Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons narrates this documentary that shows how modern technologies can unravel mysteries behind thousands of sites and bring out new details that piece together the events that contributed to early human civilisation.

Al-Ula is a mostly undiscovered oasis valley in the North West Arabian Peninsula. It is a desert now but was once the center of an important trade route, which led to prosperity and 3,000 years of powerful cities.

A mystery of the land includes the deciphering of life around ancient stone structures that dot the desert. An ancient ritual is unearthed and is among some of the extraordinary discoveries as the film takes on the adventure of a lifetime.

The documentary is led by renowned researchers and paleoanthropologists Chris Stringer and Ludovic Slimak who explore archaeological sites throughout northern France, Belgium, the Channel Islands, and southern England. When the last ice age happened, the frozen North Sea was connected to the English Channel by not much more than a tiny river that could be traversed by foot.

At archeological sites in northern France, southern England, and on the island of Jersey, Stringer and Slimak discover artefacts and use the latest research to uncover the mysteries surrounding how the Neanderthals once survived and flourished living in harmony within their ever-changing environment.

Exploring the footsteps of the earliest humans provokes new thought into the Neanderthals’ cognitive abilities and intelligence. This film unearths the past and discovers what their lives were like and whether they existed within a society with culture and language.

The documentary is an eye-opening account of the realities of life during war, not from the flawed lens of politicians and political analysts, but through that of the civilians, soldiers and journalists who lived through the invasion and its aftermath. With no stone left unturned, it offers a first-hand narrative of the conflict in a new light, from the fall of Saddam Hussein, to the subsequent civil war and the rise of the Islamic State group.

Sky News travels to Ukraine to get a first-hand account of the events. Amongst those interviewed are Oleksiy Breus, a control operator at the nuclear plant, and Igor Pismensky, a helicopter pilot who at the time delivered decontamination materials. These first-hand accounts offer a harrowing perspective of the unfortunate events of that day.

The documentary brings the entire Chernobyl story back to life, providing an eye-opening glimpse into the pain experienced by those impacted by the tragedy. The information given is engaging, intriguing and emotional for all who remember and want to remember this event.

Visitors of these exhibits often ridiculed the indigenous people on display, and organisers labelled them as the ‘missing link’ that connected apes and humans. Some of the most respected scientists of the early twentieth century organised and supported these public displays, and leading newspapers of that time often promoted the events.

The documentary shares the tragic life story of Ota Benga, the Congo Pygmy man who was purchased by a missionary and put on display in America. Newspapers with African-American authors strongly opposed his mistreatment. This film also discusses how some people use Social Darwinism as a means of degrading other humans.

Using primarily archived sources and film, this feature documentary directed by Daniel Lindsay and TJ Martin provides a quarter-century backdrop to the LA riots. Going as far back as the 1965 Watts Rebellion, the gripping story of police brutality in America is examined. Included in the narrative, political perspective is given by figures such as George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Also shown are statements from those directly involved in the incident: acquitted police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell, and the victim, Rodney King.

The documentary looks at the economics of slavery, racist legislation, and legal practices following the Civil War. It also discusses the Civil Rights Movement and the Southern Strategy used by republicans to appeal to white conservatives. Despite the crime rate in the United States going down, politicians stir up fear of crime as a political tool. Mass incarceration has also damaged the lives of several generations of minority families and their children. The film also looks at how Conservative politicians get funding from corporations to push laws that support the prison-industrial complex.

For the second episode of the mini-series, Sooke takes us on a journey to explore the classical age of Greek art. In Agrigento, the documentary looks at the scenic Valley of the Temples, an ancient chariot on the island of Mozia, and other astonishing artefacts uncovered from the Mediterranean seabed. In the final instalment of the mini-series, Sooke discusses how Greek culture has created a lasting legacy, influencing art and architecture in countries like Italy, France, Germany, and Britain.

The documentary makes use of CT scans to produce an image of what Tutankhamun’s body would look like without the degradation incurred from time and decay. It also takes a look at the role that DNA may have played in the ruler’s life, including the various diseases and conditions that may have resulted from being the product of royal incest. Curiously, the results indicate that multiple factors, including scoliosis, a deformed foot and an impaired immune system from multiple malarial infections, may have played roles in the king’s death.

Forces of nature have shaped the foods people eat. Physical forces have presented limitations to the movement of humans, but the shared desire of all humans to grow and expand has led to populations sprouting all over the globe. Civilisations have risen from the collective efforts of every living being that has ever existed. People that are born now are forever linked to those who came before them and those who have yet to be born.