When this epic series was first broadcast in 1973 it redefined the gold standard for television documentary; it remains the benchmark by which all factual programming must judge itself. Originally shown as 26 one-hour programmes, The World at War set out to tell the story of the Second World War through the testimony of key participants. The result is a unique and unrepeatable event, since ...

Manufacturer: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Starring: Laurence Olivier

Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
Starring: Francesco Da Mosto

Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
Starring: Michael Wood

Anchored by the impassioned presence of David Dimbleby, How We Built Britain is a terrific documentary series that follows its host on a journey of Britain's architectural heritage. Spread across six hours, it's a diligent, patient journey too, allowing plenty of time and space to tell some of the extraordinary stories that underpin the buildings and work that Dimbleby discovers. ...

Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
Starring: David Dimbleby

Walking with Dinosaurs, which must have surprised even its makers by reaching the viewing figures usually reserved for royal weddings, was the undoubted television event of 1999. (The companion book and soundtrack album became bestsellers, too.) Extending the computer animation techniques developed for Jurassic Park (1993) these six 30-minute programmes, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, ...

Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, André Dussollier, Avery Brooks, Resa Karim
Directed By: Jasper James, Tim Haines

Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video

The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour American Civil War defined what has since become known as the "Ken Burns approach"--voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal ...

Manufacturer: Simply Media
Starring: David McCullough (Pres/Narr), Ken Burns (Director)

Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video

Manufacturer: Revelation Films Ltd
Starring: Meryl Streep, James Woods, Tom Bell, Joseph Bottoms
Directed By: Marvin J Chomsky

Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
Starring: Kenneth Clark, David Attenborough