Armando Iannucci presents a personal argument in praise of the genius of Charles Dickens. Through the prism of the author’s most autobiographical novel, David Copperfield, Armando looks beyond Dickens – the national institution – and instead explores the qualities of Dickens’s work that still make him one of the best British writers. While Dickens is often celebrated for his powerful depictions of Victorian England and his role as a social reformer, this programme foregrounds the elements of his writing which make him worth reading, as much for what he tells us about ourselves in the twenty-first century as our ancestors in the nineteenth. Armando argues that Dickens’s remarkable use of language and his extraordinary gift for creating characters make him a startlingly experimental and psychologically penetrating writer who demands not just to be adapted for television but to be read and read again.

A documentary on the fine dining subculture of foodies. The interest in haute cuisine has grown exponentially. Now, we enter the world of one of the most influential people on the food scene – the foodie. A subculture of blogging food critics with a mission to eat at the best restaurants on earth. Through our close study, we get access to the world’s most exclusive restaurants and get to know a group of slightly bizarre but charming food maniacs.

Through the eyes, words and songs of its popular music stars of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll examines and unravels Cambodia’s tragic past, culminating in the genocidal Khmer Rouge’s dismantling of the society and murder of 2,000,000 of its citizens.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has endured 20 years of devastating violence. Rape has been used as a weapon of war to destroy community and access precious minerals. Congo is often referred to as “the worst place in the world to be a woman.” CITY OF JOY tells a different story of the region. The film focuses on Jane, a student at a center where women who have suffered unimaginable abuse join together to become leaders. We also meet the founders of the center: a devout Congolese Doctor (Dr Denis Mukwege, 2016 Nobel Peace Prize nominee) a Congolese activist (Christine Schuler-Deschryver) and a radical N.Y. playwright (Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues). The film weaves between joy and pain as these individuals band together to demand hope in a place so often deemed hopeless.

The history books say that the first European to make contact with Native Americans was Christopher Columbus. New evidence tells a different story, that another civilization arrived in the New World centuries earlier. They were the Norse, a seafaring people who originated in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. They bore the name Viking, an “Old Norse” term for a pirate raid.

Young-Chan comes from planet of snail where deaf blind people live slow and quiet lives. When Young-Chan came to Earth, nobody understood his language and he was desperate. Then an angel walked into his life. Soon-Ho knows how it is to be lonely and soon becomes an inseparable part of his life. Young-Chan also discovers an amazing world under his fingers as he learned to read books with braille. Hopes began to grow and he dreams of writing a book. However, Soon-Ho cannot always be there for him because of her own problem of spine disability. The couple now should learn to survive alone. While Soon-Ho uneasily spends her first day waiting for his return, Young-Chan goes out for the biggest adventure of his life.

The Athos peninsula in Greece is one of Europe’s last secrets. Over 2000 monks live on Athos – cut off from the outside world. Access is denied to women, tourists are not welcome. Only workers and pilgrims can obtain a visa. The “Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain” attracts people who feel like they are missing something from their modern lives. With the help of three Athos monks, “Athos – A Taste of Heaven” tells the story of the island and its inhabitants in a unique filmed diary style. The film’s guiding theme is the path we as people have to find and follow – each and everyone for themselves. “First we must heal our own souls, only then we can help others”, is one of Father Galaktions core messages. He lives as a hermit on the holy mountain. Not all monks, however, live as secluded and demure as Father Galaktion. The film team is also received by Father Epiphanios – a gifted and poetic cook who certainly does not disdain the pleasures of life.

A behind-the-scenes look at the of how the Paris Opera is run under the direction of Stephane Lissner.

Comedian Kountry Wayne delivers a rousing stand-up set about life as a dad of 10, how to know if a woman likes you and why he keeps it real with Jesus.

Sir Tony Robinson takes a journey back in time to find out where Blackadder really began, and to uncover the story of the previously-unseen pilot episode.

A documentary about the hearings of President Nixon’s Commission on Obscenity, featuring adult-film producer David F. Friedman (one of the producers of this film) testifying before Congress, and involved in the production of one of his films, “Trader Hornee.”

An investigative journalist uncovers the money, influence, and alarming rationale behind covert land grabs by some of the world’s most powerful countries.