The Ottoman Dynasty extended over three continents, surviving 600 years from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century. 24 of its 36 Sultans ruled the Empire from Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, for a period of 400 years. The royal residence, which has witnessed moments of great joy and sorrow, became a museum after the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923 by Kemal Ataturk. Until it opened its doors to visitors from all over the world, the Topkapi Palace had always been a mysterious, shuttered world.
The "Topkapi Palace" series represents the widest-ranging project of its kind ever to be taken. It was in 1990 that all the doors of the Topkapi Palace were opened to a film crew for the first time. Their lights probed parts of the palace still closed to visitors and, indeed, into places that had never seen the daylight.
First aired in September 2002, Mark Evans along with his loyal (if ageing) side-kick Pete Walker took on their latest mad-cap building project after the construction of two cars and an aeroplane. A Chopper is Born followed Marks 6 month odyssey to build a kit helicopter. The Rotorway Exec 162 is the most popular kit helicopter in the world. Manufactured in Phoenix, Arizona, Rotorway have been building Helicopter kits for nearly 30 years.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous is an American television series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1995. The show featured the extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes and business moguls.
It was hosted by Robin Leach for the majority of its run. When Leach was joined by Shari Belafonte in 1994, the show was renamed Lifestyles with Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte. Leach ended each episode with a wish for his viewers that became his signature phrase, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams."
How was everyday life in Ancient Greece? Did it have anything in common with our lives today? With the help of specialized scientists and a rich audiovisual material, a journey back in time begins!
1491: The Untold Story of the Americas before Columbus is based on the book “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” by Charles C. Mann (Knopf, 2005). It brings to life the complexity, diversity and interconnectedness of Indigenous peoples in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus. Presented from an Indigenous-perspective the series is a journey along a timeline that dates from 20,000 years ago to 1491. The origins and history of ancient Indigenous societies in North, Central and South America are interpreted by leading Indigenous scholars and cultural leaders in the fields of archaeology, art history, ethnology, genetics, geology, and linguistics.
During the 1970s the Middle East was a battleground for the Cold War; liberal pro-Western forces battled with pro-Soviet Arab Nationalists and Baathists.
But in 1979 a series of events – the Iranian Revolution, Egypt’s peace with Israel, the Mecca Mosque Siege, and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan – contributed to a radical change in the mind-set of the region and its leaders.
It was the start of the meteoric rise of radical Islam.
Billy Connolly goes far off the beaten track into the places you’ve heard of but have rarely seen, as he follows the migratory trail of the Scots through America, starting in New York and finishing in the heart of America, Nashville, Tennessee.
A three-part investigation that chronicles the rise and fall of Australia's most notorious cult, The Family and its strange but charismatic female leader, Anne Hamilton-Byrne.
Documentary going behind the scenes at Lincoln's West Parade police station, beginning by focusing on the custody suite as a procession of challenging suspects is brought in.
"X-Change" is a Chinese documentary series, began broadcasting weekly starting in 2006, where selected participants (kids) exchange lives for 7 days. The teens/kid participants are filmed through school, leisure time, and interactions with the new family as they adjust to their surroundings.
In this documentary series, interspersed with historical reconstructions, Tom Waes investigates what has happened since the arrival of the first Homo sapiens, on the 14,000 square kilometers that we today call Flanders.