Timewatch

Timewatch (1982-2017)

EndedDocumentary showHistory

A series of historical documentaries originally broadcast on BBC Two, but more recently airing on BBC Four.

Network
Scheduleevery Tuesday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Explorers: Conquest and Calamity
Year 2017Episode 560 min

Explorers: Conquest and Calamity

For centuries the story of exploration has been packed with incredible tales of adventure, but the last fifty years has seen a dramatic shift in our attitude towards explorers.

To find out how television has reflected this, Prof Fara Dabhoiwala delves into the BBC television archives, revealing that the pace of this change was faster than you would imagine. In the 1960s the BBC was still making programmes showing Christopher Columbus as an uncomplicated conquering hero. Barely a decade later, it made a documentary that delved into museum storerooms packed with artifacts brought back to Britain by Captain Cook, focusing on the perspective of the explored rather than the explorer.

As the story of exploration became as much about social calamity as conquest, television has been forced to find new ways to portray explorers. By the 21st century this included everything from focusing on adventurers like Ernest Shackleton, famous not for conquest but for saving the lives of his men, to using new technology to demystify exploration by making programmes from material shot by the explorers themselves.

Aug 1, 2017

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
2017-08-01Explorers: Conquest and CalamityAug 1, 2017
2017-07-25Dictators and DespotsJul 25, 2017
2017-07-18The Vikings: Foe or Friend?Jul 18, 2017
2017-07-13Decoding DisasterJul 13, 2017
2017-02-01British Empire: Heroes and VillainsFeb 1, 2017
View all episodesView all seasons

Also known as

  • A Timewatch Guide (United Kingdom)

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