Diploma 2010/11

Eye to eye with the unknown - the world's wildest continent.

David Attenborough takes a breathtaking journey through the vast and diverse continent of Africa as it has never been seen before.

East Africa is a land which is constantly changing. To survive here, creatures must be able to deal with unpredictable twists and turns - wet turning to dry, feast to famine, cold to hot - no matter how hostile it becomes

The very heart of Africa is covered in dense tropical rainforest. The animals that live here find the most ingenious ways to carve out their space in a claustrophobic landscape.

Northern Africa is home to the greatest desert on Earth, the Sahara. On the fringes, huge zebras battle over dwindling resources and naked mole rats avoid the heat by living a bizarre underground existence. Within the desert, where the sand dunes \\\'sing\\\', camels seek out water with the help of their herders and tiny swallows navigate across thousands of square miles to find a solitary oasis.

David Attenborough comes face-to-face with a baby rhino and asks what the future holds for this little one. He meets the local people who are standing side-by-side with the wildlife at this pivotal moment in their history. We discover what it takes to save a species, hold back a desert and even resurrect an entire wilderness - revealing what the world was like before modern man.

David Olusoga explores the incredible journey of the African novel – how a fearless collection of writers created books that were to define the image of Africa in the world.

Documentary series exploring the musical traditions of African countries and their influence on popular music.

Series exploring African influences in modern music. Rita Ray travels to Nigeria to trace the importance of rhythm in the country's music.

Series exploring African influences in modern music. DJ and broadcaster Rita Ray visits South Africa, home to distinctive vocal harmonies which are known worldwide.

DJ and broadcaster Rita Ray travels to Mali to find out how the country's traditional way of life and rich musical culture have endured through a ban on music in some areas.

The award-winning film-maker and academic Henry Louis Gates Jr takes a new look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century.

The award-winning film-maker and academic Henry Louis Gates Jr travels the length and breadth of Africa to explore the continent's epic history. In this first episode, Gates focuses on the origins of human existence and looks at the anthropological and scientific discoveries that point to Africa as the genetic home of all currently living humanity.

This episode charts the emergence of Christianity and Islam and examines how the two religions reshaped Africa between the first and the 12th centuries AD, as well as for centuries thereafter.

Empires of Gold marks an era of great commercial and manufacturing growth throughout several of the continent's regions.

This episode shines a light on the powerful, cosmopolitan cities that dotted Africa at the time when Europe was in its Middle Ages. From 1000 to 1600, commerce, wealth and prosperity expanded across Africa, building new cities and founding new powerful states that mark this golden age.

The Atlantic Age examines the tremendous changes that took place in Africa between the 15th and 18th centuries.

In the final part of Africa's Great Civilisations, Henry Louis Gates Jr reviews the 19th century, when a fierce competition for resources and trade stimulated ingenuity but also enticed European powers, triggering the 'scramble for Africa' and inciting conflicts that threatened the stability and wellbeing of the continent.

Immerse yourself in the lives of extraordinary characters that stand a few inches tall. From chipmunks to mice, be entertained and spellbound by the creatures that call the Hidden Kingdoms home.

This is the story of two young animals forced to grow up fast. In Africa's savannah, a baby elephant shrew learns how speed is the secret to survival amongst the largest animals on Earth; and in America, a young grasshopper mouse confronts the Wild West's deadliest creatures to stake a claim of his own.

This is the story of two tiny animals coming of age.

In this series, art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores some of the richest and most vibrant histories in the world, revealing fascinating stories of four complex and sophisticated civilisations.

n this episode, Dr Casely-Hayford travels to South Africa to explore the history of one of Africa's most famous kingdoms. Visiting some of the most evocative sites in Zulu history, he examines the origins of the Zulu in the 17th century, their expansion under controversial military leader King Shaka and their brutal encounters with the Boers and the British.

It is easy to think of Islamic North Africa as Arab rather than African, but the land that is now Morocco once lay at the centre of a vast African kingdom that stretched from northern Spain to the heart of West Africa.

For centuries Bunyoro was the region's dominant power, using history and mythology to make a claim on the land. But its position was challenged by the rapid rise of Buganda, a neighbouring kingdom that had once been a collection of cultivators on the shores of Lake Victoria.

British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms

Africa's wildest river is home to the most spectacular wildlife. Hippos fight for territory while herds of elephant, water buffalo and zebra depend on it for life.

It's the ultimate failed state - a land of war, banditry and piracy. And after Bin Laden's death, its civil war with Islamist extremists has gained even greater importance to the West. But what is it like to live in the anarchy of Somalia?