The medieval alchemists made elements react to create magnificent shows, enthralling kings and commoners alike, but their secrets were never revealed until now.

In the second of this year's Christmas Lectures, Dr Peter Wothers drinks from the fountain and finds out whether the elements lurking in the water can restore his youth. Along the way he discovers how exploding balloons could solve the energy crisis, how water contains the remains of the most violent reactions on Earth and that the real secret to eternal youth might be drinking no water at all.

In the final Christmas Lecture, Dr Peter Wothers explores the elements within the earth and discovers just how difficult it is for chemists to extract the planet's greatest treasures. He discovers how our knowledge of the elements can allow us to levitate, turn carbon dioxide into diamonds and maybe turn lead into gold.

Inspiring film from Grammy-nominated Nicolas Jack Davies, exploring the origins and impact of the iconic Trojan Records, and the influence of Jamaican music on modern Britain.

This film dramatizes the 245 days that brought these men to supreme power. As the history unfolds, a stellar cast of writers and historians, including Martin Amis, Orlando Figes, Helen Rappaport, Simon Sebag-Montefiore and China Mieville, battle over the meaning of the Russian Revolution and explore how it shaped the world we live in today.

Jonathan Dimbleby explores ten thousand miles of one of the world's most awe-inspiring countries. Summer 2006. Having lived through the Cold War, Jonathan makes his first stop in the city of Murmansk, which stands as a reminder to the years when England and Russia were close allies in a war of survival against the Nazis.

Documentary about the S-21 genocide prison in Phnom Penh with interviews of prisoners and guards. On the search for reasons why this could have happened.

With a PhD in papyrology, Margaret Mountford goes in search of the truth behind the legend of Sappho, the most controversial writer of the ancient world and the first authentic woman's voice in western history.

Professor Brian Cox introduces Britain's science heroes.

Professor Brian Cox guides viewers through 350 years of British science to reveal what science really is, who the people are who practise it, and how it is inextricably linked to the past, present and future of each and every one of us.

This time, Professor Cox celebrates Britain's pivotal role in creating modern science. From performing Isaac Newton's iconic light experiment to meeting a wartime code breaker and making hydrogen explosions, Professor Cox leads the way through 300 years of British history.

Professor Brian Cox ends his homage to British Science by looking at how discoveries are made, asking whether it is better to let the scientists do their own thing, and hope for happy accidents, or to only back scientific winners at the risk of missing the occasional gems

Professor Iain Stewart reveals the story behind the Scottish physicist who was Einstein's hero; James Clerk Maxwell. Maxwell's discoveries not only inspired Einstein, but they helped shape our modern world - allowing the development of radio, TV, mobile phones and much more.

Featuring groundbreaking new science, experiments and leading scientists from a variety of disciplines, the series unravels the natural history of the body's largest organ.

Film telling the story of the greatest physicists of the 20th century and the discoveries they made, told in their own words. Men and women who transformed our understanding of the universe, from unlocking the secrets of the atom to solving the mysteries of the cosmos.

Bettany Hughes explores the history of Britain from a fresh perspective: through the lives and aspirations of the ordinary citizens

David Dimbleby tells the story of Britain through its art and treasure. The first part of the chronicle begins with the Roman invasion and ends with the Norman Conquest.

Britain's art from the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 to the death of Richard II in 1400.

Spanning from Henry VIII's accession in 1509 to Shakespeare's Henry VIII 100 years later.

In the 17th century British people learned to question everything, resulting in civil war.

The story of Britain in the 18th century, as a new 'middle' class emerged.

The story of the British Empire from 1750 to 1900, revealed through its art and treasures.

In the last episode, David Dimbleby looks at how the 20th century saw ordinary Britons upturning ancient power structures and class hierarchies.

Bettany Hughes provides an insight into how British inhabitants evolved over 8,000 years, beginning with the story of man's battle with the environment in 6,000 BC, when global warming transformed Britain into an island covered by dense, impenetrable forests.

Sweeping changes transformed the lives of the masses beyond recognition during the Bronze and Iron Ages.

The gradual collapse of the Roman Empire led to the disintegration of Britannia. For the next 600 years people would watch their homelands become battlegrounds invaded and plundered by men from Scandinavia and northern Europe, hungry for power and land.

Bettany Hughes considers the fifth age of Britain, from 1066 to 1350, charting the period between two shattering historical events - the invasion of William the Conqueror and the Black Death.

The penultimate programme in the series follows the course of the greatest revolution in British history: a revolution of the mind.

At a time when most ships were built to traditional designs in wood, and powered by sail, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s colossal ship, the Great Eastern, was almost 700 feet long and built of iron. His vision was that it should carry 4,000 passengers, in magnificent style, as far as the Antipodes - without needing to refuel.

In 1869, John Roebling won the contract to build the largest bridge in the world, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. It was to stretch 1,600 feet, in one giant leap, across the wide and turbulent East River that separates New York from Brooklyn.