Russell Barnes

How did Britain come to rule the world? asks Niall Ferguson in Empire. What would today's world be like now if it hadn't? Could such an organisation – run by, according to Winston Churchill, 'the greedy trader, the inopportune missionary, the ambitious soldier and the lying spectator' – ever have been a force for good?

With unique insights in epic locations and interpretations of ancient inscriptions and artefacts, Mary Beard uncovers the hidden world of the emperors of Rome.

After World War II, the British public voted a Labour Government into power on the promise of sweeping social reforms. Led by the modest and unremarkable Clement Attlee, the victory was a surprise to almost everyone as it was general wisdom that the Tory party would return but with a reduced majority. Prof David Reynolds tells the story of Labour's postwar government and examines the achievements of Clement Attlee , including the introduction of the NHS in Britain.