The Forum Episodes Episode guide
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Coco Chanel: French style icon
Exploring the rags to riches life story of the French fashion designer
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Nineteen Eighty-Four: Orwell's dystopian classic
Why George Orwell's novel remains topical 70 years after publication
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The Spartans: Ancient Greece鈥檚 fighting machine
The warriors famed for their discipline, fearless self-sacrifice and brutality
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Leeuwenhoek: The fabric seller who discovered bacteria
The life and work of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, the Dutch pioneer of microscopy
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Kafka's The Metamorphosis: A man turns into a monstrous bug
A man transforms into a kind of huge vermin overnight 鈥� Franz Kafka鈥檚 The Metamorphosis
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Hugh Masekela: The iconic South African musician
Looking back at the life and career of the South African musician and activist
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James Watt: The power of steam
How the Scottish engineer's ingenuity transformed industry
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The Bhagavad Gita: A guide to spiritual wisdom
The metaphysical and philosophical manual for Hindus and non-Hindus alike
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Cnut: England's Viking king
King Cnut the Great ruled much of northern Europe a millennium ago
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How Afghanistan won its freedom from Britain
1919 and the creation of independent Afghanistan
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Rasputin: The Siberian mystic who charmed the Tsar
Untangling the web of contradictions of the spiritual guide to the Romanov dynasty
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The Moon from Earth
The science, culture and mythology of the Moon
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Pearls: Treasures of the sea
The social history of pearls as a fashion and status symbol over the centuries
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Thoreau: the writer who went to the woods
The author of the American classic 鈥榃alden鈥�
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Fado: Portuguese soul music
Nostalgic song from Portugal, a small country with a big heart
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Queen Njinga of Angola: Fearless fighter
The remarkable 17th Century leader who defied European oppression
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Inside the mind of Leonardo da Vinci
The Italian artist鈥檚 unique understanding of science and the natural world
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Chess: a chequered history
A war on the board - one of the oldest strategy games in the world
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Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas
Jules Verne's classic adventure novel
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Napoleon: From empire to exile
Exploring the life and legacy of France鈥檚 revolutionary emperor
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The spice trade: Selling the scents of luxury
The unique allure of spices that preyed on emotion and taste, and powered whole Empires
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Moomin Creator Tove Jansson
Tove Jansson was the Finnish-Swedish author and illustrator best known for the Moomins.
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Anaesthesia: Unwrapping oblivion
Getting under the skin of the discovery which made pain-free operations possible
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Calouste Gulbenkian: The architect of Middle East oil
The secretive Armenian financier who shaped petroleum production for decades
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Robinson Crusoe: The man and his island
Daniel Defoe鈥檚 classic adventure story
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Lu Xun: Writing the story of New China
Life and works of the man who transformed Chinese literature.
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The talking drums of West Africa
A source of music, spiritual power and oral literature
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The Top of the World
The history of the North Pole as both a place on the map and in our imaginations.
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The Heel and the Sneaker
A history of footwear
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Goya: Seeking truth through art
The Spanish artist Francisco Goya, whose work explored the darker side of human nature
