DOCUMENTARY

THATCHER & REAGAN: A VERY SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP TALE OF TWO LEADERS

Margaret Thatcher’s handbags – as symbols of the weight and might she wielded – crop up often in this new series, which explores her close bond with US President Ronald Reagan. Presented by a man who knew Mrs T well – her biographer, Charles Moore – this is a well-informed look back at two ‘Cold War warriors’ whose friendship was forged in 1978, before either took office.

GOLD RUSH OUR OLYMPIC GLORY

After moderate success for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, here’s a reminder of when we really got it right. Three joyous episodes that not only celebrate the London Olympics of 2012 – when Britain amassed 29 golds (above right), 18 silvers and 18 bronzes and finished third – but also attempt to explain just why we were so successful. A roll call of British greats, including four-time gold medallist Mo Farah and cyclist Chris Hoy, pass comment on a revolutionary point in British sport, and how it was sparked by a National Lottery windfall for athletes.

THE LAST MOUNTAIN HIGH ALTITUDE TRAGEDY

In 1995 Jim Ballard took his children – Tom, six, and Kate, four – to K2’s base camp to say farewell to their mother, Alison Hargreaves, who had died while climbing in the Himalayas that year. Tragically, 24 years later, Tom, who’d become one of the world’s greatest climbers, was also dead, having perished in the same mountain range. In this emotional film, which draws on 25 years of intimate family archive, Jim and Kate talk about the impact of their loved ones’ deaths.