Ray’s History Radio & TV Picks. No.14. 6 May 2015.

World War II in Colour
Channel 5: Thu 7 May 2015, 19.00 – 20.00. 1/13
Repeat of series using rare archive footage which has been passed through modern colourisation techniques: http://www.channel5.com/shows/world-war-2-in-colour/episodes/the-gathering-storm

The Last Days of Jesus Christ
Channel 5: Thu 7 May 2015, 20.00 – 21.00. 4/6.
Was Jesus crucified because it was ordained, or because he was a a threat to Roman rule?
http://www.channel5.com/shows/the-last-days-of/episodes/jesus

The Vietnam War
Discovery Channel, Thu 7 May 2015, 21.00 – 22.00. New three-part series, 2/3
A look at America’s increasing involvement in the conflict: http://www.discoveryuk.com/web/the-vietnam-war/

Voices of the First World War
BBC Radio 4: Fri 8 May 2015 21:00 – 22.00. Omnibus edition: repeated first 5 episodes. 1 – 5/10.
Dan Snow presents the story of World War I through the voices of those who were there.
Episode information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t7p9l/episodes/guide

VE Day 70: The Cenotaph
BBC1: Fri 8 May 2015 14:30 – 15.30. Highlights BBC2, 19.30 – 20.00.
To mark the anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, a service of remembrance takes place at the Cenotaph in London, observing a national two-minute silence at 3pm. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tr30x

Anzac Girls
More 4, Fri 8 May 2015, 21.00 – 22.00. 1/6
This new Australian World War I period drama is based on real letters and diaries of five young women from Australia and New Zealand in the First World War. On the Greek island of Lemos, Olive and Grace nurse injured troops from the failed August offensive. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/anzac-girls
Further programme information: http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/more4-enlists-the-anzac-girls

Wellington: The Iron Duke Unmasked
BBC2: Sun 10 May 2015, 21.00 – 22.00.
This drama documentary looks behind the iron mask to focus on the intriguing complexities of the Duke of Wellington – his character, personality and relationships, told through his own words and the words of those who knew him best. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vlz90

Incarnations: India in 50 Lives.
BBC Radio 4: Mon 11 – Fri 15 May 2015, 13.45 – 14.00. New daily series.
Over the course of 50 episodes, Sunil Khilnani, director of the King’s India Institute in London, takes listeners on a whirlwind journey from ancient India to the 21st century through the prism of the life stories of 50 remarkable individuals. 1/25: The Buddha: Waking India Up. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05rptcs
Series details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05rptbv
Episodes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05rptbv/broadcasts/2015/05

Tommies: Mon 11 May 1915
BBC Radio 4: Mon 11 May 2015, 14.15 – 15.00. 3/5
Based on unit war diaries and eye-witness accounts, each drama traces one real day at war, exactly 100 years ago. Signaller Ahmadullah Khan is posted from Western Front to join the very start of the Gallipoli campaign. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tkvkb
Previous episode from 1914 (2014) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04l902x/broadcasts/2015/04

The Last Explorers: Livingstone
BBC 4: Mon 11 May 2015, 22.00 – 23.00. Repeat of 2011 / 2012 series. 1/4.
Neil Oliver follows in the footsteps of four Scottish explorers who planted ideas rather than flags – ideas that shaped the modern world we know today. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017hzw2

24 Hours in the Past
BBC1: Tue 12 May 2015, 21.00 – 22.00. 3/ 4
New series where six celebrities travel back in time to Victorian Britain, spending four days in four different 19th-century workplaces. Their third 24 hours finds them facing the grueling inequality of the factories that were the powerhouses of the industrial revolution.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vncvw

Fighting for King and Empire: Britain’s Caribbean Heroes
BBC 4: Wed 13 May 2015, 21.00 – 22.00.
In this new programme, some of the last surviving Caribbean veterans tell their extraordinary wartime stories: from torpedo attacks by German U-boats and the RAF’s blanket bombing of Germany to the culture shock of Britain’s freezing winters and war-torn landscape. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05v08b7