Engineer Jem Stansfield looks back through the Horizon archives to find out how scientists have come to understand and manipulate the materials that built the modern world. Whether it's uncovering new materials or finding fresh uses for those we've known about for centuries, each breakthrough offers a tantalising glimpse of the holy grail of materials science - a substance that's cheap to produce
The shocking series gains access into Strangeways, a maximum security prison in Manchester with a history as rough as the inmates it houses. Three fascinating episodes unearth the idiosyncrasies and complex relationships between the most violent and dangerous men in the prison and the staff who work with them. Unique twists, like following a couple as they prepare for a wedding behind bars, and gr
June 25th 2010, marked the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of a merciless conflict that brought the world to the brink of nuclear armageddon and scarred a nation so deeply that it is still bitterly divided.From the originators of the acclaimed ‘In-Colour’ genre of documentaries, Stewart Binns and Adrian Wood, Korea the Forgotten War in Colour tells the story of the war through the powerful co
In late February of 1998 conflict erupted in Kosovo between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia forces and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) whom had air support provided by NATO. This conflict lasted until 11 June 1999. A study carried out estimated that the population has suffered 12,000 deaths.In this film we hear from the son of two Albanian immigrant
The high mesas of New Mexico are the starting point for Stephen’s journey through the dramatic landscapes and peoples of the South West. The physicists at the Los Alamos Lab, who are unraveling the mysteries of dark matter, contrast starkly to the ecohouse dwellers living off the grid near Sante Fe. Staying with the Navajo Indians in Monument Valley in Arizona, Stephen learns to weave a basket,
Professor Brian Cox and Dara O Briain host three days of live stargazing featuring epic images from observatories around the globe.Episode 1: Jonathan Ross is shown how to use a telescope. Brian explains why planets are spheres. Hawaii becomes home to Liz, who tells us about Mars and Mark gives tips on how to take brilliant night photographs.Episode 2: Liz shows us images of the sun, Bri
The 900-day siege of Leningrad created heroes as well as victims, and gave the city a taste for independence. Dr John Barber relives the city’s struggle, and explains why Stalin felt so threatened by the former capital that he purged 2,000 of its inhabitants.Stalin was always suspicious of Russia’s former capital. Its huge cultural, scientific and economic importance, its historical role as t
Stairway to Heaven is an extraordinary video showing transmission workers scaling the terrifying height of a broadcast antenna. The six-minute film, shot using a helmet camera, follows the progress of two engineers as they scale a 1,768ft pylon in the US.In case anyone is in doubt about the height to which the workers climb, the top of the antenna shown in the film is higher than Chicago's
National Geographic's Naked Science - Solar ForceThis documentary "Solar force", in essence, is a film about how natural variations in the sun's magnetic fields affects our climate.