SBS Documentaries

An exploration of how technology with the help of constructions and machines has made the world accessible.

Canals are impressive masterpieces of human engineering. This is an exploration of three historically and economically relevant waterways in France, which are among the world's most well-known canals.

An insight into Vauban, and how its 160 fortresses still draw land and sea borders, three centuries after their construction.

Megabridges: Spanning The Void is dedicated to a selection of spectacular and pioneering milestones in the art of engineering. This ranges from the Pont du Gard of Roman times to the French TGV high-speed train. The documentary looks at gigantic dams, navigable canals, kilometre-long tunnels that cross mountains and seas, and the Millau Viaduct, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It provides insights into the construction and operation of these icons of progress.

Named Bibracte, it is the most significant oppidum in all of Gaul. Aedui, a Gallic tribe friendly to the Romans, settled there and constructed a fortified city. Can you imagine this ancient metropolis of 10,000 people? How did they manage to construct such strong defences when no other Gallic city had them at the time? How did archaeologists read ancient wooden artefacts that had been worn down by the passage of time? How come the Aedui just up and left their capital? Evidence of rapid Romanisation, such as a forum, a basilica, and a sophisticated hydraulic system, is about to be revealed thanks to state-of-the-art LIDAR-enabled topographic maps and breathtaking computer-generated imagery. Bibracte is still a massive excavation site, and its remnants continue to disclose ancient mysteries. Archaeologists, in the role of true investigators, have uncovered evidence of the ancient tribe’s cunning and brilliance during a pivotal time in the Roman Gallic age.

Explores three supertunnels that were once impossible to build, including the Mont Cenis Tunnel, the Eurotunnel and the Mont Blanc Tunnel. All three of these tunnels are examples of some of the biggest engineering endeavours ever undertaken by man.

Marc Fennell investigates the successful, but scandal-plagued megachurch Hillsong, stepping back into the world of Pentecostalism that he left behind and asking what happens as the Hillsong kingdom crumbles.

Explores the temples of Philae, an iconic Egyptian Ptolemaic-era attraction, which now stand as one of the last bastions of ancient Egyptian religion.

Examines how the Vatican spawned around Saint Peter's tomb and the process behind the construction of some of its architectural marvels and monuments.

Where did the Inca people come from, how were they organised and why did they disappear so suddenly? Recent archaeological exploration has allowed researchers to

Looks at the engineering of the Knights Templar, the religious order that marked the rise of the Middle Ages, and their amazing buildings in the west of Europe.