Dan Snow

Dan Snow to explore secret past of his ancestor Lloyd George in new documentary

Dan Snow BBC Wales

Snow admits to having some conflicting emotions when researching his great-great-grandfather. “He was a notorious womaniser, whose long-running relationship with his young secretary meant that he almost had two wives. I’m descended from one of Lloyd George’s daughters, so this other side of his life has always been a bit of a family secret, something we never talked about.”

BBC to commemorate 70th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day

Kirsty Young

The BBC will mark the 70th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) with a range of coverage on television and radio.

Kirsty Young will anchor live coverage of the commemorations on Saturday 15 August in VJ Day 70: The Nation Remembers (BBC One, from 10.30am, with highlights on Sunday 16 August at 5.30pm on BBC Two), with James Naughtie commentating on events and Dan Snow speaking to veterans and their families.

Spanish Armada: Dan Snow talks about the 12 Days that saved England

Dan Snow

The Spanish Armada, much like the Boudica's uprising against the Romans, is a pillar of British history often referred to, but rarely fully understood.

Now a new three-part docudrama, starting this Sunday on BBC Two, aims to explain just what the armada was all about, from the international tensions that led to the conflict, to the efficacy of the weapons used.

Using CGI, dramatic reconstructions and recently discovered documents, Armada: 12 Days to Save England will focus on this short but decisive period of Tudor history.

Why is the Second World War so popular on television?

Turn on the TV on any given day and it's likely you'll stumble across something to do with the Second World War.

Whether it's new ITV drama Home Fires, reruns of Dad's Army, or a documentary about Hitler, decades after the war ended, it still dominates television schedules.

This week sees an increased output of programmes centred on the 1939-1945 conflict, as Britain commemorates the 70th anniversary of VE Day.