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
Bettany Hughes’s Treasures Of The World
Channel 4
Saturday 25th October, 7pm
The classicist and historian heads for Bulgaria to visit archaeological sites that, among other highlights, offer insights into the prehistoric era and the early spread of Christianity through Europe. Followed by Great British Train Journeys From Above (8pm), which follows the route of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway from Whitby to Pickering.
Archive On 4: Aleister Crowley: Master Of The Dark Arts
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 25th October, 8pm
Writer, critic and broadcaster Paul Morley looks at the cultural afterlife of Aleister Crowley. It’s 150 years since the occultist was born, but his influence endures down the years, in particular on musicians. The Beatles, Black Sabbath, David Bowie and Led Zeppelin are all among those who have referenced his work.
The Castle Of Otranto
BBC Radio 4
Sunday 26th October, 3pm
Widely regarded as the first Gothic novel, Hugh Walpole’s potboiler was first published in 1764. Adapted for radio by Katherine Tozer, it tells a dark tale of nasty goings-on in Medieval Italy and follows a despotic ruler, Manfred (Sandy Grierson), who will go to any lengths to hold onto power.
Guy Martin: The British Train That Changed The World
Channel 4
Sunday 26th October, 7.30pm
Sometime mechanic Guy Martin is the latest TV presenter to mark the 200th anniversary of the first steam locomotive hauling a passenger-carrying train. Cameras follow Martin as, over the course of a year, he helps out with the rebuild of a replica of the Stephensons’ revolutionary Locomotion No1. He also joins the crew on its footplate.
The House At Number 48
BBC Radio 4
Monday 27th October, 1.45pm
Antony Easton continues his revelatory family research. The first of five weekday episodes focuses on those Easton’s father left behind in Germany when he moved to England in 1939. What became of them? And what became of the money, artworks and properties Easton’s forebears owned?
Once Upon A Time In Space – pick of the week
BBC Two
Monday 27th October, 9pm
Director James Bluemel, whose series on Iraq and Northern Ireland rightfully attracted rave reviews and awards, turns his attention to humankind’s adventures beyond the safety of Earth. In the first of four episodes, the focus is on the early Space Shuttle programme, a narrative told largely through first-hand testimony, and the loss of Challenger in 1986.
The Forsytes
5
Monday 27th October, 9pm
Episode two of the family saga and there’s an opportunity to invest in a gold-mining venture. Jolson Forsyte (Danny Griffin) isn’t so sure this is a good idea, but the board of the company, motivated by the prospect of big returns, want to push ahead.
Queen Victoria’s Nightmares
BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 28th October, 4pm
Queen Victoria struggled with her mental health. We can be sure of this because of the revelatory personal diaries of her obstetrician, Dr Robert Ferguson (1799–1865). Featuring insights from psychoanalyst Susie Orbach, historian Fern Riddell and dream scientist Caroline Horton, Matthew Sweet offers insights into the royal’s life.
Witches Of Essex
Sky History
Tuesday 28th October, 9pm
In the final episode of the series, Rylan Clark and Alice Roberts take us back to the mid-1640s, a time when Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witchfinder General, was in his terrible pomp. At Manningtree in Essex, we learn, Hopkins was central to bringing allegations of witchcraft against 23 women who subsequently faced trial in Chelmsford.
Inside The Tower Of London
5
Thursday 30th October, 8pm
The fly-on-the-wall series returns with an episode that looks back at the summer of 2024, when staff were preparing to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Plus Tracy Borman explores the life of Sir Walter Raleigh (c1553–1618), a sometime favourite of Queen Elizabeth whose misadventures in the Stuart era ended with his premature demise.