Boys watching TV in the 1950s

Historical film TV and radio

From binge-worthy period dramas to award-winning documentaries, find out why historical movies, TV and radio programs are more popular than ever, with this series of articles, podcasts and video

Ben Willbond as Henry VIII

“It’s rare that a television show actually changes people’s lives”: 15 years of Horrible Histories. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photo of Thomas Boston Corbett in front of a blurred drawing of the killing of John Wilkes Booth

Thomas ‘Boston’ Corbett: the man who killed Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth

Horrible Histories: 15 years of death, poo and talking rats. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Michael Douglas as American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in Apple TV+ period drama 'Franklin'

Is Franklin a true story? The real story of Benjamin Franklin and the Franco-American Alliance

Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga in Shogun

Shōgun: release schedule: when is episode 8?

Mary and George Villiers, played by Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine

Is Mary & George a true story? The real history behind the royal drama

Lili Taylor (left) and Hamish Linklater (right) as Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln in Manhunt

Manhunt release schedule: when is episode 6?

Ewan Macgregor in 'A Gentleman in Moscow' and the Hotel Metropol in Moscow

The incredible real history of A Gentleman in Moscow’s Hotel Metropol

The real Shirley Chisholm in 1974 and the Regina King in Netflix film 'Shirley'

Is Netflix’s Shirley a true story? The real history behind Chisholm's astonishing achievements

Barry Keoghan as Kurt Biddick in Masters of the Air

Second World War

Masters of the Air release schedule

Portrait of John Wilkes Booth

Why did John Wilkes Booth kill Abraham Lincoln? And how was he caught?

Cinemas in New York City, circa 1970.

QuizHistory on the screen

Olivia Colman as Edith Swan in a scene from Wicked Little Letters with her mouth open, looking shocked.

Wicked Little Letters: the true story of Edith Swan, Rose Gooding and the Littlehampton Libels

Mary & George: the real history behind the new drama. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Mary Villiers and Julianne Moore

Who was the real Mary Villiers?

The real George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, and Nicholas Galitzine as George Villiers

Who was George Villiers, favourite of King James VI and I?

The man who ran Auschwitz: the real story of The Zone of Interest. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

William Adams meets Tokugawa Ieyasu; inset Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthrone in Shogun

The real John Blackthorne in Shōgun: the true story of samurai William Adams, the first Englishman in Japan

Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga in Shōgun

Is Shōgun a true story? The real history behind the feudal Japan drama

Chanel: glamour and controversy on the Riviera. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Katherine Graham, owner of the Washington Post, and Truman Capote

The real story of Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball

Cast of The New Look

Is The New Look a true story? The real history behind the period drama

Juliette Banoche as Coco Chanel in 'The New Look' and the real Coco Chanel.

Did Coco Chanel collaborate with the Nazis during WW2?

Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) in 'The New Look' and the real Christian Dior.

The real Christian Dior: who was the man behind The New Look, and did he make dresses for Nazi wives?

Catherine Dior (Maisie Williams) in The New Look and the real Catherine Dior.

From French resistance to fashion heir: who was the real Catherine Dior?

Nate Mann as Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal in Apple TV+ WW2 drama Masters of the Air

Second World War

The real Robert Rosenthal: who was Rosie in Masters of the Air?

Masters of the Air: the real history behind the new show. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Austin Butler as Major Gale Cleven in Apple TV+ WW2 drama Masters of the Air

Second World War

The real Gale Cleven: who was Buck in Masters of the Air?

Callum Turner as John Egan and Austin Butler as Gale Cleven in Masters of the Air

Second World War

Masters of the Air real history: the true story of the ‘Bloody Hundredth’

The real Boys in the Boat during the Poughkeepsie Regatta

The Boys in the Boat: the real history behind George Clooney's underdog sports movie