History

A Black History of Britain will look at the long relationship between the British Isles, Africa, North America and the Caribbean.

The series will use new genetic and genealogical research alongside original records and interviews to build a new national narrative.

“This series will unveil a new type of black British history, because to me black history is everyone’s history,” said Olusoga. “It's the long, often tragic and always surprising story of Britain’s relationship with Africa and her peoples.”

The Award offers grants of up to £2000 towards projects which research and conserve the history of television.

Launched in 2000, the Shiers Trust grant is named after George Shiers, a distinguished US TV historian.

Now in its 16^th year, the grant has enabled a range of projects, including the digitalisation of back issues of the Radio Times and the creation of a website which presents a collection of historical consumer electronics images.

Art historian Simon Schama will lead Civilisations, presenting six episodes of the ten part BBC Two series, while classicist Mary Beard will present two programmes putting the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome into a global context, looking at early material from Iran, China and Mexico. RTS Programme Award nominee David Olusoga will present two episodes examining the relationships between Empire, military history and global cultures.

The BBC will be paying tribute to the Queen as the longest-reigning monarch in British history in a new documentary.

The Queen’s Longest Reign: Elizabeth & Victoria will air on 9 September to mark the milestone.

Queen Elizabeth II has surpassed her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria who reigned for 63 years and seven months.  

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.