Best movies & TV Shows like Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places

The events of the hajj have long remained veiled from non-Muslims, who are forbidden even to enter the holy city of Mecca. A team of Muslim filmmakers gained access to Islam's holiest place at the peak of the pilgrimage to document the holy event for National Geographic Television.

For centuries, we've grappled with the mystery of The Holy Grail. Was it really the cup used at the Last Supper by Christ and the Disciples? And where is it today? It's the ultimate adventure, one of history's great detective stories. At the heart of the best-selling novel of all time, The Da Vinci Code, lies the mystery of this most sought-after, yet most illusive, sacred relic. Over the centuries, historians, archaeologists, adventurers, and rulers alike have sought to piece together the ancient puzzle and find the one true Holy Grail. Now, follow award-winning investigative documentarian Bruce Burgess as he follows the clues and goes In Search of the Holy Grail.

Welsh poet Ifor Ap Glyn has a passionate interest in the toilet: its history and how it has evolved over the centuries, right up to the development of the current design. Here, he explains the reasons behind his fascination.

In the week when Hindus celebrate the holy festival of Diwali, this documentary tells the story of one of their faith's most sacred symbols - the swastika. For many, the swastika has become a symbol synonymous with the Nazis and fascism. But this film reveals the fascinating and complex history of an emblem that is, in fact, a religious symbol, with a sacred past. For the almost one billion Hindus around the world, the swastika lies at the heart of religious practices and beliefs, as an emblem of benevolence, luck and good fortune.

Historian William Dalrymple journeys to Morocco, Turkey, Syria and Pakistan to explore whirling dervishes, Qawwali singing and other forms of music sacred in Sufism, the branch of Islam that emphasizes music as a mystical route to the holy. Capturing performances of renowned Muslim musicians such as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sain Zahoor, the film reveals that at the heart of Sufism lies a dedication to tolerance and pluralism.

February 2013, Allahabad, India. Over the next 55 days, nearly a hundred million people will come here, to the Great Kumbh Mela. This incredible and awe-inspiring celebration of the world's oldest religion happens every 12 years at the place where Hindus believe two sacred rivers meet. For many Hindus this is their most important pilgrimage, and it happens at one of the most holy sites in India. Hindus come to cleanse themselves in the sacred waters of the river Ganges, to pray and emerge purified and renewed. This follows British pilgrims as they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual journey. A journey that will take them into the heart of Hinduism - its philosophy, its beliefs and its traditions. A journey that will culminate in the largest ever gathering of humans in one place.

Refugee gods, transposed to flesh and blood, wash ashore to rouse the myths of ancient Britain, half-drowned in a forgotten past. They disperse through shifting realities to awaken the giant Albion and find the holy grail in a ritual to save England from the rot of darkness and hatred that's strangling its soul.

Zoologist Nigel Marvin travels back in time to visit deadly creatures of the prehistoric oceans.

Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure is a 1999 BBC television documentary presented by Michael Palin. It records Palin's travels as he visited many sites where Ernest Hemingway had been. The sites include Spain, Chicago, Paris, Italy, Africa, Key West, Cuba, and Idaho. After the trip was over Michael Palin wrote a book about the journey and his experiences. This book contains both Palin's text and many pictures by Basil Pao, the stills photographer who was on the team.

Journey through the long-vanished corners of prehistoric North America, beginning when man first entered the vast, unspoiled continent some 14,000 years ago, in this appealing BBC documentary. Witness ancient beasts, mammoths, mastodons, giant bears, and sabre-toothed cats, and see the legacies each has passed to their modern successors. Computer animation and digital effects bring to life mammoths, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, short-faced bears, glyptodonts, and a plethora of smaller animals in a lush Ice Age mosaic. Discoveries from sites across America are the basis for the reconstructions. The BBC team behind "Blue Planet" and "Walking with Dinosaurs" now takes you back to an 'early America' beyond imagination. Travel back 14,000 years as humans were first entering the continent, sharing it with ancient beasts.

Terry Jones' Great Map Mystery is a four-part television documentary series first broadcast on BBC Two Wales in 2008 and presented by ex-Python Terry Jones. As described on the BBC's website, "Terry Jones sets out on a series of journeys through Wales following the world's first road atlas: John Ogilby's Britannia, published in 1675."

Physicist and professor Brian Cox travels across the globe to uncover the secrets of the most extraordinary phenomenon in the universe: life.

Jamie Oliver travels the country searching for new ideas and inspiration and to find out what makes British food great.

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.

Hobbyist metal detectorists "King George" Wyant and his buddy Tim "The Ringmaster" Saylor travel the country looking for lost relics of history. They are invited by landowners, historians and archaeologists to go on a quest, and in their own way, a crusade, to unearth history that would have otherwise been forgotten.

David Dimbleby takes to his wooden sailing boat to explore Britain's rich maritime heritage.

Professor Richard Fortey travels to some of the greatest fossil sites on earth to discover more about the distant past.

Alison Ellwood’s intimate, meticulously crafted patchwork of rare archival material, concert footage, and unseen home movies explores the evolution and enduring popularity of one of America’s truly defining bands.

Dan Snow travels through India in the footsteps of the company that revolutionised the British lifestyle and laid the foundations of today's global trading systems.

A look behind the scenes of British Airways, one of the UK's most visible brands.

Michael Portillo examines the role of the railways in World War I and travels through Britain and Europe uncovering stories from the Great War.

Oz Clarke and James May travel through Britain and Ireland to discover the amazing array of drinks that is on offer.

The trials and tribulations of the Mayflower Pilgrims in the New World; men, women and children who sailed on a chartered ship for a place they had never seen.

Journeying to the far reaches of the world, and to places cameras have rarely been, "Belief" searches the origins of diverse faiths and the heart of what really matters. From the epic to the intimate, webbed throughout each hour are stories of people on spiritual journeys, taking them to sacred spaces.

It spans over 5,000 years of history that have shaped the world. It is full of spectacular sites and epic stories and an evolving society of inventors, heroes, heroines, villains, artisans and pioneers. Professor Joann Fletcher reveals the highs and lows of the most beguiling civilisation in humanity’s rich history in this four-part series made for BBC2.

The saga of an Italian immigrant family in search of the American dream.

The British actress goes on a 2,000 mile journey across the four main islands of Japan, travelling from North to South meeting local people and absorbing the culture.

Tony Robinson walks our oldest roads to find the truth behind the megaliths, burial sites, ley lines and hidden caves along their path, and connect the clues they have left hidden in the British landscape.

A three-part drama about serial killer John Christie and the murders at 10 Rillington Place in the 1940s and early 1950s.

Sue Perkins undertakes an epic, personal journey to the source of India's Ganges river in the Himalayas, meeting hermits and holy men to understand the sacred nature of this river.

Actor and British national treasure Sir David Jason travels around the UK and beyond to reveal the secret places and people who act as guardians and gatekeepers of the incredible but true story of Britain’s spy history.

Wildlife documentary series narrated by Hugh Bonneville revealing the hidden lives of the animals that live in various habitats around Britain.

Exploring the history and use of psychedelic plants. Psychedelica examines; Sacred Healing ,Integrating Shamanic, Wisdom, Treating Illness with Plant Medicines, Set, Setting, & Psychotropic Experiments, Expanding Human Consciousness, Shadow Side of Psychedelics, Indigenous Medicine of the Mind, and The Holy Mushroom Theory. Psychedelica is an original series streamed on Gaia. 2018

Entering a sacred monument is never an unremarkable experience. Whether a place of worship for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists, the buildings all tend to be architecturally magnificent. And behind the stone, brick, or marble facades are hidden stories of titanic construction sites where brilliant architects, builders and artists came together... From the West to the Far East, these monuments are the concrete witnesses of men's beliefs and of their desire to excel, as well as reminders of their will for political dominance. This series, set in the present day, is about discovering some of the world’s most beautiful and sacred monuments, from Italy to Hungary via France, and on to India, Tunisia and even Myanmar... During each episode we spend a day, from sunrise to sunset, at one of the monuments and learn about its history and architecture, as well as the rituals practiced there, and the people who take care of it.

Actress Megan Fox has peeked behind the curtain of some of these ancient sites, igniting an insatiable curiosity to learn more about these lost worlds. She embarks on an epic international journey to investigate and find answers to these enduring mysteries.

US Youtube sensation Beau Ouimette, a river detectorist with over 30 years’ experience, and presenter and keen swimmer Rick Edwards search the UK’s waterways for archaeological finds. Using state-of-the-art technology, archive maps and contemporaneous accounts from the period, Beau and Rick perform the first underwater archaeological digs in some of the most exciting and iconic historical sites in Britain, often in dangerous and fast-flowing water.

Enter a world of mummies, witches, zombies, and shamans as we explore Britain's mysterious sites and mystic past.

Former Federal prosecutor Sunny Hostin travels to the sites of America’s most perplexing cases, interviewing detectives, prosecutors, coroners, and speaking with victims’ families to piece together the emotions, evidence and, ultimately, truth of the case.

Anne Hegerty, Shaun Wallace and Mark Labbett embark on a geeky road trip to uncover the cognitive abilities of animals. The brainboxes have won quizzes the world over, but wonder where they are in the pecking order of intelligent life forms.

The three-part documentary series, compiled from over 60 hours of unseen footage, captures the warmth, camaraderie, and creative genius that defined the legacy of music’s most iconic foursome. The series also includes – for the first time in its entirety – The Beatles’ final performance at London’s Savile Row.

How four iconic British-built trains revolutionised rail travel and inspired incredible railway projects the world over.

Urquhart aims to secure his legacy on the international stage, but faces threats both from abroad and closer to home.

Alexander Armstrong travels to the Land of Fire and Ice to learn more about the unique nature and culture found there, visiting every corner of Iceland to experience the incredible sights and people.

Anita Rani travels the country revealing the remarkable secret history of Britain's beaches.

Simon Reeve travels through the glorious Lake District and breathtaking Cumbria, revealing the secrets of this iconic part of Britain.

Writer Sathnam Sanghera travels across the country exploring the effects of the British Empire on modern Britain

Accidental travel hosts, Pally and Gabrus, are given family-sanctioned three-day weekend escapes to venture across the U.S. to different destinations to experience everything they have to offer. Stepping off the beaten path, the guys champion the authenticities of each stop and share with viewers their love of the unexplored. Even after 15 years of friendship and adventure, there's still so much for them to discover from unique foods and drinks to local sites, and other idiosyncrasies that make each city tick.

A land of myth and legend, ancient Iraq is the cradle of human civilization; and now, pioneering archaeologists gain rare access to investigate sacred sites and reveal the truth behind forgotten Biblical cities.

In 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia breaks apart in the skies above America. The astronauts’ families and Nasa staff share personal stories of the launch, unfolding disaster and fallout.