Best movies & TV Shows like Blood and Gold: The Making of Spain with Simon Sebag Montefiore

During the Napoleonic Wars, when the French have occupied Spain, some Spanish guerrilla soldiers are going to move a big cannon across Spain in order to help the British defeat the French. A British officer is there to accompany the Spanish and along the way, he falls in love with the leader's girl.

The film is a historical drama set during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson), focusing on the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, whence the title. In 1588, relations between Spain and England are at the breaking point. With the support of Queen Elizabeth I, British sea raiders such as Sir Francis Drake regularly capture Spanish merchantmen bringing gold from the New World.

David Carr is a British Communist who is unemployed. In 1936, when the Spanish Civil War begins, he decides to fight for the Republican side, a coalition of liberals, communists and anarchists, so he joins the POUM militia and witnesses firsthand the betrayal of the Spanish revolution by Stalin's followers and Moscow's orders.

Writer and broadcaster Jonathan Meades turns his gaze onto Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.

Russia, 1917. After the abdication of Czar Nicholas II Romanov, the struggle for power confronts allies, enemies, factions and ideas; a ruthless battle between democracy and authoritarianism that will end with the takeover of the government by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks.

Join art historian Robert Hughes for a fascinating journey into the life of Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Using the artist's works as the benchmarks in this biographical profile, Hughes follows Goya from his role as painter to the royal court through his maturity as a war reporter and into his troubled final years. Hughes reveals how the upheaval of Goya's life can be traced through his paintings that range from the fanciful to the insane.

In Madrid at the time of the Inquisition, the monk Ambrosio is renowned for his faith and his strength of will, a saint in the eyes of the populace. But when he discovers the beautiful Matilda hidden in his own monastery, all his repressed passions begin to show themselves, and he is soon using the girl, and her powers, in his lust for more innocent prey.

A terrifying yet fascinating investigative journey into the lives, crimes and deaths of some of history's most villainous characters.

Documentary series which uses film and eyewitness accounts from both sides of the conflict that divided Spain in the years leading up to World War Two, also placing it in its international context.

The year 2004 saw two hundred years of railways in Great Britain and to celebrate this historic landmark year, dedicated train enthusiast Mark Williams traveled the length and breadth of Britain in an exciting new TV series. Travelling the length and breadth of Britain, Mark tracks down the nation's fascinating railway heritage and gets to grips with locos such as the magnificent 160 ton Duchess of Sutherland. From the earliest designs of Richard Trevithick and George and Robert Stephenson to the advent of Class 31s, and from the development of London's Underground to the evolution of railway coaches, he reveals how our railways have changed over 200 years of history.

Simon Schama explores the life and times of William Shakespeare to shed a new and fascinating light on some of the greatest plays ever written. He asks the question: "What came first, Englishness, or Shakespeare's idea of it?" and produces a persuasive argument in favour of the latter.

Adolf Hitler is infamous today as a war criminal - arguably one of the worst war criminals in history. Yet during the 1930s he was loved by millions of Germans. How was this possible? In this fascinating series, award-winning historian and documentary maker Laurence Rees examines the background to Hitler's 'charismatic' rule.

Presented by Egyptologist Dr Joann Fletcher who goes on a fascinating journey in search of people like us, not the great Pharaohs, but the ordinary people who built and populated this incredible place, creating a remarkable way of life. Dr Joann explores their homes, workplaces and temples. The programme originally aired on BBC2 and we meet Kha and Meryt, an architect and his wife who lived just outside the Valley of the Kings. They left behind a treasure trove of information; their extraordinary tomb, full of objects from their lives and deaths - from make-up to death-masks, loaves of bread to life-like figurines, even the tools Kha used at work in the royal tombs. Joann Fletcher uses this to travel into the remarkable world of these Ancient Egyptians,.

Simon Reeve sets off on an extraordinary adventure across Australia. This mad adventure, involving specially adapted off-road vehicles and a chopper, is part of an ongoing effort to stop the damaging spread of up to a million feral camels across the country.

Her 60 years on the throne make her the second longest-serving sovereign in history, and in 2012 all eyes are on Queen Elizabeth II as Britain marks her Diamond Jubilee. In this fascinating series, veteran newsman Sir Trevor McDonald looks not only at the traditions and institutions surrounding the monarchy, but at the fabric of British life and history. From Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace to the collection of Historic Royal Palaces; from a privileged glimpse at the making of a royal portrait to 600 years of counting royal swans on the River Thames; from a potential change to the rules of succession to the pomp and circumstance of a state visit, this is truly a showcase for a queen and her country.

Archival footage and interviews with historians mark this fascinating documentary on the 1950s, based on David Halberstam's bestseller. Among the subjects covered: work and the family; the impact of TV; the Cold War; and the beginnings of the civil-rights movement and the sexual revolution.

Simon Sebag Montefiore uncovers the three identities of the city some call the Centre of the World: Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul. This one metropolis has been the capital city of three empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Each brought its own faiths, Gods and traditions, and each left its mark on the city in its architecture, traditions and in the living faith-communities who still populate this vast modern metropolis of 14 million people.

A series that explores the unexplained, the unexpected and the unidentifiable. Chris Packham unlocks the secrets behind the world's weirdest events.

The Hairy Bikers take their charm and humour on the road as they encounter brilliant, eccentric and fascinating people across Britain whose lives surround the nation’s pubs. Their epic journey will take them into the secret world of the pubs that made Britain. From the first Roman taverns, to Anglo Saxon alehouses which sprung up in peoples’ homes, and the travelers Inns providing respite for a more mobile population, they’ll reveal the fascinating story of how Britain’s pubs evolved - but also tells a bigger story of Britain itself.

Enter the battlefields of Africa, arenas bathed in a history of savagery and blood, where big cats and big crocs have reigned supreme for centuries. Here in the open plains, muddy swamps, and deep rivers, these super predators don't simply survive in hostile and unforgiving conditions, they thrive because of them. See how these four-legged assassins adapt to their surroundings and use the terrain to unlock new hunting techniques, seek out new prey, and amplify their age-old skills by using the lay of the land.

Vienna was the capital of the Habsburg dynasty and home to the Holy Roman Emperors. From here, they dominated middle Europe for nearly 1,000 years. In this series, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore describes how the Habsburgs transformed Vienna into a multi-national city of music, culture and ideas. Napoleon, Hitler, Mozart, Strauss, Freud, Stalin and Klimt all played their part.

Tony Robinson discovers the fascinating history of Britain's greatest cathedrals.

Liz Bonnin meets the animals using outlandish means to find a mate and raise a family, and reveals the fascinating science that lies behind these animal antics.

The quest of Egyptologist, archaeologist and linguist and three-time Emmy Award winner, Ramy Romany, to unlock the fascinating secrets of mummies.

An unprecedented look at the decade-long odyssey to land a man on the moon. This documentary pulls back the curtain on the familiar narrative of the moonshot, revealing a fascinating stew of scientific innovation, political calculation, media spectacle, visionary impulses and personal drama.

In this limited series Simon Reeve begins his most ambitious journey yet, travelling the entire length of the Americas

The fascinating story of the early life of England’s most iconic Queen, Elizabeth Tudor, an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court on her journey to obtain the crown.

Broadcaster and journalist Samira Ahmed goes on a remarkable journey to places rarely seen, as she travels through Iran, telling the story of a complex and fascinating people, culture and history.

The First Circumvallation Around the World, tracking the 1519–22 voyage initiated by Ferdinand Magellan and culminated by Juan Sebastián Elcano.

Comedian Mark Nelson and his star team bring you the best of the Edinburgh Fringe.

An astonishing adventure through some of the most beautiful, fascinating places on earth. From giant cities to remote communities, Simon meets the people of a changing continent.

History is a fascinating peek into how we ended up here, but much of it, frankly, isn’t very interesting. We take a fresh new look at history’s most intriguing facts - with the boring bits taken out.

This seven-hour miniseries explores the foundations of the greatest empires of all time and the incredible stories of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.

During the course of the series, Barili unites Latino urban music from the U.S. to Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Spain and beyond. The series takes a journey into the Latine diaspora to explore and map the evolution of Urbano music and cultures that ignited the musical revolution of Rap, Reggaeton, Bachata, Latin trap, Cumbia and other sounds that influence music and culture worldwide. From perreo to political issues to the stories of rebellion, Barili engages with musicians, cultural icons and fascinating characters who will reveal the story of Urbano music, its history and its significance today.

A sentimental journey through life in the North East of England over the past three generations: with the help of collectors, cine enthusiasts and historians, Tyne Tees have restored and revived hours of forgotten footage, cine-club archives and private collections to build up this fantastic nostalgia series showing first hand the changing landscapes and lifestyles of our wonderful region and its people. Containing rare colour pre-war film as well as early black-and-white footage of life in various parts of the North East. This gem is a fascinating and evocative recollection of the social history of the North East and North Yorkshire from the 1920s to the 1980s. Industry: Footage includes:-Sea the fishing industry, Oilrigs, farming, when coal was king, women in the workplace, giants of industry-ICI, Consett steel industry, days of steam, the fight to keep the North York Moors railway open, food & drink, Vaux brewery, the life of a Co-op store manager and the golden age of shipbuilding.