Andrew Marr discusses Shakespeare and Caravaggio with the writer Margaret Atwood, actor Harriet Walter, curator Letizia Treves and biographer Richard Holmes. Show more

Richard Holmes describes how thousands of maps were created for the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944, following the War Office's plea for holiday postcards to help with details. Show more

Professor Richard Holmes travels to historic British sites. He visits the scene of Henry Tudor's victory over King Richard III, which changed the course of British history. Show more

Richard Holmes visits Britain's historical sites. He travels to Naseby, where, in 1645, King Charles I lost the decisive battle of the English Civil War. Show more

Richard Holmes visits the site of the Battle of the Boyne, the defeat of James II by William III in 1690, and shows how the battle could have been over before it was fought. Show more

Military historian Professor Richard Holmes looks at major battles in history. He visits the farms and fields where history hung in the balance at the Battle of Waterloo. Show more

Military historian Richard Holmes looks at some of history's major battles. This programme follows the British retreat from Mons in 1914. Show more

A journey through six centuries of warfare. Military historian Richard Holmes reviews the strategic importance of the Battle for Arras in 1940. Show more

Professor Richard Holmes traces the history of British and Irish warfare through the centuries, visiting the site of William the Conqueror's historic victory. Show more

A journey through six centuries of warfare. Military historian Professor Richard Holmes analyses the Battle of Agincourt. Show more

Military historian Richard Holmes looks at some of history's major battles. In this edition he walks through fields where the Battle of the Somme took place. Show more

Richard Holmes traces the events of a night of the Blitz, from the sector control room where the incoming raiders were plotted through to the efforts to save St Paul's. Show more

Richard Holmes sets out his two rules of biography: following in the footsteps of his subjects and separating the facts from the speculations. Show more

Richard Holmes examines the often ignored lives of women in the early history of science. Frequently derided by the male establishment, their contribution was a crucial catalyst. Show more

Can the art of life-writing be taught? And what do students hope to achieve in pursuit of their subjects? Richard Holmes explores how we chronicle the lives of others. Show more

The death of Shelley in July 1822 is one of the most powerful of all Romantic legends. How does the story of the end of a life alter our perception of all that has gone before? Show more

When William Blake died in 1827, he was 'already a forgotten man'. How was he resurrected? A meditation on the art of biography by a master of the genre, Richard Holmes. Show more