Generation Astronaut (2014)

A groundbreaking documentary special that sees ordinary men and women from across the globe competing against each other for the chance to live the dreams of a generation. Following more than 100 winners from over 60 countries as they strive to win one of 23 tickets to space aboard the Lynx shuttle in 2015, GENERATION ASTRONAUT showcases a week of intense competition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, under the tutelage of a judging panel including legendary astronaut, Buzz Aldrin. This one-hour programme follows the hopes and dreams of the recruits as they bid to earn the journey of a lifetime - and make history.

Brain Games (Series)

interactive experiments that test how easily the brain can be fooled uncovering the surprising nature of how we process information, feel emotions, and perceive the world around us.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

* The Numbers Game (2013)

Money. Sex. Marriage. Mortality. In each episode, data scientist Jake Porway tackles one of life’s most daunting topics revealing the surprising science behind them. From mind-bending stats, hilarious man on the street experiments, and interactive game play, this show delivers the answers to life’s mysteries and gives you the tools to help take charge of your destiny and change your life forever.

Season 2

Part 1: When Will You Die
Scientists now believe that your genetic makeup accounts for only about 25 percent of your potential life expectancy and that means 75 percent of the rest of your life is up to you! Host Jake Porway helps you figure out when you're going to die – or, at least, find out more about your life expectancy! See how the hand you're dealt at birth can affect how long you can live and what you can do to change your odds. Want to know how? You'll just have to play The Numbers Game to find out.

Part 2: Will You Make a Million
What would you do for a million dollars? Find out the stats that affect your odds for getting rich. Data scientist and host Jake Porway explores how you can grow your bank account through entertaining experiments, cutting edge facts and real-life scenarios. Think that failure, procrastination and napping will stop you from becoming a millionaire? Think again. We'll give you the numbers and clues to your odds of making a million.

Part 3: What Drives You Crazy
From your co-workers to grating sounds to the obnoxious guy texting in his car ahead of you, we all have our list of what drives us mad. The world around us may be crazy, but do we have to be? Fasten your seatbelts as host, and data scientist Jake Porway explores the science and numbers behind daily stresses, everyday annoyances and pet peeves that can drive us crazy. We'll help you see how to read the signs of whether you are losing it and give clues, news and the answers on how to deal.

Science of Stupid (2014)

This is the show that combines cold hard science with some of the craziest, most spectacular and painful user generated clips ever recorded. Richard Hammond introduces all manner of mishaps featuring brave, if misguided individuals from around the world and then explains the science behind their failure and humiliation with the use of bespoke animations and super slo-mo cinematography. Each week we show between 50 and 60 clips of misadventure – ordinary folk making extraordinary mistakes. Each episode will feature several themes such as weightlifting, shooting guns or jumping over cars and each theme will be paused, re-wound, and re-played as we analyze exactly what went wrong and why. Richard Hammond explains the physics, chemistry and biology at play; he will present forensic detail to explain the stupidity that resulted in failure. He’ll look at everything including weight, volume, momentum, combustion and even how the brain operates. This is misadventure explained. This is Science of Stupid.

Episode 1
What could possibly go wrong when attempting to jump over a moving car, trying a backflip off a brick wall, or popping a “wheelie” on a motorbike in a crowded street? Probably more than you think.

Episode 2
With claimed muzzle velocities as high as 300 kilometres per hour, potato cannons can cause some real damage. But that does not stop one man from taking a potato to the groin.

Episode 3
There is a scientific reason why dancers are virtually naked. Minimal clothing combats the pull of gravity. But if the pole is not secure, friction won’t stop a dancer from falling on her head…

Episode 4
The “Cannon Ball Ice Dude” racked up 2 million views on YouTube with his attempt to jump into a frozen pool. We break down the science behind what went wrong.

Episode 5
What happens when there’s not enough friction on a slip and slide, or too much drag after diving off a nine metre platform? We break down the science of summer fun gone wrong.

Episode 6
Who knows for how long mankind has been jumping up and down for fun, and yet we still have not perfected the art of the trampoline. We break down the science of bouncing.

Episode 7
We break down the science of a human cannon ball, and see can go wrong when attempting to run across rooftops for sport.

Episode 8
Get a crash-course in aeronautical science with home videos of paragliders colliding into trees, a moving truck and even the Statue of Liberty.

Episode 9
Richard Hammond uses science and home footage to reveal the humiliating and painful potential of riding a rodeo bull, and hanging upside down.

Episode 10
Richard Hammond combines science with home videos in order to explore the many ways we can injure or humiliate ourselves when walking on stilts, firing a sling shot or playing golf.

Episode 11
Richard explores the potential to embarrass, injure and humiliate yourself when riding a zip line, playing on swings or trying to swallow powdered cinnamon.

Episode 12
Richard uses science and home footage to reveal the humiliating and painful potential of bungee jumping, juggling and flying a kite - though not all at the same time.

Episode 13
Richard Hammond explores the potential to embarrass, injure and humiliate yourself when pole vaulting or just rolling down a hill in a trash can.

Episode 14
In this episode we explore the potential to embarrass, injure and humiliate yourself when abseiling, running up walls or flying with a jet pack.

Wild: Hyena Coast (2014)

Brown hyena expert Ingrid Wiesel wants to find her favorite study animal, named Tosca, who has disappeared from her home range on Namibia’s wild west coast. Ingrid has spent the last 17 years studying brown hyenas–now she must journey deep into Tosca’s world to discover what exactly has forced her to leave her traditional hunting grounds. The story begins with Tosca’s disappearance who, since her brith nine years ago, has been the subject of Ingrid’s studies. Tosca is an efficient and hardworking hunter, and also a successful mother. So when Tosca and her clan disappear from their home range, Ingrid sets off on a journey to find her, traveling deep into the world of brown hyenas.

D-Day Sacrifice (2014)

On the 70th anniversary of D-Day, revisit the Allied forces’ June 6, 1944 Normandy landings and the 100 days leading up to the liberation of Paris from the Nazis.

Wild: Ultimate Honey Badger (2014)

Drop into the secret life of Badgie the honey badger as she learns how to face the wilds of Africa alone. Join her on mouse, snake, and scorpion hunts, and in her battle with a porcupine for ownership of her burrow. Badgers are among the most fearless animals in Africa, and in this film National Geographic follows Badgie’s rite of passage to becoming the street fighter of the Savannah.

* American Blackout (2013)

What if the Doomsday Preppers were right all along? Hacking into urban infrastructures isn't science fiction anymore — it's in the news every day. In this docudrama, National Geographic asks the question: When the lights go out, what do we do next? American Blackout imagines a nationwide power failure in the United States caused by a cyberattack — told in real time, over 10 days, by those who kept recording using cameras and phones. Gritty, visceral and totally immersive, you'll learn what it means to be absolutely powerless. What would it take to survive from day one, and who would be left standing when the lights come back on?

* Duck Quacks Don't Echo (Series)

Duck Quacks Don’t Echo is a one-hour program where our three hosts - Tom Papa, Michael Ian Black and Seth Herzog - present weird, unusual and incredible facts – and then get to test the validity of their ‘facts’ though in-studio or pre-produced experiments. Simply put, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo presents over-the-top hypothesis and then goes about proving them. It is all presented in a funny, breezy way. Like three good friends meeting up once a week to test each other’s knowledge of obscure and wonderful data, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo is a celebration of science.

* Scam City (2012)

Ever had your pocket picked? Been ripped off by a taxi driver? Well, every year, hundreds of millions of tourists have their holidays ruined by conmen and scammers and often in the most glamorous cities on earth. Now Conor Woodman enters the underworld of petty crime and gets scammed…so you don't have to.

Episode 1: Buenos Aires
Common scams in Buenos Aires involve pick pocketing, clip joints, vice girls and taxi scams. Perhaps most prevalent though, and running out of control, is the city's problem with counterfeit money.

Episode 2 Prague
Disguised as beautiful girls, harmless hawkers and friendly taxi drivers, Prague's scammers emerge after dark to prey on the scores of unwitting tourists enjoying the nightlife.

Episode 3 Rio De Janeiro
When millions of tourists descend on Rio for one of the biggest parties on the planet at Carnival time, it's time for Rio's scammers to party hard too.

Episode 4 Barcelona
Barcelona has so much to give but the city's creative thieves are also ready to take what they can from unsuspecting tourists. Travel expert Conor Woodman wants to see exactly who these people are.

Episode 5 Rome
Travel expert Conor Woodman is in Rome, on a mission to uncover the gritty underworld that feeds off the Eternal City's thriving tourist scene.

Episode 6 Delhi
Delhi is a vibrant melting pot, offering deliciously different experiences that attract backpackers from all over the world. Conor Woodman reveals how innocent tourists are taken in.

Episode 7 Istanbul
The exotic blend of Istanbul can be both fascinating and disorienting and, as travel expert Conor Woodman finds, a perfect environment for scammers to target vulnerable tourists.

Episode 8 Bangkok
Travel expert Conor Woodman returns to Bangkok to see if the gem scam he first encountered there is still being run and to discover even more elaborate ones.

Episode 9 Las Vegas
Travel expert Conor Woodman goes on a journey from the swankiest casinos and nightclubs to beneath the Strip itself, where tunnel dwellers live in the storm drains.

Episode 10 Marrakech
Travel expert Conor Woodman is in the labyrinthine city of Marrakech. It's a maze-like world where you're lost without a guide… but there's no way to be sure whose side the guide is on.

* Alcatraz Breakout: New Evidence (2012)

June 11, 1962 …Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. In the still of the night three prisoners – Frank Lee Morris, Clarence Anglin, and John Anglin – did the impossible. Desperate and dangerous, they escaped from Alcatraz. Only traces of their bold breakout were found in the frigid San Francisco Bay. The three men were never seen nor heard from again. Until now their fate remained a mystery.

Did they survive their bid for freedom or did they lose everything to the San Francisco Bay? Today the Bay Area's own scientists and researchers look for answers. Scientists like Dr. Ralph Cheng, an expert on the Bay's hydrodynamic properties; Tom Belcher, a specialist in underwater investigations; San Francisco Bay Model's Hydraulic Engineer Dan Schoof; record-breaking rough water swimmer Fred Ferroggiaro; and Alcatraz historian Jolene Babyak. Their answers lie beneath Alcatraz.

* Abu Dhabi: Between Tradition and 21st Century (2012)

How the capital of the United Arab Emirates has merged its ancient customs with the modern world, preserving traditional activities including camel racing

The people of Abu Dhabi are rightly proud of their history and heritage, key aspects of the emirate's attraction to visitors. Given the pace of development and change in recent years, it is considered a priority to safeguard the unique crafts, artefacts and architecture that define the emirate's culture. The Future While looking back with pride, the Government and people of Abu Dhabi are also looking forward to a still brighter future. Blessed with substantial untapped oil wealth to safeguard the emirate's growth and development, Abu Dhabi is nevertheless seeking to diversify its economy and enhance its environment still further. In this quest, tourism has been earmarked for a specially important role. As a clean, green industry that promotes international friendship and goodwill, tourism is seen as an ideal means of applying Abu Dhabi's strong tradition of hospitality to good effect.

* 9/11 Washington Under Attack (2013)

While shocking events were still unfolding in New York, the world was oblivious to a similar attack already launched at Washington. Within minutes, a hijacked plane crashed into The Pentagon. 9/11: Washington Under Attack maps the fear and confusion which ricocheted throughout the US capital in this insightful programme. Using raw video and sound 9/11: Washington Under Attack reconstructs the day nation's capital came under assault.

* 10 Ways to End the World (2011)

More than 99.9% of all species that have inhabited the Earth are extinct - could mankind be next?, Black holes hurdling through space, deadly asteroids able to wipe out northern Europe in a single blow, hostile extra-terrestrials science has introduced you to a host of galactic doomsday scenarios that could jeopardize your planet. But, these cosmic catastrophes are second tier to the dangers that Mother Nature and mankind itself can inflict. Will a supervolcanic eruption alter our planet's atmosphere so completely that we stand little chance of survival? Could a pandemic on a scale larger than the 1918 Spanish influenza sweep the globe? , Or, will mankind's quest to push the bounds of scientific understanding ultimately lead to its demise? 10 Ways to End the World is a countdown of the top ten most chilling threats that could usher in the end of humanity as you know it.

* Drain The Great Lakes (2011)

This fascinating documentary offers not only a window into the past, but also a peek into the future. As mankind's influence over them grows, what lies in store for the Great Lakes? Can they survive humanity's growing demands in the 21st century? North America's Great Lakes are the largest system of freshwater on Earth, but what wonders would be revealed if all the water were suddenly to disappear from Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario? Exposing the lakebeds for the first time in thousands of years, this insightful programme explores unseen geological treasures and lost human history hidden since the last Ice Age. Fusing cutting-edge science with vivid CGI Draining The Great Lakes allows you to see what truly lies deep below the waves.

* Disaster Planet (2013)

Nature’s fury can be described in many ways – tsunamis, Earthquakes, tornados, and volcanic eruptions. 

Disaster Planet looks at how and why these natural disasters occur, and asks if there is a way to prevent them from happening.

* Dinofish (2012)

Coelacanth (SEEL-uh-kanth): a large fish with limblike fins, armored scales and a tail that no other living fish possesses. This prehistoric fish was thought to have died out with the dinosaurs in the great extinction. It has laid hidden deep in our oceans undisturbed and undetected for 70 million years - a true living fossil. The coelacanth is thought to be related to the creatures that grew legs, breathed air and came ashore nearly 400 million years ago.

* Death Of The Megabeasts (2009)

A team of scientific detectives from around the world attempt to crack one of sciences most enduring mysteries - what killed the megafauna? Long after the extinction of the dinosaurs, extraordinary species of giant beasts roamed the earth, ruling the animal kingdom for hundreds of thousands of years. But suddenly, they vanished. Something happened which wiped them off the face of the planet forever. Recent discoveries could now help solve that mystery and offer insight into environmental problems today which threaten the world - and mankind.

* Deadliest Animal: Battles (2012)

Find out which species are among the deadliest twelve animals in: Costa Rica, the Amazon, Asia and the Asia Pacific.

* America's Book of Secrets (Series)

Area 51 (2012)
Step inside one of the most notorious places on the planet in Area 51: I Was There. Made famous by The X Files and generations of conspiracy theorists, only a select few have been to Area 51, and even fewer have spoken of what lies inside. But now you can venture beyond the perimeter fence to discover some of its incredible secrets in our ground-breaking special, Area 51: I Was There. Area 51 was established by the CIA in 1955 to develop classified military projects. Since then the base has gained worldwide notoriety. Satellite images of the area show seven runways and over 25 hangars, and many claim it is here that the US government carries out experiments on everything from UFOs to aliens themselves. Indeed, many insist that the true purpose of the site is to reverse-engineer alien spacecraft recovered from the infamous Roswell crash site. Yet, officially, Area 51 doesn't even exist... So what really goes on in this remote part of the Nevada desert? Find out from the people who worked there who freely share their stories on camera for the first time. Hear how military workers deceived even their closest family members to work on incredible projects, and how Cold War paranoia fuelled unparalleled levels of secrecy.

America's Doomsday Plan (2014)
A look at the plans America has in place should a Doomsday situation occur.