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Documentaries

Explainer

Documentaries

How Does an Escalator Work?

Using ultra-realistic CGI animation, this fascinating show breaks down everyday objects into their component parts to reveal their secret workings. This episode looks at an escalator, a leaf blower, a tape measure, a security safe, a tennis ball launcher and a music box.

Frank.

History

Documentaries

The History of the British Empire

If you were to look at Britain on a map today, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s borders only encompass those of the British Isles. But if you look at the world as a whole, you will find that there are actually 14 overseas territories where the British government still holds power. From Gibraltar at the entrance of the Mediterranean, to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, these are the last remaining possessions of Britain’s once mighty empire. 

Frank.

Aviation

Documentaries

Inside the Cockpit of the Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was Germany’s most iconic fighter of World War II – sleek, fast and deadly. But behind its fearsome reputation was a horrifying truth: flying it was almost a guaranteed brush with death.

Frank.

Nature

Documentaries

Europe’s Great Wilderness: Europe’s Green Heart

Europe was once covered by forest, from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Wiped out in a mini ice age, they, and the wildlife that inhabit them are making a spectacular recovery. Today, Europe’s forests cover around 1000 million hectares (about 30 times the size of Poland). From Mediterranean cork forests; Central Europe’s great oak and beech woodlands to the evergreen taiga just below the Arctic Circle, these wild woodlands form some of the most secret, complex and beautiful habitats on the planet.

Frank.

TOP STORIES

Aviation

frank

Better Than Air Force One? Inside Trump’s Private Jet

Built to hold 228 passengers, the Boeing 757 is three times the size of a typical private jet – 47 meters long, with a wingspan of 39 meters and the tail standing nearly 14 meters high. This makes it one of the biggest corporate jets in the entire world. The plane comes with two bedrooms and a shower, as well as a ‘screening room’ equipped with a 57 inch TV – like having your own personal home cinema.

Frank.

Aviation

frank

Red Arrows: Kings of the Sky

Two pilots attempt their hair-raising head-to-head manoeuvres for the first time as the team begins their intense winter training ahead of the RAF’s Centenary celebrations.

Frank.

Adventure

frank

World’s Most Dangerous Roads: The Abano Pass

In the far north-east of Georgia, on the border with Russia, the Abano Pass leads to lofty heights. At almost 3000 metres it is the highest passable road in the Great Caucasus. It winds its way up dizzyingly steep slopes. On wild paths, it leads through a fascinating landscape. It is a voyage of discovery into a mighty mountain world.

Frank.

Shooting

frank

Gunman’s wife, son may face charges

The wife and teenaged son of a man accused of murdering two policemen could face charges, as Victoria’s top cop urges the fugitive to lay down his arms.  Dezi Freeman, 56, was still at large on Friday following the fatal confrontation on Tuesday at a property in Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne. Victoria Police arrested his 42-year-old wife Mali and a 15-year-old on Thursday night following an operation at an address in Chandler Court near the town’s centre.

AAP Newswire

Nature

frank

Europe’s Great Wilderness: Europe’s Green Heart

Europe was once covered by forest, from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Wiped out in a mini ice age, they, and the wildlife that inhabit them are making a spectacular recovery. Today, Europe’s forests cover around 1000 million hectares (about 30 times the size of Poland). From Mediterranean cork forests; Central Europe’s great oak and beech woodlands to the evergreen taiga just below the Arctic Circle, these wild woodlands form some of the most secret, complex and beautiful habitats on the planet.

Frank.

Aviation

frank

Inside the Cockpit of the Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was Germany’s most iconic fighter of World War II – sleek, fast and deadly. But behind its fearsome reputation was a horrifying truth: flying it was almost a guaranteed brush with death.

Frank.

History

frank

The History of the British Empire

If you were to look at Britain on a map today, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s borders only encompass those of the British Isles. But if you look at the world as a whole, you will find that there are actually 14 overseas territories where the British government still holds power. From Gibraltar at the entrance of the Mediterranean, to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, these are the last remaining possessions of Britain’s once mighty empire. 

Frank.

Aviation

Documentaries

Better Than Air Force One? Inside Trump’s Private Jet

Built to hold 228 passengers, the Boeing 757 is three times the size of a typical private jet – 47 meters long, with a wingspan of 39 meters and the tail standing nearly 14 meters high. This makes it one of the biggest corporate jets in the entire world. The plane comes with two bedrooms and a shower, as well as a ‘screening room’ equipped with a 57 inch TV – like having your own personal home cinema.

Frank.

Aviation

Documentaries

Red Arrows: Kings of the Sky

Two pilots attempt their hair-raising head-to-head manoeuvres for the first time as the team begins their intense winter training ahead of the RAF’s Centenary celebrations.

Frank.

Adventure

Documentaries

World’s Most Dangerous Roads: The Abano Pass

In the far north-east of Georgia, on the border with Russia, the Abano Pass leads to lofty heights. At almost 3000 metres it is the highest passable road in the Great Caucasus. It winds its way up dizzyingly steep slopes. On wild paths, it leads through a fascinating landscape. It is a voyage of discovery into a mighty mountain world.

Frank.

Rescue

Documentaries

Pushing the Chopper to the Limits

The Coast Guard Alaska team at Air station Kodiak run into many disasters. A rescue swimmer struggles to reach a stranded sailor in time before the helicopter runs out of fuel. The new trainees are pushed to their limits and a local pilot crashes on the coast and the crew must chopper in and pull out the pilot.

Frank.

Mining

Documentaries

How One Company Controls the Entire Diamond Industry

The astonishing story of how De Beers, one of history’s most successful monopolies, manipulated the global diamond market. From their iconic slogan “A Diamond is Forever” to their ruthless control over diamond supply and pricing, discover how De Beers reshaped our ideas about love, luxury, and value.

Frank.

Nature

Documentaries

What’s Hidden Under the Trees of the Amazon Rainforest?

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most fascinating and most mysterious places on Earth. It sprawls seemingly endlessly across a vast area of South America, roughly 6 million square kilometres all in – an area of land that’s about equivalent to ¾ of the continental United States. The majority of the rainforest, about 60 per cent of it, is contained within the borders of Brazil but significant parts of it also extend into Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana.

Frank.

History

Documentaries

Britain vs Argentina: Falklands War

Four decades ago, the United Kingdom and Argentina fought a brief but extraordinary war over the Falkland Islands, a windswept archipelago in the south Atlantic. This is its story.

Frank.

Transport

Documentaries

The Evolution of Ocean Liners: Part 2

In 1897 the German merchant marine changed everything when North German Lloyd introduced the four-stacker ocean liner Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. For the next fifteen years the world’s great shipping companies vied with one another to introduce bigger and better ships and this maritime ‘arms race’ resulted in the creation of some of history’s greatest ships including RMS Olympic, SS France, RMS Titanic, HMHS Britannic, RMS Lusitania, RMS Mauretania, RMS Aquitania and more.

Frank.