Secret History (TV series)

Secret History is a long-running British television documentary series. Shown on Channel 4, the Secret History brandname is still used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual documentaries can still be found on US cable channels without the branding. It can be seen as Channel 4's answer to the BBC's Timewatch. The series returned to Channel 4 on 10 November 2013 after a nine-year break.

Secret History
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Original release
Network	Channel 4
Release	14 November 1991 (1991-11-14)[1]

Production

According to Channel 4, Secret History is the home of single, hour-long history documentaries that shed new light on some of the most intriguing stories from the past. New evidence from excavation, research, and investigation reveal strange, forgotten stories and shed new light on the events we thought we knew well.^[2] The programmes challenge accepted views of key events in history. Sometimes concealed, sometimes manipulated by the media, the truth has been submerged behind the headlines and the propaganda. From Roman legions to Nazi television, the series re-examined contemporary evidence, focusing on often shocking first-hand accounts and the ground-breaking views of leading experts.^[3]

In 1992, the show won the Royal Television Society award for Best Documentary Series.^[1]

Episodes

Titles are linked to the main subject of each programme, where possible.

Series 1

• "The Hidden Hand" (14 November 1991)^[4]
• "Unquiet Graves" (21 November 1991)
• "Ratlines" (28 November 1991)
• "Bloody Sunday" (5 December 1991)
• "Murder in Mississippi" (12 December 1991)
• "Prisoners of Propaganda" (19 December 1991)^[5]

Series 2

• "Deep Sleep" (29 June 1992)^[6]
• "Birds of Death" (6 July 1992)^[7]
• "Drowning by Bullets" (13 July 1992)^[8]
• "The Last Days of Aldo Moro" (20 July 1992)^[9]
• "The Hidden Holocaust" (27 July 1992)^[10]
• "Death of a Democrat" (3 August 1992)^[11]
• "Bad Blood" (10 August 1992)^[12]
• "The Robert Kennedy Assassination" (17 August 1992)^[13]

Series 3

• "The Soviet Wives Affair" (20 January 1994)^[14]
• "White Lies" (27 January 1994)^[15]
• "The Dambusters Raid" (3 February 1994)^[16]
• "Dead or Alive?" (10 February 1994)^[17]
• "The Lynchburg Story" (17 February 1994)^[18]
• "Suicide Island" (24 February 1994)^[19]

Special

• "The Roswell Incident" (28 August 1995)^[20]

Series 4

• "The Battle of Goose Green" (11 July 1996)^[21]
• "The Whitechapel Murders" (25 July 1996)^[22]
• "The Voyage of the St. Louis" (1 August 1996)^[23]
• "Mutiny in the RAF" (8 August 1996)^[24]
• "Harold Wilson – the Final Days" (15 August 1996)^[25]
• "Konkordski" (22 August 1996)^[26][27]
• "Hello Mr President" (21 January 1997)^[28]

Series 5

• "Lords of the Underworld" (23 June 1997)^[29]
• "The Tragedy of HMS Glorious" (30 June 1997)^[30]
• "Breaking the Sound Barrier" (7 July 1997)^[31][32]
• "Gold Fever" (14 July 1997)^[33]
• "Spying for Love" (21 July 1997)^[34]

Specials – Indian Summer season

• "The Forgotten Famine" (12 August 1997)^[35]
• "The Cawnpore Massacres" (14 August 1997)^[36]
• "Bloody Partition" (25 August 1997)^[37]

Series 6

• "The Voyage of the Exodus" (11 May 1998)^[38]
• "The Porn King, the Stripper and the Bent Coppers" (18 May 1998)^[39]
• "The Chair" (1 June 1998)^[40]
• "Dad's Army" (8 June 1998)^[41]
• "Killer Flu" (15 June 1998)^[42]
• "The Berlin Airlift" (29 June 1998)^[43]
• "Purple Secret – In Search of Royal Madness" (6 July 1998)^[44][45]
• "Winter of Discontent" (13 July 1998)^[46]
• "Witch Hunt" (20 July 1998)^[47]
• "D-Day Disaster" (27 July 1998)^[48]
• "Kinsey's Paedophiles" (10 August 1998)^[49]

Series 7

• "The Great Train Robbery" (10 August 1999)
• "The Hidden Jews of Berlin" (17 August 1999)
• "Hitler's Search for the Holy Grail" (19 August 1999)
• "Mau Mau" (24 August 1999)
• "The People's Duchess" (31 August 1999)
• "Sex and the Swastika" (7 September 1999)^[50]
• "Bunny Girls" (14 September 1999)^[51]
• "Miracle on the River Kwai" (21 September 1999)
• "The Great Fog" (28 September 1999)
• "Execution at Camp 21" (5 October 1999)

Special

• "The Few" (25 July 2000)

Series 8

• "The Duchess and the Headless Man" (10 August 2000)^[52]
• "Funny Money" (17 August 2000)
• "Last Train from Budapest" (24 August 2000)^[53]
• "Prisoners of the Kaiser" (31 August 2000)
• "Mutiny – The True Story of the Red October" (7 September 2000)
• "Natural Born Americans" (14 September 2000)
• "Children of the Iron Lung" (21 September 2000)

Series 9

• "Orphans of the Airlift" (9 August 2001)
• "The Search for the Struma" (16 August 2001)
• "The Lost Legions of Varus" (23 August 2001)
• "Television in the Third Reich" (30 August 2001)
• "Wartime Crime" (6 September 2001)
• "Spanish Armada" (13 September 2001)
• "The Falklands – Exocet!" (5 January 2002)

Series 10

• "Charge of the Light Brigade" (6 June 2002)
• "The Comet Cover-Up" (13 June 2002)
• "Witchfinder General" (20 June 2002)
• "Magic at War" (27 June 2002)

First World War sub-series:

• "The Crucified Soldier" (4 July 2002)
• "The War That Made the Nazis" (11 July 2002)
• "Horror on the Home Front" (18 July 2002)
• "Dogfight – The Mystery of The Red Baron" (25 July 2002)

Series 11

• "Brighton Bomb" (15 May 2003)
• "Hitler of the Andes" (22 May 2003)
• "Costa del Crime" (29 May 2003)
• "The Affair" (5 June 2003)
• "The Strangest Viking" (12 June 2003)
• "The Nazi Officer's Wife" (19 June 2003)

Specials

• "Brinks Mat – The Greatest Heist Part 1" (24 November 2003)
• "Brinks Mat – The Greatest Heist Part 2" (1 December 2003)
• "Who Kidnapped Shergar?" (18 March 2004)

Series 12

• "Beasts of the Roman Games" (7 June 2004)
• "Britain's Boy Soldiers" (14 June 2004)
• "The Royal Mummy" (21 June 2004)
• "Sex Bomb" (28 June 2004)
• "Sink the Belgrano" (5 July 2004)
• "The Nazi Expedition" (12 July 2004)

Series 13

• "The Mystery of the Burnt Mummy" (10 November 2013)
• "Queen Victoria and the Crippled Kaiser" (17 November 2013)
• "Finding Babylon's Hanging Garden" (24 November 2013)^[54]
• "New Secrets of the Terracotta Warriors" (8 December 2013)
• "The Dambusters' Great Escape" (30 March 2014)
• "Return of the Black Death" (6 April 2014)

Series 14

• "The Real Noah's Ark" (14 September 2014)
• "Hitler's Hidden Drug Habit" (19 October 2014)
• "WW1's Forgotten Heroes" (2 November 2014)^[55]
• "The Great Wall of China – The Hidden Story" (30 November 2014)

Series 15

• "London's Lost Graveyard – The Crossrail Discovery" (19 July 2015)
• "Prince Philip – the Plot to Make a King" (30 July 2015)^[56]
• "Hunt for the Arctic Ghost Ship" (4 August 2015)
• "The Other Prince William" (27 August 2015)
• "First Humans – The Cave Discovery" (27 September 2015)
• "Cleopatra's Lost Tomb" (4 October 2015)
• "China – Treasures of the Jade Empire" (18 October 2015)
• "Sex Change Spitfire Ace" (24 October 2015)
• "Britain's Medieval Vampires" (31 October 2015 More4)

Series 16

• "Shakespeare's Tomb" (26 March 2016)^[57]
• "The Mystery of the Crossrail Skulls" (24 April 2016)
• "Jutland – WW1's Greatest Sea Battle" (21 May 2016)
• "Messages Home – Lost Films of the British Army" (26 June 2016)
• "China's Forgotten Emperor" (3 July 2016)^[58]
• "Saddam Goes to Hollywood" (24 July 2016)
• "Heroes of Helmand – The British Army's Greatest Escape" (16 August 2016)
• "Secrets of a Police Marksman" (18 August 2016)
• "The Good Terrorist" (27 August 2016)
• "The Last Heroes of the Somme" (13 November 2016)
• "Pearl Harbor – The New Evidence" (10 December 2016)
• "Titanic – The New Evidence" (1 January 2017)

Series 17

• "Dunkirk – The New Evidence" (2 July 2017)
• "Secrets of China's Forbidden City" (9 July 2017)
• "Egypt's Great Pyramid – The New Evidence" (23 September 2017)
• "Britain's Forgotten Army" (12 November 2017)
• "Holocaust – The Revenge Plot" (27 January 2018)
• "Lost Cities of the Maya – Revealed" (11 February 2018)
• "The First Brit – Secrets of the 10,000 Year Old Man" (18 February 2018)
• "Hannibal's Elephant Army – The New Evidence" (25 February 2018)
• "Churchill's Secret Affair" (4 March 2018)
• "Jesus' Female Disciples" (8 April 2018)

Series 18

• "Skeletons of the Mary Rose – The New Evidence" (7 September 2019)

Home video releases

The Whitechapel Murders was released on PAL VHS by Channel 4 Video in 1996,^[59] and later re-issued as part of the Marshall Cavendish Murder in Mind part-work, with accompanying magazine. The Dambusters Raid was released as a region-free NTSC DVD by Delta Music in 2002, and reissued several times subsequently. Prince Philip – the Plot to Make a King was released on DVD by IMC Vision in 2017, with accompanying magazine. PBS released Killer Flu following its screening under their Secrets of the Dead banner, and Dogfight – The Mystery of The Red Baron under the title Who Killed the Red Baron? after it was screened in its Nova series.

See also

• List of Equinox episodes

References

1. Secret History Summary tv.com. Retrieved 29 August 2009
2. Secret History Channel4.com. Retrieved 29 August 2009
3. Secret History Channel4.com. Retrieved 29 August 2009
4. Music by Andrew Claxton: Mike Preston. Tele-Tunes 1994: Television, Film & Show Music on CD, Cassette & Vinyl. 12th Edition. Mike Preston Music. Morecambe. 1994. ISBN 0906655110. p 118.
5. First UK screening of the 1987 documentary written and directed by Graham Shirley.
6. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Deep Sleep", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 29 June 1992, "Life & Times" section, 29 June 1992, p 10.
7. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Birds of Death", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 6 July 1992, "Life & Times" section, 6 July 1992, p 10; and Tim Kelsey, "RAF suppressed atrocity reports", The Independent, 5 July 1992.
8. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Drowning by Bullets", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 13 July 1992, "Life & Times" section, 13 July 1992, p 8.
9. For a review of this episode, see Peter Davalle, "Secret History: The Last Days of Aldo Moro", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 20 July 1992, "Life & Times" section, 20 July 1992, p 10.
10. For reviews of this episode, see Stephanie Billen, "Secret History: The Hidden Holocaust", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 27 July 1992, "Life & Times" section, 27 July 1992, p 12; and Allison Pearson, "Euphemism goes for gold", The Independent, 1 August 1992. For commentary on this episode, see Allison Pearson, "When parting was such sweet sorrow: TV Programme of the Year", The Independent, 27 December 1992.
11. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Death of a Democrat", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 3 August 1992, "Life & Times" section, 3 August 1992, p 14.
12. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Bad Blood", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 10 August 1992, "Life & Times" section, 10 August 1992, p 12.
13. For reviews of this episode, see Stephanie Billen, "Secret History: The Robert Kennedy Assassination", ("TV Choice") in "Television and Radio", The Times, 17 August 1992, "Life & Times" section, 17 August 1992, p 12; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Shot in the dark", The Independent, 17 August 1992 (this review was corrected at Thomas Sutcliffe, "Little grouse on the prairie", The Independent, 19 August 1992).
14. For a review of this episode, see Thomas Sutcliffe, "Letting off steam on the beaten track", The Independent, 21 January 1994.
15. For a review of this episode, see Stephanie Billen, "Secret History: White Lies" in "Choice", The Times, 27 January 1994, p 43
16. For reviews of this episode, see Stephanie Billen, "Secret History: The Dambusters' Raid" in "Choice", The Times, 3 February 1994, p 43; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Dambusters have gone from history to myth", The Independent, 4 February 1994.
17. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Dead or Alive?" in "Choice", The Times, 10 February 1994, p 43
18. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: the Lynchburg Story" in "Choice", The Times, 17 February 1994, p 43; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Sterilisation - and it's all for a good cause", The Independent, 18 February 1994.
19. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Suicide Island" in "Choice", The Times, 24 February 1994, p 43
20. For a review of this episode, see Thomas Sutcliffe, "review", The Independent, 28 August 1995.
21. For a review of this episode, see Peter Preston, "Same old story, fight for love and glory", The Guardian, 12 July 1996, p 9.
22. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: The Whitechapel Murders" in "Choice", The Times, 25 July 1996, p 43; Matthew Bond, "Conclusive proof or another ripping yarn?", The Times, 26 July 1996, p 43; and David Aaronovitch, "Thinking man's psychic investigator", The Independent, 27 July 1996.
23. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: The Voyage of the St Louis" in "Choice", The Times, 1 August 1996, p 43.
24. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Mutiny in the RAF" in "Choice", The Times, 8 August 1996, p 43; Lynne Truss, "Animal crackers, that's what this country is", The Times, 9 August 1996, p 39; and Thomas Sutcliffe, review, The Independent, 8 August 1996.
25. For reviews of this episode, see Elizabeth Cowley, "Secret History: Harold Wilson – The Final Days" in "Choice", The Times, 15 August 1996, p 43; Lynne Truss, "When public interest shades into prurience", The Times, 16 August 1996, p 39; and Alan Watkins, "Harold wasn't pushed, he'd wanted to jump for years", The Independent, 17 August 1996.
26. Originally scheduled for 18 July (the day after the crash of TWA Flight 800) which was replaced with repeat of The Soviet Wives Affair.
27. For reviews of this episode, see Elizabeth Cowley, "Secret History: Konkordski" in "Choice", The Times, 22 August 1996, p 43; and Matthew Bond, "Plane truth about industrial espionage", The Times, 23 August 1996, p 47.
28. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Hello Mr President" in "Choice", The Times, 21 January 1997, p 51; Matthew Bond, "Awkward pauses and fluffed cues all round", The Times, 22 January 1997, p 47; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Review", The Independent, 22 January 1997.
29. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Lords of the Underworld" in "Television Choice", The Times, 23 June 1997, p 46; Joe Joseph, "Vice and virtue with extra pepperoni, please", The Times, 24 June 1997, p 51; John Pearson, "The Lords of the Underworld", The Independent, 14 June 1997; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Last Night", The Independent, 23 June 1997.
30. For a review of this episode, see Joe Joseph, "A serial portrait painter, serially revisited", The Times, 1 July 1997, p 51.
31. Later re-edited for Nova on US PBS as "Faster Than Sound", 14 October 1997, with narration by Stacey Keach rather than Veronika Hyks. "Faster Than Sound." NOVA Transcripts, PBS, air date: 14 October 1997. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
32. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Breaking the Sound Barrier" in "Television Choice", The Times, 7 July 1997, p 46.
33. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Gold Fever" in "Television Choice", The Times, 14 July 1997, p 46; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Television review", The Independent, 14 July 1997.
34. The Times, 21 July 1997, p 47. "S4C", The Times, 4 August 1997, p 43.
35. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Indian Summer: The Forgotten Famine" in "Television Choice", The Times, 12 August 1997, p 46.
36. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Indian Summer: The Cawnpore Massacre" in "Television Choice: Structural evolution explored", The Times, 14 August 1997, p 42; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Last Night", The Independent, 14 August 1997.
37. For a review of this episode, see Frances Lass, "Secret History" in "Television Choice: Truth behind the rumours", The Times, 25 August 1997, p 42.
38. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History Special" in "Television Choice: King: queen of Wimbledon", The Times, 11 May 1998, p 46.
39. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: The Porn King, the Stripper and the Bent Coppers" in "Television Choice: Born again in Lebanon", The Times, 18 May 1998, p 50; and Joe Joseph, "'Ello, 'ello, 'ello, what's coming off 'ere then?", The Times, 19 May 1998, p 55.
40. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: The Chair" in "Television Choice: Highs and Low's in Borneo", The Times, 1 June 1998, p 46; and Joe Joseph, "Thomas Edison and his infernal invention", The Times, 2 June 1998, p 51
41. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Dad's Army" in "Television Choice: A damp twitch in Trinidad", The Times, 8 June 1998, p 46; Joe Joseph, "The truth about Mainwaring's brave band", The Times, 9 June 1998, p 55; and "Last Night", The Independent, 8 June 1998.
42. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Killer Flu" in "Television Choice: Those magnificent men . . .", The Times, 15 June 1998, p 50.
43. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: The Berlin Airlift" in "Television Choice: Re-Generation game show", The Times, 29 June 1998, p 46; and Joe Joseph, "BBC game show fails to meet the challenge", The Times, 30 June 1998, p 51.
44. The Times, 6 July 1998, p 47
45. For further commentary on this episode, see Vanessa Thorpe, "Royals still carry 'mad' George gene", The Independent, 21 June 1998.
46. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Winter of Discontent" in "Television Choice: Purveyors of novelty soap", The Times, 13 July 1998, p 46; and Peter Barnard, "A chill wind recalls the winter of discontent", The Times, 14 July 1998, p 47.
47. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: Witch Hunt" in "Television Choice: Bats, balls and battleships", The Times, 20 July 1998, p 46.
48. For a review of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History: D-Day Disaster" in "Television Choice: With friends like these", The Times, 27 July 1998, p 46; and Peter Barnard, "Blame for bloody blunder must be shared", The Times, 28 July 1998, p 47.
49. For reviews of this episode, see Peter Waymark, "Secret History" in "Television Choice", The Times, 10 August 1998, p 42; Joe Joseph, "Delusions, drugs and a discredited doctor", The Times, 11 August 1998, p 39; Roger Clarke, "It's time to ditch the dirt", The Independent, 10 August 1998; and Thomas Sutcliffe, "Television Review", The Independent, 10 August 1998.
50. For a review of this episode, see Brian Viner, "Broadcasting: Masochists would love this show", The Independent, 11 September 1999
51. For a review of this episode, see Brian Viner, "Broadcasting: When Victor kept them on the hop", The Independent, 18 September 1999
52. For a review of this episode, see Anthony Barnes, "Fairbanks was Headless Man", The Independent, 10 August 2000.
53. For a review of this episode, see Adam Lebor, "Eichmann's List: a pact with the devil", The Independent, 23 August 2000
54. For a review of this episode, see Gerard Gilbert, "Television choices: Had enough of Doctor Who? Try another trip back in time", The Independent, 22 November 2013.
55. For a review of this episode, see Ellen E Jones, "Why today's casualties of war are no longer the nation's guilty secret", The Independent, 2 November 2014.
56. For a review of this episode, see Tom Brooks-Pollock, "Queen Nazi salute film: Documentary will show Prince Philip's sister calling Hitler 'charming and modest'", The Independent, 20 July 2015.
57. For a review of this episode, see Nick Clark, "Shakespeare's skull 'missing' from his grave, new examination finds", The Independent, 23 March 2016.
58. "The Secret History of China's Female Emperor". 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
59. "THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS | British Board of Film Classification". bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2019.