ALSO LOOK OUT FOR…
Who Do You Think You Are? (July, BBC One) may be 15 series old, but our collective enthusiasm for the format shows no signs of diminishing. That’s perhaps because the idea of historical events touching on the lives of direct forebears is one with which we can all identify. Philosophical musings aside, the new series features Our Girl star Michelle Keegan (in an episode shown ahead of the rest of the series as part of the Hear Her season, marking 100 years since women gained the vote). She’s followed by Olivia Colman, singer Boy George, Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas, comedian Lee Mack, TV presenter Marvin Humes, barrister Robert ‘Judge’ Rinder and Paralympian Jonnie Peacock. On BBC Two and iPlayer, Before
Grenfell: A Hidden History (June) is a one-off documentary that explores how the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has long been a place of inequality, where rich and poor often make uneasy neighbours.
The Chinese Exclusion Act (PBS America, Friday 29 June) focuses on a piece of federal legislation from 1882. This, uniquely, singled out by name and race a single nationality, and made it illegal for Chinese labourers to enter the US and for Chinese nationals ever to become citizens. Why were immigrants treated in such a way?
Meanwhile, Project Nazi (H2, Wednesday 20 June) explores how Hitler and his cohorts persuaded ordinary Germans to support their far-right vision for the future. Design, engineering and, of course, propaganda were all integral to the Nazis’ project of persuasion.