Historical film TV and radio

HMS Bittern on fire and severely damaged after a German air attack in Namsos fjord, 30 April 1940. Both sides sustained heavy losses in the battle of Norway but the German navy was less able to absorb these than its British foe. (Photo by Topfoto)

Second World War

Narvik in context How battle for Norway in 1940 saved Britain

27th April 1946: Miners and steelworkers in Tredegar pay the Workmen's Medical Aid Society twopence out of every pound they earn to go towards their medical, dental and optical services. A nurse bends over a small boy to see to his injuries. Original Publication: Picture Post - 4062 - Where Bevan Got His National Health Plan - pub. 1946

General History

Upcoming in 2023: historical anniversaries, exhibitions & television

Conrad Nagel and Dorothy Dalton in movie still from Fool's Paradise, 1921.

Hollywood in the 1920s: stars, scandals and the end of silent films

Amy James-Kelly as Anne Boleyn (right) in Netflix's Blood, Sex & Royalty.

Anne Boleyn’s voice: lost to the past, or louder than ever?

A colourised photomontage depicts a young woman on her deathbed in 1858. The “fasting girls” phenomenon of the
19th century resulted in similar scenes being played out in British and American homes. (Photo by Gado/Getty Images)

Hidden lives Victorian fasting girls

A still from American-made war epic All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet On The Western Front Why its lessons still matter today

Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel) and Cherie Blair (Lydia Leonard) in 'The Crown'

The Crown S5 E10 real history: the HMY Britannia‘s final voyage, and a political landslide

Princess Diana's 1995 interview with Martin Bashir.

The Crown S5 E8 real history: Diana’s Panorama interview causes fireworks

Camilla (Olivia Williams) in 'The Crown'.

The Crown S5 E5 real history: ‘Camillagate’ tapes and a “war council” for the monarchy’s survival

Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) in 'The Crown'

The Crown S5 E9 real history: the divorce settlement between Charles and Diana

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in season 5 of The Crown.

The Crown S5 E7 real history: the introduction of Martin Bashir, and a royal education

Tsar Nicolas II and George V of Great Britain

The Crown S5 E6 real history: the Romanovs’ murder, and Philip’s “spiritual companionship”

Premium

Princess Diana in 1994, attending an event at London’s Serpentine Gallery (left), and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, portraying the same moment in the so-called 'revenge dress' in The Crown

Free-spirited drama or fake news? How The Crown morphed from ‘safe’ territory to controversy . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Former British Prime Minister John Major (left) and Johnny Lee Miller as John Major in The Crown

John Major: a brief guide to Britain’s prime minister in the 1990s

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, in episode four of The Crown, season five

The Crown S5 E4 real history: the Queen’s “annus horribilis” and Princess Margaret’s relationship with Peter Townsend