As pioneers explored and found their way across the vast continent of America, they were frequently stopped by poor or hostile environments such as the desert regions of Arizona and Nevada.

Documentary looking at the life and times of Bill Shankly, Liverpool FC's legendary Scottish manager. Gaining promotion from the old English second division, Shankly forged two great sides at Liverpool, winning numerous trophies along the way. A product of his working-class roots in Ayrshire, his career in management spanned a period when football was very much the people's game.

A career-spanning documentary on the Rolling Stones, with concert footage from their "A Bigger Bang" tour. Directed by Martin Scorsese

Professor Jim Al-Khalili tells the story of our quest to master the power of electricity.

How pioneers unlocked electricity's mysteries and built strange instruments to create it.

How harnessing the link between magnetism and electricity transformed the world.

How we finally came to understand the science of electricity.

Art and culture define us - but in an age of change, who are we now? In divided times, Simon Schama asks whether art, music and words can be the threads that bind us together.

Simon Schama meets Sir Cliff Richard, Jarvis Cocker, Ali Smith and Frank Cottrell-Boyce in an effort to understand how artists, writers and performers have charted the huge changes in Britain.

Simon Schama examines how artists and writers, ranging from James Bond creator Ian Fleming to two-tone band The Specials, have responded to the changing face of post-imperial Britain.

Simon Schama looks at artists who’ve explored why the landscape matters to people's sense of who they are. From Philip Larkin to Seamus Heaney and Derek Jarman. Featuring U2’s Bono.

Compilation which unlocks the BBC vaults to explore the burgeoning singer-songwriter genre that exploded at the dawn of the 1970s and became one of the definining styles of that decade.

Featuring Peter Sarstedt, Carole King, Jim Croce, Bridget St John, Cat Stevens, Judy Collins, Randy Newman, John Sebastian, Joan Armatrading, Ralph McTell, Al Stewart, Kevin Coyne, Billy Joel, Tim Hardin and Paul Simon.

Featuring classic songs from Bobbie Gentry, Kris Kristofferson, Buffy Saint-Marie, Janis Ian, Gordon Lightfoot, John Martyn, Randy Newman, Linda Lewis, Joni Mitchell, Don McLean, Ralph McTell, Loudon Wainwright III, Don Williams and Paul Brady.

Styles of that decade. Featuring songs from Donovan, Gerry Rafferty, James Taylor, Elton John, Mickey Newbury, Neil Young, Tom Paxton, John Prine, Melanie, Jesse Winchester, Steve Forbert, Chris Rea, Carole King and others"

Compilations of performances by singer-songwriters from the BBC vaults, using archive from programmes such as The Old Grey Whistle Test, In Concert and Top of the Pops

Rousing, heartfelt documentary charting the life and career of legendary football manager Alex Ferguson, directed by his son Jason, featuring Fergie himself, Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs

Dick Fontaine's film is built around the explosive energy of Sonny's 80th Birthday Concert, where legendary figures Roy Haynes, Jim Hall and Ornette Coleman join him to celebrate his journey so far, his music and its future for a new generation

Three-part series chronicling the journey of soul music from its origins in gospel and R&B.

How Motown Records showed the world a successful, sophisticated image of black people at a time when black Americans were still subject to discrimination.

How inequality, poverty and racism drove black American musicians to a harder soul sound in the late 60s and early 70s.

How, in the 70s and 80s, a second coming of soul men offered a black female audience slow jams and sexual healing.

This two part documentary examines the soundtrack to hope and rebellion, the music of the mavericks and the oppressed from the 18th century to the present day.

From the hymns of the civil rights movement and the fight against apartheid to the call for sexual freedom and equality

Songs are the soundtrack of our lives and it takes a kind of genius to create a true pop masterpiece. But, as Neil Brand argues, there is more to consider in the story of what makes a great song. Neil looks at every moment in the life cycle of a song - how they are written, performed, recorded and the changing ways we have listened to them.

Musician Neil Brand explores the magical elements that come together to create great songs by recreating some of the most memorable and innovative recording sessions in music history - from Elvis's slapback echo in Memphis and the Beatles' tape loops at Abbey Road to Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and the Beach Boys' pop symphonies.

Composer and musician Neil Brand's series exploring the alchemy that creates great songs reaches the modern era, when a revolution in how they were made took place. From the synthesisers of symphonic rock to the mixes of disco and the samplings of hip hop, music was transformed by the arrival of digital technology and the computer, which gave some songwriters more power but others much less

Composer and musician Neil Brand presents a series which explores the magical elements that come together to create our favourite songs.

This innovative series tells the story of eight battles to design and build the fastest cars, ships, planes, boats and trains

The 1930s was a highpoint for ocean-going liners. Crossing the Atlantic by boat was the only way to reach the US, and competition between the French and British shipyards was never less than fierce, a focus for patriotic pride.