The BEST episodes of BBC Documentaries season 2014
Every episode of BBC Documentaries season 2014, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of BBC Documentaries season 2014!
Documentaries produced by or for the BBC.
#1 - Genghis Khan
Season 2014 - Episode 98 - Aired 2/3/2014
He was a man who combined the savagery of a real-life Conan the Barbarian with the sheer tactical genius of Napoleon, a man from the outermost reaches of Asia whose armies ultimately stood poised to conquer Europe. His name was Genghis Khan. Today the name of Genghis Khan is synonymous with dark evil yet in his lifetime he was a heroic figure, a supreme strategist capable of eliciting total devotion from his warriors. He grew up in poverty on the harsh unforgiving steppe of Mongolia. From the murder of his father, the kidnap of his wife and the execution of his closest friend, he learned the lessons of life the hard way. So how did this outcast come to conquer an empire larger than the Roman Empire? And was Genghis Khan the brutal monster who ruthlessly slaughtered millions in his quest for power, or was he a brilliant visionary who transformed a rabble of warring tribes into a nation capable of world domination? Filmed entirely on location in Mongolia, the film tells the truth behind the legend that is Genghis Khan.
#2 - Jumbo: The Plane that Changed the World
Season 2014 - Episode 35 - Aired 2/27/2014
Documentary about the development of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The 747 was a game changer; the airliner that revolutionised mass, cheap air travel. But the first, wide-bodied plane was (originally) intended as a stopgap to Boeing's now-abandoned supersonic jet. This is the remarkable, untold story of the jumbo, a billion-dollar gamble that pushed 1960s technology to the limits to create the world's most recognisable plane.
#3 - Keys to the Castle
Season 2014 - Episode 291 - Aired 2/20/2014
A touching and often funny observational documentary about a charming couple in their twilight years, who have lived in their beloved Scottish castle since rebuilding it from ruins forty years ago. Award-winning filmmaker Darren Hercher follows Sandy and Alisoun Grant during their final few months in Inverquharity Castle as they come to terms with the emotional and practical difficulties of leaving a home they have loved. As the challenges of age take their toll, Alisoun, for the first time in her long marriage to Sandy, has had to take control of their destiny and make increasingly difficult decisions about their day-to-day lives and future. The hardest truth for Alisoun to accept was that living in the castle had become impossible. As the move approaches, and their lives are turned upside down, the film follows Alisoun as she faces the daunting task of downsizing from a castle to a bungalow. The distressing reasons behind the move gradually become clear and are gently explored. Having handed over the keys to the castle, Sandy and Alisoun face the future with equal measures of trepidation and optimism, their unwavering commitment and love for each other always at the heart of the film as a new chapter approaches.
#4 - Secrets of the Universe: Great Scientists In Their Own Words
Season 2014 - Episode 240 - Aired 11/5/2014
Film telling the story of the greatest physicists of the 20th century and the discoveries they made, told in their own words. Men and women who transformed our understanding of the universe, from unlocking the secrets of the atom to solving the mysteries of the cosmos. Revealing archive provides a unique insight into the lives and personalities of a cast of complex characters, eccentric geniuses and fantastic showmen who had to overcome personal struggles and intense rivalries before they could succeed. The film reveals the human side of scientific endeavour and shows how the great advances in our understanding of the cosmos depended on the character and personality of the scientists who made them, as much as on their intellectual abilities.
#5 - PQ17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster
Season 2014 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/2/2014
Jeremy Clarkson tells the dramatic story of the Arctic convoys of the Second World War, from Russia to the freezing Arctic Ocean. Accompanied by moving first hand testimony from the men who served on these convoys, Clarkson reveals the incredible hazards faced by members of the Merchant and Royal Navy who delivered vital war supplies via the Arctic to the Soviet Union: temperatures of minus 50 degrees, huge icebergs, colossal waves, not to mention German U-boats and the Luftwaffe. It is no wonder that Churchill described the Arctic Convoys as 'the worst journey in the world.'
#6 - Oscar Pistorius The Truth
Season 2014 - Episode 205 - Aired 9/15/2014
Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead on Valentines Day 2013 inside a toilet cubicle at Oscar Pistorius home. Pistorius insisted that he was innocent of the charge of premeditated murder, claiming he fired a gun in the mistaken belief that he was protecting both Reeva and himself against an intruder. The show follows a BBC team that flew to South Africa to talk to Reevas parents Barry and June Steenkamp as they prepared for the start of the trial in March 2014. Six months later as the trial reaches it's conclusion, Barry and June give their reaction to the judges verdict.
#7 - Cosmonauts: How Russia Won the Space Race
Season 2014 - Episode 218 - Aired 10/13/2014
When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969, America went down in popular history as the winner of the space race. But that history is bunk. The real pioneers of space exploration were the Soviet cosmonauts. This remarkable feature-length documentary combines rare and unseen archive footage with interviews with the surviving cosmonauts to tell the fascinating and at times terrifying story of how the Russians led us into the space age.
#8 - Dan Cruickshank and the Family That Built Gothic Britain
Season 2014 - Episode 227 - Aired 10/20/2014
As good as any Dickens novel, this is the triumphant and tragic story of the greatest architectural dynasty of the 19th century. Dan Cruickshank charts the rise of Sir George Gilbert Scott to the very heights of success, the fall of his son George Junior and the rise again of his grandson Giles It is a story of architects bent on a mission to rebuild Britain. From the Romantic heights of the Midland Hotel at St Pancras station to the modern image of Bankside power station (now Tate Modern), this is the story of a family that shaped the Victorian age and left a giant legacy.
#9 - Frankenstein and the Vampyre - A Dark and Stormy Night
Season 2014 - Episode 237 - Aired 11/1/2014
The greatest, spookiest, most productive literary house party in horror history is at the core of this lightning-lashed documentary. Actors re-create the dark, debauched summer of 1816 in a villa by Lake Geneva in Switzerland when Mary Godwin and Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and two of their friends drank, took drugs, had sex and wrote ghost stories.
#10 - Al Murray's Great British Spy Movies
Season 2014 - Episode 287 - Aired 12/29/2014
Comedian and history buff Al Murray is joined by former director of MI5 Dame Stella Rimington, political comedian Matt Forde and film expert Matthew Sweet for a fresh look at the great British spy movie. This round-table discussion looks at the films themselves - not to mention the spies that star in them - and uses them as a lens on the British people, our fear of the world and our changing views of espionage over the decades. As well as discussing the inevitable moral ambiguity, the limited female roles and general distrust of the intelligence community, we also find out what Dame Stella Rimington, the real M, actually thinks about James Bond, what you really say at a party when someone inevitably asks what you do, the spy gadget she'd really like to get her hands on, and the film that was genuinely used as a training movie when she first joined the service.
#11 - Darcey Bussell's Looking for Audrey
Season 2014 - Episode 289 - Aired 12/29/2014
Behind Audrey Hepburn's dazzling image, Darcey Bussell unravels an epic tale of betrayal, courage, heartache and broken dreams. For as long as she can remember Darcey has been fascinated by Audrey Hepburn: style icon, star of Breakfast at Tiffany's, an Oscar winner at 24. Now, Darcey follows in Audrey's footsteps through Holland, London, Rome, Switzerland and Hollywood to find out more. She discovers Audrey started out as a dancer, risked her life in the war and, although adored the world over, was always looking for love.
#12 - David Beckham Into the Unknown
Season 2014 - Episode 132 - Aired 6/9/2014
After 22 years playing for the world's greatest football teams, David Beckham has retired. For the first time in his adult life he has freedom to do whatever he wants and to mark the occasion he's going on an adventure. He's chosen Brazil, and he's taking three of his closest friends to join him on this once in a lifetime experience. Starting with beach footvolley in Rio, the friends travel deep into the Amazon, ending up with the remote Yanonami tribe, with David desperately trying to explain the beautiful game
#13 - The Science of D-Day
Season 2014 - Episode 131 - Aired 6/7/2014
Seventy years ago one of the greatest amphibious assaults in history was launched from here on the south coast of England. And within a matter of hours, 7000 vessels had landed 156,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy. It was a manoeuvre that changed the course of the war and tested innovations in science and engineering for the first time. On this programme, engineer Rob Bell looks at the nuts and bolts which made such a staggering invasion possible. From giant troop carrying gliders to tanks that could drive on water. How necessity really did become the mother of invention. Like all new inventions - not all of them worked and resulted in devastating consequences. We find out why. This is the science of D-Day.
#14 - Vets in the Disaster Zone
Season 2014 - Episode 100 - Aired 4/28/2014
Michael Mosley travels to the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan to explore the disaster from a completely fresh perspective - looking at the animals caught up in the crisis and the specialist team of vets who have come to save their lives and those of the people who depend on them. Amid the devastation, Michael learns about the little-known work these expert vets do, both in the short term by providing immediate veterinary care to thousands of animals and in the long term, by using their skills to develop pioneering technology that could help save millions of animals the next time a disaster strikes. He discovers what motivates this team to travel to some of the most dangerous places on earth to help animals and encounters many of the challenges they face as they work against the clock to leave a lasting legacy behind.
#15 - Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered
Season 2014 - Episode 229 - Aired 10/26/2014
What killed King Tutankhamun? Ever since his spectacular tomb was discovered, the boy king has been the most famous pharaoh of all ancient Egypt. But his mysterious death, at just 19 years old, has never been explained. In this BBC One special, presenter Dallas Campbell reveals new scientific research and carries out unique experiments to get to the truth. For the first time, a virtual autopsy of Tut's mummified body reveals astonishing secrets about the pharaoh. Using CT scan data, the programme creates the first ever full size, scientifically accurate image of the real Tutankhamun. Brand new DNA analysis uncovers a shocking secret about Tut's family background, and the genetic trail of clues leads to a radical and revolutionary new theory to explain Tut's sudden and unexpected death. This is an epic detective story that uncovers the extraordinary truth of the boy behind the golden mask.
#16 - Gunpowder 5/11: The Greatest Terror Plot
Season 2014 - Episode 228 - Aired 10/22/2014
For the first time, the inner secrets of the gunpowder plotters are dramatised using the actual words of their most senior captured leader Thomas Wintour, Guy Fawkes and state interrogators investigating the 18-month conspiracy in which a family circle of militant Catholic gentlemen tried to blow up King and Parliament. Wintour's insider account of this epic tale of faith, fanaticism, persecution and betrayal is told in detail, from his recruitment of both Fawkes and his own brother, to his capture in a dramatic siege and bloody shoot out on November 8th. The hopes, fears and plans for a Midlands rebellion, royal kidnap, the plotters' penetration of the King's bodyguard and Fawkes' attendance, sword in hand, at a wedding attended by the King in December 1604 are shown, as well as a dramatisation of the thrilling, forgotten story of the final days after 5/11 as the conspirators are hunted down and then face the terrible punishments reserved for traitors.
#17 - Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule
Season 2014 - Episode 273 - Aired 12/20/2014
Comedian Rik Mayall died suddenly on 9 June 2014. Mayall's blend of rocket-fuelled physical comedy, surrealism, subversive satire and pompous punk wit left a body of work that spanned four decades. Mayall's characters include the Black Country's investigative nerd Kevin Turvey, Felicity Kendal-adoring student and 'People's Poet' Rik in The Young Ones, ruthless MP Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, seedy loser Richie in Bottom and larger-than-life characters Robin Hood and flying ace Lord Flashheart from Blackadder. Narrated by Simon Callow, this programme salutes Rik Mayall and celebrates his part in the UK's comedy history using rare and unseen archive footage. It also features contributions from people who knew or admired him, including Michael Palin, Simon Pegg, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Alexei Sayle, Christopher Ryan, Tim McInnerny, Jools Holland, Ruby Wax and Greg Davies.
#18 - Dylan Thomas: A Poet's Guide
Season 2014 - Episode 322 - Aired 4/26/2014
Famous for his womanising, drinking and tragic death, Dylan Thomas is the rock star of 20th-century poetry. But for Welsh poet Owen Sheers, his tempestuous life often obscures the power of his poetry. Sheers takes us on a journey that reveals Dylan Thomas as a visionary and a craftsman.
#19 - The Birth of Empire: The East India Company
Season 2014 - Episode 298 - Aired 7/17/2014
The Birth of Empire: The East India Company - Learning Zone Dan Snow looks at the rise and fall of the East India Company in this version of the BBC Two series made specially for schools. Just over 400 years ago, a group of London merchants arrived on the Indian coast. Over the course of 200 years, the company they formed grew into a commercial titan. Its wealth rivalled that of the British state. The East India Company had its own army and eventually ruled over 400 million people. Its trade was vital to Britain's commercial success and it revolutionised the British lifestyle. By accident, it created one of the most powerful empires in history. But the company's rise was followed by a dramatic fall into profiteering and corruption. Unchecked greed led to devastating consequences.
#20 - Rhod Gilbert vs Kilimanjaro
Season 2014 - Episode 270 - Aired 12/9/2014
Rhod Gilbert faces the toughest challenge of his life when he attempts to climb Kilimanjaro. Together with celebrities, comedians and fundraisers, Rhod sets out into some of the worst weather conditions experienced on the infamous African mountain. Rhod attempts to overcome a chronic lack of fitness to complete the challenge, while shooting his own film of this extraordinary adventure.
#21 - Tales from the Royal Wardrobe with Lucy Worsley
Season 2014 - Episode 149 - Aired 7/7/2014
Today, few people's clothes attract as much attention as the royal family, but this is not a modern-day Hello magazine-inspired obsession. As Dr Lucy Worsley reveals, it has always been this way. Exploring the royal wardrobes of our kings and queens over the last 400 years, Lucy shows this isn't just a public preoccupation, but our monarchs' as well. From Elizabeth I to our present queen, Lucy believes that the royal wardrobe's significance goes way beyond the cut and colour of the clothing and that royal fashion is and has always been regarded as their personal statement to their people. So most monarchs have carefully choreographed every aspect of their wardrobe and, for those who have not, there have sometimes been calamitous consequences.
#22 - Swastika over Wales?
Season 2014 - Episode 210 - Aired 8/19/2014
On a clear Autumn day in 1938, the Nazi flag was raised over Cardiff City Hall - a startling reminder of the respect, even admiration, that some in Wales felt towards Hitler. This story of political intrigue and espionage reveals how the Third Reich tried to exploit an ambivalence that stretched across the Welsh political spectrum. But ultimately the Germans' belief that they could recruit the Welsh to their cause would prove fatally damaging - not to Wales, but to the Nazis themselves.
#23 - A Century of Scottish Sundays: 100 Years of the Sunday Post
Season 2014 - Episode 220 - Aired 9/28/2014
First published to bring news from the trenches of World War One, the Sunday Post has become a Scottish icon and - according to the Guinness Book of Records - the most successful newspaper in the world. Narrated by Dundee's own Brian Cox, A Century of Scottish Sundays: 100 Years of the Sunday Post tells the story of this well-loved newspaper from the city of 'jute, jam and journalism'. Post columnists Lorraine Kelly, Ross King and Lesley Riddoch take part, along with celebrity readers like Alex Norton and John Michie. Lorraine describes her guest appearance in the Post's Oor Wullie cartoon as being even better than receiving her OBE! Sunday Post editor Donald Martin is in the spotlight, with cameras following him as he produces an edition. Donald is only the sixth editor in the Post's 100 year history - and his task is to embrace modernity and attract a new audience without alienating loyal readers.
#24 - Strictly Navratri
Season 2014 - Episode 219 - Aired 10/12/2014
Former England cricketer and Strictly Come Dancing winner Mark Ramprakash learns and performs the traditional Indian folk dances which are a key part of the Hindu religious festival of Navratri. In the process, Mark learns more about the meaning behind the celebration.
#25 - Road
Season 2014 - Episode 217 - Aired 10/6/2014
For two generations the Dunlop family from Northern Ireland has dominated motorcycle road racing. Narrated by Liam Neeson, this documentary is the dramatic, tragic and inspirational story of two sets of Dunlop brothers - Joey and Robert, William and Michael. Brothers united by success, and united by loss.