Ancient Autopsy

Byzantium: The Lost Empire

December 2025 •English

John Romer recreates the glory and history of Byzantium. From the Hagia Sophia in present-day Istanbul to the looted treasures of the empire now located in St. Marks in Venice.

The True Story of Alexander the Great

December 2025 •English

Tutored by Aristotle, helpless witness to his father's assassination, and a brilliant, pioneering tactician, Alexander the Great had conquered the known world--and sealed his legacy as one of history's most remarkable rulers--by the age of 25. In the year 334 B.C., 20-year-old King Alexander of Macedonia decided to bring the farthest reaches of the world under one domain. Over the next 12 years, he led a grand army across more than 20,000 miles and eventually brought all of Asia under his control, only to perish from battle wounds at the age of 32. Incorporating dramatic onsite reenactments with high-end computer graphics and the expertise of renowned scholars, THE TRUE STORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT is a special presentation from THE HISTORY CHANNEL®, examining the life and career of this military genius, impassioned lover, and fearless leader.

The Great Smog: Winter of '52

December 2025 •English

Dr Xand Van Tulleken and Raksha Dave investigate the Great Smog of 1952 - the deadliest environmental disaster ever recorded and one of the world's worst peacetime catastrophes. Lasting just over four days, the Great Smog plunged London into a terrifyingly murky gloom - the acrid pollution seeping into homes, leaving Londoners gasping for breath, shutting down transport and emergency services, and overwhelming hospitals and undertakers alike.

Alexander: The Making of a God

December 2025 •English

Expert interviews and gripping reenactments combine to reveal the extraordinary life of Alexander the Great and his burning desire to conquer the world.

Lives Well Lived

December 2025 •English

A look back at the lives of some of the famous people who died in the past year.

Twice in a Lifetime

December 2025 •English

Prematurely deceased people are given the opportunity to correct something that went wrong in their lives and thus change them for the better.

Bettany Hughes' Treasures of the World

December 2025 •English

Bettany Hughes take viewers on armchair travels to explore household-name treasures and new finds from across the world.

The Coroner: I Speak for the Dead

December 2025 •English

While detectives search for clues among the living, veteran Dauphin County, PA, coroner Graham Hetrick uncovers secrets of the dead. Each episode features a stylized re-enactment of a compelling homicide case taken directly from Hetrick's files. As viewers are led through a series of twists and turns, Hetrick peels back the layers of the investigation to reveal how the murder happened and who is to blame.

Murder with Friends

December 2025 •English

In Murder With Friends, Grace Baldridge invites guests to talk about some of history's most notorious murderers.

Brána smrti

December 2025 •Czech

1000 Ways to Die

December 2025 •English

The science of living and the randomness of death are combined with a dash of Darwinism. Forensic experts, pathologists, toxicologists, herpetologists, and other experts offer eloquent explanations of mortality.

Autopsy

December 2025 •English

Explore the world of forensic science through photos and case studies of several of the country's leading autopsy experts, including forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Baden.

Athens: The Truth About Democracy

December 2025 •English

Bettany Hughes searches out the real truth about the birth of democracy in ancient Athens 2500 years ago

Billy Connolly's Big Send Off

December 2025 •English

Billy Connolly undertakes a personal journey to evaluate and explore the ways in which we deal with the end of our lives - across all religious, cultural and social boundaries. With his trademark charisma and curiosity, he discovers what death means to different communities and the diverse ways in which it is marked.

Last Days

December 2025 •Dutch

Photographer Lieve Blancquaert travels around the world to show how different cultures deal with aging and death.

Math and the Rise of Civilization

December 2025 •Korean

A guided tour of the history of numbers and how they’ve shaped the development of humankind is at the heart of this unique series. In five episodes that take us across time and around the world, we see how mathematics played an important role in ancient Egypt and Greece, early India, medieval Europe, and our own modern world. Computer graphics make mathematical formulae accessible and interesting, while dramatic reenactments of history pique the viewer’s interest.

Épitaphe

December 2025 •French

Mummy Mysteries

December 2025 •English

An international team of archaeological experts reveal the true stories behind ancient Egypt's most infamous mummies, using modern forensic science, they uncover tales of life and death in one of history's most mysterious civilizations.

Everyday Life in Ancient Greece

December 2025 •Greek

How was everyday life in Ancient Greece? Did it have anything in common with our lives today? With the help of specialized scientists and a rich audiovisual material, a journey back in time begins!

Anatomy for Beginners

December 2025 •English

Anatomy for Beginners is a television show created by Gunther von Hagens. In this 4-part series, Dr Gunther von Hagens and Professor John Lee demonstrated the anatomical structure and workings of the body. The 4 episodes were screened in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 in 2005. The show features public anatomy demonstrations with the use of real human cadavers and live nude models, carried out at Gunther von Hagens' "Institute for Plastination" in Heidelberg, Germany. Dr von Hagens’ public demonstrations are not formal anatomy dissections performed by medical students in some countries as part of their medical training. Formal dissection are performed slowly and take dozens of hours of dissection. Anatomy for Beginners performs quicker autopsy and also combines with demonstration of plastinated body parts and specimens to gives just a glimpse of the human anatomy. The individuals on whom the demonstration was performed had, before their death, enrolled on von Hagens’ body donor programme and consented to the use of their bodies for public education in anatomy, including public demonstration.