The inter-war years saw the rise of dictators, appeasement and the policies of the Third Reich until the invasion of Poland, and Japan's 1937 invasion of China escalated into a full-scale conflict.

The invasion of Poland forces even resistant nations into declaring war, Chamberlain is replaced by Winston Churchill, and hardly-remembered early naval encounters start to shape the war.

War explodes across western Europe; the Germans' mobile armour, airborne troops and airpower on the battlefield makes their assault unstoppable, and France is ready to fall to the Nazis.

Germany seeks to neutralise British strength from the air in the Battle of Britain; the Luftwaffe has been deterred, but the Blitz begins as the Germans move to support their allies in North Africa.

Bettany visits Turkey to witness settlements such as Cappadocia and Göbeklitepe up close; she also explores Urfa (Şanlıurfa), one of the most significant pilgrimage cities of the Middle East.

Bettany explores the Sultanate of Oman, a land full of surprises and contrasts that is wedged between the vast sands of the Arabian Desert and the glistening waves of the Indian Ocean.

Bettany returns to Azerbaijan for more adventures on the Silk Roads; she explores its most remote and hidden corners to find out the cultural impact of a history of isolation and influence.

A legendary conqueror, Alexander the Great left his mark on Egypt; this episode explores the mystery surrounding his tomb that symbolises the eternal appeal of his story.

Djoser, a pharaoh of the third dynasty, is famous for the construction of the first step pyramid; his reign was marked by monumental achievements and the resolution of a famine.

Auguste Mariette discovered Saqqara's Serapeum and pioneered a more scientific Egyptology. Once a looter, he created Egypt's Antiquities Service and Cairo's first museum to protect its heritage.

We follow the first active excavation of a pharaoh's tomb in the iconic Valley of the Kings since King Tut's tomb a century ago and reveal new secrets about Egypt's famous rulers.

We follow the first active excavation of a pharaoh's tomb in the iconic Valley of the Kings since King Tut's tomb a century ago and reveal new secrets about Egypt's famous rulers.

Join archaeologists decoding a newly unearthed pyramid worker's 4500-year-old journal; can they reconstruct an ancient boat and unlock the long-lost secrets of how the Great Pyramid was built?

Japanese troops occupy southern Vietnam and Cambodia, but the day that changes the war comes on December 7th when Japanese aircraft attack the American Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor.

Japan's escalation of the War in the East is devastatingly effective; despite their success, it is possible to see their inevitable defeat as they have roused the military might of the USA.

The war turns in favour of the Allies; Montgomery turns the tables on the Afrika Corps at El Alamein, the Japanese are defeated at Guadalcanal, and the Germans are defeated at Stalingrad.

The Allied leaders meet for their first conference to discuss the coordination of their efforts, a Japanese division is destroyed at sea, and the Red Army begins its advance towards Berlin.

The Germans continue their retreat from Russia, but the most significant event at this stage of the war is the second front in Europe with the D-Day landings on June 6th - Operation Overlord.

Japan, late 16th century. Oda Nobunaga, a bold samurai and warlord, marks his reign with an architectural feat: Azuchi Castle. It went up in flames three years later. What did this castle look like?

In the mountains of Sichuan lies an ancient city that is one of the most important finds in years; treasures discovered point to the existence of a recently uncovered civilisation, the Shu Kingdom.

Actor Jason Watkins and historian Tracy Borman investigate the final mystery of Stonehenge: the altar stone. Discovering its source could be the key to understanding why Stonehenge was built.

This episode traces the war in the West and how the geography of Western Europe provided both the Nazis and the Allies with advantages and disadvantages.