INSIDE THE LIVES OF THE RICH, FAMOUS & RACY
BRILLIANT BIOGRAPHIES Thatcher: A Very British Revolution iPLAYER
A TV news report from the 1970s shows Margaret Thatcher heading to the Commons, while the voiceover explains that having got the children to school and seen that husband Denis was fed, she could go to work. At the time, she was a Cabinet minister. This life story shows how much sexism she had to overcome to be Britain’s first female PM, and is studded with anecdotes from friends (and enemies). Five episodes
Talking Pictures iPLAYER
One of the best occasional series on the Beeb, Talking Pictures raids the chat show archives to show us film stars off duty. In the era before actors appeared only to plug their latest movie, here the likes of David Niven, Lauren Bacall and Orson Welles subject themselves to probing questions from interviewers such as Barry Norman. The only ones available currently feature Alfred Hitchcock and John Mills, but more pop up all the time. Two episodes
Omnibus and Imagine iPLAYER
Two of the BBC’s most longrunning and respected titles, both specialise in trenchant biographies of complex figures. Episodes here include a look at the life of Oscar Wilde, and Peter Ustinov’s account of Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Crime writer Patricia Cornwell explains her fascination for Jack the Ripper, and there’s a portrait of sculptor Anish Kapoor. 11 episodes
BBC Classic Biographies iPLAYER
Dig around in iPlayer and you’ll find some bizarre treasures. There’s A House In Bayswater, a 1960 film by Ken Russell about the tenants of a building in west London, and The Colony, about West Indian immigrants in Birmingham in 1964. The Big Gamble shows British families heading to the seaside for their Bank Holiday picnic praying for sunshine, and A Poet In London interviews John Betjeman as he ambles round his favourite haunts. Four episodes
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le MansiPLAYER
In 1970, every red-blooded male in the Western world wanted to be Steve McQueen — except the man himself. He wanted to be a racing driver, king of the 24-hour competition regarded by many as the greatest of all. This film shows how his obsession with Le Mans would cost him his marriage, and has some of the most exciting motor-race footage ever shot. One episode
Trump: An American Dream NETFLIX
Long before he was a reality TV star, let alone President of the U.S., Donald Trump was infamous for his marriage break-ups and his casinos. This series charts his rise from being the son of a property developer who shared a lawyer with some of New York’s most corrupt gangsters. The Donald has scattered explosive interviews throughout his career, and this is a documentary to watch with your jaw hanging open. Four episodes
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates NETFLIX
Gates was famous as the founder of Microsoft. Now he’s better known as a philanthropist on a grand scale. This series examines three of his foundation’s multi-billion-dollar goals: clean water, nuclear power and eradicating polio. He’s a highly intelligent man but he also has a famously erratic thought process, leaping from one topic to another faster than most people can keep up. Three episodes
Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All NETFLIX/iPLAYER FROM MAR 28
The undisputed superstar of singers was also one of the most unpleasant characters in Hollywood. He courted mafia dons and honed his reputation as a man never to be crossed, but also dedicated his life to music and still exerts a huge influence on singers such as Robbie Williams. Two episodes
Jane NETFLIX
In the 1960s Jane Goodall was the first scientist to suggest that chimps had emotions. She based her theory on years of watching troupes of apes in the wild after answering an advert in her teens to work for an African primatologist. This film captures her passion. One episode
Bobby Kennedy For President NETFLIX
The assassination of JFK in 1963 is regarded as a turning point in history. But it was the killing of his younger brother Robert, by a mentally ill gunman, that really changed the world. Kennedy seemed destined to enter the White House, but his death ushered in Richard Nixon instead. This documentary charts his political life. Four episodes
Martin Luther King by Trevor McDonald BRITBOX
In the same year Bobby Kennedy was killed, 1968, civil rights campaigner MLK was assassinated in Memphis. A hero to millions for his opposition to segregation, he led a complicated private life. Trevor McDonald sketches a respectful biography that does not skate over the flaws in the great man’s character. One episode
The Scandalous Adventures Of Lord Byron BRITBOX
George Gordon, the sixth Baron Byron of Rochdale, was a debauchee, drug abuser, predator and alcoholic after being sexually abused and beaten until he couldn’t move by his nursemaid at the age of nine. Actor Rupert Everett, a devotee of Byron’s romantic poetry, retraces the bad baron’s route across Europe after he fled England to avoid (true) allegations of incest with his sister. Scandal indeed. Two episodes
7Up Collection BRITBOX
Beginning in 1964, film-maker Michael Apted took a group of cheeky seven-year-olds and asked them about their lives and dreams. Every seven years since, he has gone back and talked to the survivors. As well as one-off reports on the gang at 14, 21, 35 and 42, four longer series are available — with interviews at 28, 49, 56 and, most recently, this year aged 63. To watch them grow old in front of you is moving and unsettling. 16 episodes