In this episode, historian Dr Sam Willis continues to retrace the steps of explorer Zhang Qian to the city of Dunhuang. Show more

Dr Sam Willis takes the story of shipwrecks into the Georgian age when Britain began to rule the waves and disasters at sea imperilled its trading power. Show more

Series charting the age of the outlaw begins with the arrival of a new breed of gentleman criminal out of the ashes of the Civil War. Show more

Sam Willis looks at how castles survived into the Tudor era. But these strategic seats of power had to become palaces to impress monarchs such as Elizabeth I. Show more

Sam Willis shows how the castle arrived as an instrument of invasion with the Normans but became a weapon with which unruly barons challenged the Crown. Show more

Sam Willis looks at urban crime, fraud and corruption in the 18th century, uncovering a fascinating rogues' gallery of charmers, fraudsters and villains. Show more

Sam Willis tells the story of the English ruler who left the most indelible mark on the castle, Edward I, as he turned it into an instrument of colonisation. Show more

Sam Willis explores the golden age of piracy during the early 18th century and charts the devastating impact pirates had during an age of colonial expansion. Show more

Dr Sam Willis tells how the Victorians found preventative solutions, from rockets that could fire rescue lines to lifejackets, lifeboats and the Plimsoll Line. Show more

Dr Sam Willis travels west to Central Asia, a part of the Silk Road often overlooked and yet the place of major innovations, big historical characters and a people - the Sogdians. Show more

Dr Sam Willis is in Bukhara where he finds out how goods were sent to the markets of the west, showing how trading methods sparked revolutions all along the Silk Road. Show more

Series in which Sam Willis reveals a story of invasion in Britain spanning thousands of years. He fells a tree with a flint axe and gets to grips with Viking boat technology. Show more

Series in which Sam Willis reveals stories of invasion in Britain. He discovers the French plans to invade Britain by balloon and the subterranean fortress built for troops. Show more

Series in which Sam Willis reveals stories of invasion in Britain, including the Barbary Corsaire pirates and the tale of King Louis the Lion, who invaded in the 13th century. Show more

In the final episode of the series, Dr Sam Willis starts in Istanbul - the ancient city of Byzantium, then his last stop takes him full circle to Venice. Show more

In the first episode of this series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, historian Dr Sam Willis is in Venice. Show more

In this episode Dr Sam Willis continues his journey to Iran. Sam begins in the legendary city of Persepolis - the heart of the first Persian Empire. Show more

Sam Willis on the history of weapons that have shaped Britain. He charts the impact of gunpowder on the battlefield, from the first cannons to early handheld weapons. Show more

In the final episode, Dr Sam Willis looks at the drive to develop ever more precise weapons on the battlefield, from artillery shells to rifles to the Maxim machine gun. Show more

Sam Willis traces the history of the weapons that have shaped Britain. He gets a lesson in swordsmanship and finds out what the Bayeux Tapestry reveals about combat. Show more