Secret History

The story of a remarkable secret group of Holocaust survivors who decided to avenge the Holocaust by poisoning German cities' water supplies, to kill millions of German civilians.

This documentary has exclusive access to a startling research project that is revealing an ancient hidden civilisation in Central America and transforming what we thought we knew about the Maya

Follows the UK's most ambitious and cutting-edge ancient DNA project to date. For the first time, a team of top scientists at the Natural History Museum and University College London have analysed the DNA of Britain's oldest complete skeleton. Known as Cheddar Man, this human male fossil was originally unearthed over 100 years ago in Gough's Cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset. Building on the advanced genetic testing of his 10,000-year-old bones, two of the most acclaimed palaeontological model makers in the world, Dutch identical twins Adrie and Alfons Kennis, have recreated Cheddar Man's entire head to give his extraordinary skeleton a real identity for the first time.

The story of Carthaginian general Hannibal crossing the Alps with an army of 40,000 men, 9000 cavalry and 37 elephants is one of history's greatest legends. But the details of the journey - what route he took and how he and his entourage managed to conquer the treacherous mountain terrain - were a mystery, until now. For the first time, an international team of scientists is searching for clues hidden deep beneath the Alps' rocky soil, and their extraordinary discoveries are shedding new light on Hannibal's almost-impossible journey. The scientists are joined by paleobiologist Dr Tori Herridge and historian Dr Eve MacDonald, who follow in Hannibal's footsteps to experience what it must have been like as this ancient army battled raging rivers, hostile tribes and mighty mountains.

The traditional story of the birth of Christianity is dominated by men. Only men could be priests, and only men were close disciples of Jesus. But now Bible experts Helen Bond and Joan Taylor lay out a striking alternative version of events, with women central to the origins of Christianity. But why has this pivotal role played by women disappeared from history? In a journey that takes them to ancient caves in Israel and catacombs in Italy, Helen and Joan question centuries of Christian thought. Were female disciples crucial to Jesus' mission, preaching, healing, baptising and even financing the movement? Helen and Joan believe that what they've found will mean that millions of Christians will have to rethink the origins of their faith.