role in the Easter story. She is there at the cross when Jesus is crucified and she is the key witness to the resurrection. So why do so many people believe that Mary Magdalene was the seductive prostitute redeemed by Christ, despite there being no reference to it in The...

Part personal odyssey and part chronicle of diplomacy in action, this timely documentary follows Barack Obama as he travels to the land of his ancestry. From South Africa to Kenya to a Darfur refugee camp in Chad, Obama explores the vast continent that is gaining increasing importance in this age of globalization. The heart of the film is Obama's emotional homecoming to Kisumu, Kenya—his father's former home—where thousands of people turn out...