Documentary that reveals the secret story behind one of the greatest intellectual feats of World War II, a feat that gave birth to the digital age. In 1943, a 24-year-old maths student and a GPO engineer combined to hack into Hitler's personal super-code machine - not Enigma but an even tougher system, which he called his 'secrets writer'. Their break turned the Battle of Kursk, powered the D-day landings and orchestrated the end of the conflict in Europe. But it was also to be used during the Cold War - which meant both men's achievements were hushed up and never officially recognised.
Source: BBC 4
2002-2003: Akhenaten And Nefertiti: The Royal Gods Of Egypt
King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti introduced a completely new religion to ancient Egypt and were worshipped as gods on Earth. So why did it come to a sudden and mysterious end?
17-02-2025
BBC 4
2000-2001: The Empire State Story
First transmitted in 2001, this programme chronicles the construction of the Empire State Building in New York, which was the world's tallest skyscraper when opened in 1931. The ...
11-02-2025
BBC 4
The Mysterious Career Of Lee Harvey Oswald
An investigative biography of the man at the centre of the political crime of the 20th century. The programme reassesses the psychological, political and forensic evidence of Le ...
06-08-2024
BBC 4
2007-2008: Bloody Omaha
History series. Researchers and historians are still arguing about why Omaha Beach was the hardest beach to capture in the D-Day landings. Presenter Richard Hammond analyses the ...
04-06-2024
BBC 4
2000-2001: The Houdini Myth
Escapologist Harry Houdini was one of the icons of the early 20th century. Restored archive footage and interviews with historians and illusionists recall his extraordinary impa ...
27-03-2024
BBC 4
Napoleon's Last Battle
Documentary drama exploring the last days of Napoleon's life in exile on the island of St Helena. \n\nTo the British, Napoleon has always been an ogre - an enemy, a foreign desp ...
14-12-2023
BBC 4
2005-2006: The Gunpowder Plot
Documentary that re-examines the attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605 - one of the most famous yet least understood events in British history. It shows how the pl ...
02-10-2023
BBC 4
2007-2008: In Search Of The Wreckers
History Series. In January, the MSC Napoli ran aground, spilling its cargo on Branscombe beach in Devon. The public were delighted, but the authorities were determined to police ...
11-06-2023
BBC 4
2005-2006: The Gunpowder Plot
Documentary that re-examines the attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605 - one of the most famous yet least understood events in British history. It shows how the pl ...
02-10-2023
BBC 4
2005-2006: Inside The Mind Of Adolf Hitler
Documentary which looks at how, during WWII, the Americans tried to get inside the mind of Hitler by ordering a team of Harvard psychologists to draw up a profile of him.
02-05-2015
BBC 4
2008-2009 - Qe2 - The Final Voyage
Timewatch joins the crew and passengers on board Britain's favourite ship as the QE2 leaves Southampton for the last time and glides gracefully into retirement after over 40 years.
05-08-2014
BBC 4
2007-2008: Bloody Omaha
History series. Researchers and historians are still arguing about why Omaha Beach was the hardest beach to capture in the D-Day landings. Presenter Richard Hammond analyses the ...
04-06-2024
BBC 4
2005-2006 - Britain's Lost Colosseum
Archaeologists Tony Wilmott and Dan Garner lead us through three months of hard graft, excavating Britain's largest Roman amphitheatre in Chester.
30-08-2014
BBC 4
2007-2008: In Search Of The Wreckers
History Series. In January, the MSC Napoli ran aground, spilling its cargo on Branscombe beach in Devon. The public were delighted, but the authorities were determined to police ...
11-06-2023
BBC 4
2004-2005: Who Killed Rasputin?
Former Scotland Yard commander Richard Cullen re-opens the murder case of Grigori Rasputin in St Petersburg in 1916. He uncovers new evidence linking the British secret service ...
07-11-2017
BBC 4