Documentary science series. Suggers, Fruggers and Data-Muggers. Commercial decisions depend increasingly on market research, opinion polls, TV ratings and consumer surveys, but just how good is that information? Survey research applies the rigorous science of mathematics to the murky pool of human behaviour, but some surveys have got it disastrously wrong.

BBC ProductionsIn the first episode, Dr Alice Roberts looks at how our skeleton reveals our incredible evolutionary journey. Trekking through the forests of our ancient ancestors, she goes to meet the apes who still live there today - chimpanzees. In six million years we have become very different, and what kick-started this can be found in an extraordinary fossil - Sahelanthropus. A single hole where the spine was attached suggests that our ancestors started the journey to being human by standing upright. We take it for granted, but standing up and walking is surprisingly complex - each step involves the co-ordination of over 200 muscles. Charting the major advances from Australopithecus to Homo erectus and beyond, Alice tells the epic story of human evolution through our body today. New research has uncovered clues in our ankles, waists and necks that show how our ancestors were forced to survive on the open plain - by walking and running for their lives. From the neck down we have inherited the body of our ancestor Homo erectus, who lived on the plains of Africa nearly two million years ago. Finally Alice looks at probably the most important advance in our evolutionary story. A fortuitous by-product of standing up was freeing up our hands. With pressure-sensitive gloves, she demonstrates how the tiniest of anatomical tweaks to our thumbs and little fingers transformed hands that evolved to grasp branches into ones that could use tools. And with our dexterous hands, our species, Homo sapiens, would change the world.

In this second episode Dr Alice Roberts charts how our ancestors' hunt for food has driven the way we look and behave today - from the shape of our face, to the way we see and even the way we attract the opposite sex. Clues to our ancestors' diet can be found in some surprising places. Alice goes in search of a lion kill to find out how the tape worms in lions' food reveal our ancestors were eating the same diet of big game 1.7 million years ago. She puts her teeth to the test to reveal that our teeth have evolved to shear through meat. But by comparing her saliva with that of chimpanzees, she demonstrates that our body is as much designed to eat starch as it is to eat meat. And visiting a tribe of hunter gatherers in Tanzania, who still gather food in a similar way to our ancestors, Alice discovers that starchy tubers are crucial to survival when meat is scarce. The latest research suggests that the way the different sexes found food throughout our evolution has shaped the way we relate to each other today. The way the Hadza tribe share food and form long-term couples is thought to be the origin of love and marriage in all of us. And a fun experiment with Britain's best skateboarders shows they take more risks when women are present - it seems men are designed to show off to attract a mate.

Dr Alice Roberts explores how our species, Homo sapiens, developed its large brain and asks why humans are the only ape of its kind left on the planet today. The evolution of the human mind is one of the greatest mysteries. It is the basis of religion, philosophy and science. We are special because of our extraordinary brain, and to understand why we think and act the way we do, we need to look at where and why our brains evolved. The Rift Valley in Kenya is thought to be the crucible of human evolution, and here Alice examines the fossils in our family tree which reveal our brains have more than quadrupled in size since our ancestors split from chimpanzees. Research investigating sediments and rocks laid down during the period of greatest brain growth suggests a fluctuating environment may have played a part. Drawing on research on social politics in chimpanzees, the cognitive development of children and the tools that have been found littered across the Rift Valley, Alice explores how and why our ancestors brains became so big. Successive species of increasingly large-brained humans migrated around the world - from Homo erectus to heidelbergensis, the Neanderthals to us. It has always been assumed the reason that Homo sapiens succeeded where others failed is to do with our large brains. Comparing skulls it's clear Neanderthals had just as big a brain as us, so why is there only us left? Alice goes to meet Svante Paabo, who is decoding the Neanderthal and human genome, and Clive Finlayson, who is unearthing the Neanderthals' final settlement, to try to find out.

Renowned broadcaster Andrew Marr presents this documentary which sees family; friends; and former colleagues recall Baroness Thatcher's life; her extraordinary personality and her tumultuous years in government.

On the famed “Museum Island” in the river that winds through Berlin are five world-class museums that display antiquities from prehistory to the mid 20th Century. In this episode, we pit two skilled warriors against each other to discover why some Viking swords are more deadly than others. We compare an ancient Greek monument with Hitler’s podium to discover the secret power of architecture, then decipher the code embossed on a golden hat that reveals a Bronze Age wizard. We gaze at the incomparable bust of Nefertiti with an historian who believes her beauty secret was more than skin deep, then find out how easy it is to make stone statues explode but how hard it is to put the pieces back together. And finally, we find out why the art the Nazis hated is now displayed in an archeological museum.

London, UK The Imperial War Museum tells the story of Britain at war, from World War One to the present, through a collection of 10 million items, from guns to planes to medals to cyanide pills, at five locations in England visited by over 2 million people every year. In this episode, we descend into Churchill's top secret underground bunker to discover why he was an irreplaceable leader. We find out how a London housewife became a spy who withstood horrific Nazi torture to protect a vital secret, then take cover in a World War One trench as we reveal the story of a Nobel Prize winning physicist whose discovery turned the tide of the war. We meet an aging cold warrior who exposes dark truths about atomic weapons hidden from the British people for 50 years, then fly above Iraq with British top guns to discover how to stay frosty when enemy missiles lock on. And finally we follow a team of military researchers as they close in on the holy grail of camouflage: how to make a soldier invisible.

Istanbul Once the palace of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Topkapi is a vast treasury of Islamic culture, science and weaponry, visited by over 2 million people every year. In this episode, at the foot of Istanbul's ancient walls we discover how a Muslim invader bested Christian defenders by using their superstitions against them. In the city's famed spice market we seek a poison to assassinate a Sultan, then in the Sultan's private residence we investigate how a Harem slave rose to rule an empire. In the sea at the museum's doorstep we discover how a Turkish admiral got his hands on the lost map of Christopher Columbus, then unearth a forgotten civilization that fought the mighty Pharaohs of Egypt to a draw. And finally, we test Islamic scientific theories to create a working model of the world's first robot.

London's Natural History Museum is a cathedral of nature, housing over 70 million specimens, and visited by more than 4 million people every year. From strange creatures that inhabit the ocean depths, to meteorites from far away worlds, the secrets of the past and discoveries of the future lurk in galleries and backrooms, waiting to be discovered.

Founded by Catherine the Great, the Hermitage is one of the world’s oldest and largest museums boasting 3 million treasures of art and antiquity, and visited by over 2 million people every year. Inside the Hermitage, we shine infra-red light on blackened mummies to reveal the strange tattoos of an ancient race, then visit a chamber of horrors to investigate why Peter the Great had a penchant for the macabre. We enter the private chambers of Catherine the Great to discover a device she used to improve her sex life. (No, it’s not one of those!) We reexamine the physical evidence of Rasputin’s murder to uncover his real killer’s surprising identity, then meet aged curators who risked their lives to save the museum’s treasures from Hitler’s bombs. And finally, in a gallery devoted to famous paintings, we unveil a small square canvas painted completely black. We reveal why dictator Joseph Stalin hated the black square, and why today it is worth a million dollars.

From dinosaurs to meteorites to the origins of the human species, the American Museum of Natural History boasts 32 million exhibits, and over 4 million annual visitors, along with a stellar research staff that mounts over 100 expeditions every year.In this episode, we meet an American farm boy whose love for Africa changed the image of African wildlife from scary to noble. We witness the mating rituals of a 400 million year old crab whose unique blood harbors secrets crucial to modern medicine, then crack open a dinosaur egg to uncover a clue that overturns a long held misconception about a supposedly murderous species. We run a relay race through Manhattan to investigate whether Incan knotted strings were capable of carrying encrypted messages, then blast off on a space mission to bring back comet dust that may hold the secret of how life began on Earth. And finally, we follow museum explorers as they capture animals to extract their DNA, to be preserved in the museum’s sub-zero storage facility – a blueprint of life for future generations.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is a treasury of antiquities and weaponry collected by the royal family known as the Habsburgs – a dynasty that ruled much of Europe for 500 years. In this episode, we visit the crypt that entombs many generations of the Habsburg royal family, then meet a geneticist who is attempting to discover how inbreeding led to their demise. We go hunting with falcons to discover how one Habsburg emperor’s hobby lay the foundation for modern science, then recreate the alchemical experiment that led another emperor to believe that silver could be transmuted into gold. While learning the proper way to do the Viennese waltz, we discover how a dance craze impacted European history, then recreate a strange piece of ancient armor to find out how and why it was designed to explode. And finally, we meet a detective who takes us on the trail of a thief who purloined the museum’s most valuable treasure.

Athens The world's most important museum dedicated to the history of ancient Greece, the National Archaeological Museum boasts 11,000 exhibits from 7000 BC to the Roman conquest. In this episode, we accelerate an ancient warship to ramming speed to discover why Athenian democracy beat Persian tyranny, then visit a king's grave to reveal how bogus archeology helped fuel the pseudo-historical ravings of Adolf Hitler. We suit volunteers in armor made of bronze and armor made of linen, and then shoot arrows at them to discover which is better. (Spoiler: Alexander the Great preferred linen.) We visit the cave where Plato and Pythagoras secretly imbibed psychedelic chemicals, then go underground to face our fears in the labyrinth that inspired the myth of the Minotaur. And finally, we meet an engineer who has spent a lifetime recreating an ancient gadget called the Antikythera Mechanism to reveal its mysterious purpose.

This impressive modern museum, visited by 2 million people every year, tells the story of Mexico from before the Mayan civilization to the Spanish conquest.In this episode, a chemical engineer and some Mexican athletes help us discover whether the rubber ball used on the ancient Mayan playing field contained a human skull. We dive into a watery cave to discover the Mayan path to the afterlife, then investigate the power of a crystal skull to reveal the secrets of the dead. We pilot an ancient canoe through Aztec canals to discover why modern Mexico City is sinking, then discover how a valiant gladiator defeated a score of Aztec warriors armed with the world’s sharpest swords. And finally, we discover how a dress worn by the most notorious woman in Mexican history led to a massacre that changed history.

This episode: The final part starts in 2009 and tells the story of 2nd Battalion Princess of Wales regiment as it comes to terms with new rules of fighting brought in to protect civilians. Private Mike McCabe is filmed being shot in the leg during a Taliban ambush. By 2010, the Scots Guards find themselves fighting a very different war - a battle for hearts and minds. They struggle to train a local force, the Afghan National Police, who fight in a reckless and dangerous way. The risks are hammered home when Guardsman Daniel Clarke films a three-year-old girl who has been seriously injured by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by the ANP. The Scots Guards tour ends in tragedy when six members of the ANP are massacred in their sleep. Our War: The war in Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of young British soldiers on the frontline.

This edition of Horizon does something that no one has done before. We have assembled the first ever complete Neanderthal skeleton, from parts gathered from all over the world, to reveal the most anatomically accurate representation of modern humanity's closest relative. The aim is to use this skeleton to answer two of the great questions of human evolution. Was Neanderthal a thinking, feeling human being like us, or a primitive beast? And why is it that we are here today, and Neanderthal is extinct? To answer these questions, we've brought together a team of leading experts to explore the skeleton for clues, and perform experiments to test out their ideas. Their findings allow us to use drama to bring Neanderthal to life with unrivalled accuracy. They reveal how Neanderthal hunted, thought - even spoke. What emerges is a very different beast to the brute of legend. It seems Neanderthal was in many ways our equal and in some ways our superior. And the story of his extinction owed less to modern humans' superiority than sheer luck.

The Convent follows four ordinary women as they give up their everyday lifestyles to embark upon a spiritual journey within a community of nuns, at the Convent of the Poor Clares, in Arundel, West Sussex. For the nuns at the Convent, their service to God is based on manual work, obedience, community and chastity. For them, it is a daily labour of pure love. Offering a remarkable glimpse into the inner workings of convent life, the women will spend 40 days and 40 nights in a world without material possessions and where the pressures of modern life are left behind. All the female volunteers are beset with modern anxieties, from appearance and achievement to sex, motherhood and fulfilment. Will they find any peace, or even answers, inside the hallowed walls? Cut off from the outside world, they will share the daily routine of prayers and work with the Sisters in an attempt to discover if life has any greater meaning. Like The Monastery, the themed of series are unravelled through the personal dramas of everyday life in the enclosed confines of the Convent. Debi Ireland is 44 and lives in Scotland with her husband and their five-year-old son. She works as a children's entertainer telling stories about overcoming fears, yet she has spent the past 39 years battling with the sense she is 'not good enough'. Her parents split up when she was five. As she said goodbye to her mother in Australia to move to Britain with her father, her mother promised she would see her again in six weeks. She never appeared. Debi assumed it was her own fault, and ever since has been haunted by guilt and low esteem. She is hoping the convent will help her to overcome her fear that God will punish her and that she will return home as a new mum no longer wracked by rejection. Iona Maclean is 25 and a singer/songwriter living in Chelsea, London. She is the only Christian in the group of volunteers. A former 'party girl' she went through a phase of heavy drinking from which she believed she was saved by God. Nevertheless, she still struggles with the temptations of the modern world, particularly her self-confessed weakness for the opposite sex. She is seriously considering celibacy and thinks that the nuns might be able to advise her how to go about it. Angela Dickson is 43, single, a former police officer, former pub landlord and a successful business development manager in Nottingham. Her career has been her priority and she seems to have it all - a nice house, a second property abroad and a BMW convertible. But recently she has come to ask what any of her material wealth is really worth. Twice divorced, she has no faith, no children, and feels time is running out. She hopes that going into the convent will help her to discover if there is more to life - and more to her. Victoria Bennett is 33. She lives and works as a poet in the Lake District. Brought up an atheist, she completely rejects the idea of a patriarchal God and tries to live her life free of rules. She has an open marriage and she feels everyone should be free to express their sensuality however they see fit. But underneath it all Victoria struggles to reconcile her free spirit with a deep-rooted insecurity. Associated Creators: (Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Two)

The Convent follows four ordinary women as they give up their everyday lifestyles to embark upon a spiritual journey within a community of nuns, at the Convent of the Poor Clares, in Arundel, West Sussex,. For the nuns at the Convent, their service to God is based on manual work, obedience, community and chastity. For them, it is a daily labour of pure love. Offering a remarkable glimpse into the inner workings of convent life, the women will spend 40 days and 40 nights in a world without material possessions and where the pressures of modern life are left behind. All the female volunteers are beset with modern anxieties, from appearance and achievement to sex, motherhood and fulfilment. Will they find any peace, or even answers, inside the hallowed walls? Cut off from the outside world, they will share the daily routine of prayers and work with the Sisters in an attempt to discover if life has any greater meaning. Like The Monastery, the themed of series are unravelled through the personal dramas of everyday life in the enclosed confines of the Convent. Debi Ireland is 44 and lives in Scotland with her husband and their five-year-old son. She works as a children's entertainer telling stories about overcoming fears, yet she has spent the past 39 years battling with the sense she is 'not good enough'. Her parents split up when she was five. As she said goodbye to her mother in Australia to move to Britain with her father, her mother promised she would see her again in six weeks. She never appeared. Debi assumed it was her own fault, and ever since has been haunted by guilt and low esteem. She is hoping the convent will help her to overcome her fear that God will punish her and that she will return home as a new mum no longer wracked by rejection. Iona Maclean is 25 and a singer/songwriter living in Chelsea, London. She is the only Christian in the group of volunteers. A former 'party girl' she went through a phase of heavy drinking from which she believed she was saved by God. Nevertheless, she still struggles with the temptations of the modern world, particularly her self-confessed weakness for the opposite sex. She is seriously considering celibacy and thinks that the nuns might be able to advise her how to go about it. Angela Dickson is 43, single, a former police officer, former pub landlord and a successful business development manager in Nottingham. Her career has been her priority and she seems to have it all - a nice house, a second property abroad and a BMW convertible. But recently she has come to ask what any of her material wealth is really worth. Twice divorced, she has no faith, no children, and feels time is running out. She hopes that going into the convent will help her to discover if there is more to life - and more to her. Victoria Bennett is 33. She lives and works as a poet in the Lake District. Brought up an atheist, she completely rejects the idea of a patriarchal God and tries to live her life free of rules. She has an open marriage and she feels everyone should be free to express their sensuality however they see fit. But underneath it all Victoria struggles to reconcile her free spirit with a deep-rooted insecurity. Associated Creators: Tiger Aspect Productions (for BBC Two)

The first episode follows the men as they are introduced into the daily routine at Worth Abbey. It soon becomes clear that this crash course in monastic living is going to prove to be a bigger challenge than expected.The five quickly learn that making trips to the local shop for treats, listening to personal stereos and napping when they should be reading the Bible doesn’t exactly fit in with the Benedictine teachings of silence, obedience and humility. Tension begins to mount, leaving one of the group questioning why he is there and another undergoing an outpouring of emotions.

As the five volunteers approach the final two weeks of their stay, they are encouraged to consider how what they have learned will affect their lives back in the outside world.The volunteers have been in the monastery for four weeks and have each embarked on an intensely personal and spiritual journey.They have attended church six times a day and been introduced to St Benedict’s core monastic principles of silence, obedience and humility. – without the usual distractions of the outside world. Although in Episode 2, it seemed that Gary and Anthoney had resolved their differences, the pressure boils over again at what turns out to be a disastrous community meeting, and both are forced to look inwards at themselves. Despite the arguments, a scheduled visit to a neighbouring silent monastery goes ahead.The monks at Carthusian Parkminster do not normally open their doors to visitors and spend 18 hours a day in their rooms, working, studying and praying in silence. For the group, it’s a unique opportunity to experience monasticism in its purest form – and for some it proves to be a turning point. It’s been an invaluable experience for all of them but, for one volunteer in particular, the journey is about to come to a remarkable, and life-changing, conclusion.

As the five volunteers approach the final two weeks of their stay, they are encouraged to consider how what they have learned will affect their lives back in the outside world.The volunteers have been in the monastery for four weeks and have each embarked on an intensely personal and spiritual journey.They have attended church six times a day and been introduced to St Benedict’s core monastic principles of silence, obedience and humility. – without the usual distractions of the outside world. Although in Episode 2, it seemed that Gary and Anthoney had resolved their differences, the pressure boils over again at what turns out to be a disastrous community meeting, and both are forced to look inwards at themselves. Despite the arguments, a scheduled visit to a neighbouring silent monastery goes ahead.The monks at Carthusian Parkminster do not normally open their doors to visitors and spend 18 hours a day in their rooms, working, studying and praying in silence. For the group, it’s a unique opportunity to experience monasticism in its purest form – and for some it proves to be a turning point. It’s been an invaluable experience for all of them but, for one volunteer in particular, the journey is about to come to a remarkable, and life-changing, conclusion.

The group enters the period of Ramadan and is tested physically and spiritually through the period of fasting as they appraoch the end of their time at The Retreat.

The first episode begins with the 6 British individuals arriving at their designated retreat place at Andalusia, Southern Spain (Alqueria de Rosales).

While Pom, Azim and Khadijah have immersed themselves in the intense daily routine of prayer, silent contemplation and spiritually uplifting work on the land, Muddassar and Simon are both struggling – Muddassar to cope without his mobile phones, and Simon to engage with his heart rather than his head. Meanwhile, Aisha, however, is not engaging at all. To try and defuse the mounting tension within the group, retreat leader Abdullah Trevathan takes them on a two day visit to nearby Morocco. But will experiencing Islam in action have the desired effect?

Niall Ferguson explores how Western civilization - a clear minority of mankind - secured a lion's share of the world's resources, and examines whether the West is about to be overtaken by the rest.

Niall Ferguson explores how Western civilization - a clear minority of mankind - secured a lion's share of the world's resources, and examines whether the West is about to be overtaken by the rest.

Niall Ferguson explores how Western civilization - a clear minority of mankind - secured a lion's share of the world's resources, and examines whether the West is about to be overtaken by the rest.

Niall Ferguson explores how Western civilization - a clear minority of mankind - secured a lion's share of the world's resources, and examines whether the West is about to be overtaken by the rest.

Niall Ferguson explores how Western civilization - a clear minority of mankind - secured a lion's share of the world's resources, and examines whether the West is about to be overtaken by the rest.

Niall Ferguson explores how Western civilization - a clear minority of mankind - secured a lion's share of the world's resources, and examines whether the West is about to be overtaken by the rest.

Presented by Richard Dawkins, Sex, Death and the Meaning of Life is a three-part television documentary which explores what reason and science might offer in major events of human lives.

Presented by Richard Dawkins, Sex, Death and the Meaning of Life is a three-part television documentary which explores what reason and science might offer in major events of human lives.

Presented by Richard Dawkins, Sex, Death and the Meaning of Life is a three-part television documentary which explores what reason and science might offer in major events of human lives.

Horizon is an ongoing and long-running British documentary television series on BBC that covers science and philosophy.

What Lies Beneath? It is possible that only 1-percent of the amazing cities, temples, and pyramids of Ancient Egypt have been unearthed. using Space Archaeology scientists are uncovering the secrets.

Ravaged by looters, earthquakes and erosion, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara is falling apart. Can experts win the race to save this precious pyramid and preserve its treasures?

This film, through interviews with people who worked closely with him, takes an unflinching look at his difficult, controlling reputation, and offers a unique insight into what made Steve Jobs tick.

Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou examines how archaeological discoveries are changing the way people interpret stories from the Bible.

The story of the 2011 massacre in Norway offering new insights into the mind of the killer and through interviews the film pieces together the course of the attacks.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

Surgeon Gabriel Weston discovers the surprising truth about fat and why so many people are pilling on the pounds, and how to fight the fat epidemic.