History TV and radio in the UK: what's on our screens this week?
Can't decide which shows to watch or listen to this week? Here are the latest history radio and TV programmes airing in the UK that you won't want to miss
The Soldiers That Saved Britain
Channel 4
Saturday 2nd November, 7.10pm
Journalist Mobeen Azhar traces the story of his grandfather, who was among the 2.5 million men who served in the British Indian Army during the Second World War. It’s a tale that takes in rural Scotland and the blistering heat of Egypt, and leaves Azhar wondering why the service of men such as his grandfather is so often overlooked.
Archive On 4: Up In Smoke
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 2nd November, 8pm
Ever since the invention of the Bonsack cigarette rolling machine in 1880, our relationship with smoking has been complex. It’s a history traced here by Alan Hall, who says he (mostly) quit the evil weed in 1990. But just why has a habit so dangerous and anti-social persisted for so long?
Ottoman Empire By Train With Alice Roberts
Channel 4
Saturday 2nd November, 9.10pm
Continuing her journeys in the east, Alice Roberts heads for Ankara. Here, she visits the tomb of Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey. She then boards a train to Bursa, where Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, rests.
Dickensian: Our Mutual Friend
BBC Radio 4
Sunday 3rd November, 3pm
The final drama in Radio 4’s season of Charles Dickens adaptations begins with Gaffer Hexam and his daughter, Lizzie, afloat on the Thames in a rowing boat. Meanwhile, a mystery man arrives in London, the heir to a fortune. One of Dickens’ most complex stories, satirical and acute in its exploration of inequality.
Gunpowder Siege
Sky History
Monday 4th November, 9pm
Why did Catholics plot to overthrow James I of England? It’s a story most of us know in rough outline, but this three-part drama goes deeper by spotlighting the actions and motivations of plotters-in-chief Robert Catesby, Thomas Wintou and Thomas Percy.
A History of Royal Scandals
More4
Tuesday 5th November, 9pm
Was 13-year-old King James VI of Scotland groomed by his 37-year-old uncle, Esme Stewart? And just how did Edward VII’s adventures in the brothels of Paris stay out of the papers? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates a quartet of royal sex scandals.
Lucan – pick of the week
BBC Two
Wednesday 6th November, 9pm
Is it possible to solve a mystery that dates back 50 years? Working with investigative journalist Glen Campbell, Neil Berriman, the biological son of nanny Sandra Rivett, investigates the disappearance of the man who was the chief suspect in her murder in November 1974, Lord Lucan. Shown over three successive evenings.
In Our Time
BBC Radio 4
Thursday 7th November, 9am
Melvyn Bragg and learned guests discuss the life and times of George Herbert (1593–1633). While his calling was to the priesthood, it was for his metaphysical poetry that Herbert found lasting fame, notably his verse exploring his relationship with God.
A House Through Time: Two Cities At War
BBC Two
Thursday 7th November, 8pm
It’s the winter of 1942 and, for many in Berlin, things are about to get far more difficult as the tide of war turns in the wake of Germany’s defeat at Stalingrad. In London, the residents of Montagu Mansions have been forced to move. David Olusoga presents the final episode in an excellent series.
Hotel Portofino
U&Drama
Friday 8th November, 9pm
Series two of the escapist drama begins and we’re once again transported to the sun-drenched Italian Riviera. Here, hotelier Bella (Natascha McElhone) has much to contend with as she copes with building work, a son who regrets his marriage and the possibility of an anonymous inspection from a travel guide.
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