The Beauty of Books

Readers across the world are in love with author Sally Carmichael's series of romance novels that chronicle the epic love story between a human girl and a merman. But no one knows that Sally Carmichael is really Simon Hayes, a bitter, serious novelist - and Simon would like to keep it that way. When he is forced to meet a movie star about the movie adaptation, his life of anonymity starts to crumble.

A look at Fellini's creative process. In extensive interviews, Fellini talks a bit about his background and then discusses how he works and how he creates. Several actors, a producer, a writer, and a production manager talk about working with Fellini. Archive footage of Fellini and others on the set plus clips from his films provide commentary and illustration for the points interviewees make. Fellini is fully in charge; actors call themselves puppets. He dismisses improvisation and calls for "availability." His sets and his films create images that look like reality but are not; we see the differences and the results.

For decades, a nice Jewish couple ran Circus of Books, a porn shop and epicenter for gay LA. Their director daughter documents their life and times.

Lifestyle guru and romance expert, Joanna Moret, has developed a fool-proof strategy for ending holiday loneliness and it's all detailed in her best-selling book, The Love Audit. After appearing on a morning show, she is offered the biggest opportunity of her career—to throw the MacAllen Holiday Gala—and if all goes well she'll get her own TV show. Little do her fans, or the MacAllen's, know that she is newly single and can't seem to apply her principles to her own love life. Joanna asks the morning show producer, Ted to pretend they are a couple or risk being exposed as a fraud.

One of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, Arthur Miller created such celebrated works as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, which continue to move audiences around the world today. He also made headlines for being targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee at the height of the McCarthy Era and entering into a tumultuous marriage with Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. Told from the unique perspective of his daughter, filmmaker Rebecca Miller, Arthur Miller: Writer is an illuminating portrait that combines interviews spanning decades and a wealth of personal archival material, and provides new insights into Miller’s life as an artist and exploring his character in all its complexity.

Historian Lucy Worsley restages the 1840 wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Aided by a team of experts, Worsley recreates the most important elements of the ceremony and the celebrations, scouring history books, archives, newspapers and Queen Victoria's diaries for the details. She reveals how every moment was brilliantly stage-managed for maximum effect. Woven into the recreation of the wedding day is the story of Victoria and Albert's courtship and engagement, and its political importance.

This trial of the century was the first nationally televised TRUE LIFE soap opera, a tangle of salacious plotlines. OJ SIMPSON TRIAL: THE REAL STORY reveals the true story behind the trial of O.J. Simpson the most highly publicized American criminal trial, ever. The documentary relies on contemporaneous archival material alone to illustrate the course of events. Without the interruption of modern interviews to provide hindsight, the storytelling triggers the same raw emotion and real-time perspective as when the events transpired all those years ago.

Today, few people's clothes attract as much attention as the royal family, but this is not a modern-day paparazzi-inspired obsession. Historian Dr. Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, reveals that it has always been this way. Exploring the royal wardrobes of our kings and queens over the last four hundred years, Lucy shows this isn't just a public fascination, but an important and powerful message from the monarchs. From Elizabeth I to the present Queen Elizabeth II, Lucy explains how the royal wardrobe's significance goes far beyond the cut and color of the clothing. Royal fashion is, and has always been, regarded as a very personal statement to reflect their power over the reign. Most kings and queens have carefully choreographed every aspect of their wardrobe; for those who have not, there have sometimes been calamitous consequences. As much today as in the past, royal fashion is as much about politics as it is about elegant attire.

Comedian Jason Manford and singer-songwriter Chelcee Grimes present Eurovision Calling: Jason and Chelcee’s Ultimate Guide. This entertainment programme will see the pair explore why the Eurovision Song Contest is the greatest show on Earth. Using a mix of fascinating archive footage and revealing interviews with fans, experts and competitors, this one hour film will delve into the story of how the Contest has become the world’s largest live music event, creating global superstars and leaving an impact on the lives of many.

To mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Janina Ramirez tells the story of three books that defined this radical religious revolution in England.

Americans know President Ronald Reagan s politics, his policies, and his oratorical prowess. But as we approach what would have been his 100th birthday in February 2011, the totality of the legacy of America s 40th president is still eclipsed by the myth. While some say he s a hero, and others call him an empty suit, one thing is for certain President Ronald Reagan made history. But what made him? Using rare archival footage and personal interviews with those who knew him best, REAGAN goes beyond the myth to reveal the epic story of an unforgettable man who, against all odds, rose to the pinnacle of power. A brand-new HISTORY special that uses rare archival footage and personal interviews to reveal the President Reagan that few of us knew.

This fascinating documentary reveals the behind the scenes story of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, drawing on rare archive footage and made using eyewitness accounts of participants and historical experts.

An author, who made a career by examining her own trauma sits down to interview her nephew for a new book about his history as a gender-nonconforming model and pansexual poster boy. Each of them reveal much more than expected and confront some of their most deeply hidden secrets.

The calmest seas are the most turbulent underneath. So is the case in Blink, a story of domestic abuse and human brokeness. Nailah Belle is the epitome of beauty and strength. She is known to be committed to her classroom, community, and marriage. Her husband Chris appears to be the perfect accessory to accompany what reveals to be her perfect lifestyle, however; all is not what it seems to be, as this riveting story unfolds; in just one Blink.

At 89 years old, Stan Lee's name appears on more than one BILLION comics in 75 countries in 25 languages. Arguably the most recognized name in comics, Stan Lee has co-created over 500 legendary pop culture characters including Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor and The Hulk. Stan continues to create new material and entertain fans of all ages with fantastic stories and characters in all areas of entertainment. With Great Power: the Stan Lee Story, explores the vivid life and imagination of Stan Lee, from the early days of his Depression-era upbringing through the Marvel Age of Comics and beyond! The film uncovers original transcripts, illustrations, photographs and stories of Lee's fascinating journey from his early years at Timely Comics and World War Two, the comic book industry's censorship battle of the 1950's led by Dr. Fredric Wertham, the dawn of Marvel Comics and the legendary characters Stan co-created, to his current company POW! Entertainment.

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.

Bear Grylls takes his survival expertise one step further as he reveals the incredible stories of ordinary people stranded in devastatingly dire situations. Coupled with incredible archive footage and interviews with the survivors, Bear will pit himself against the very same dangers and scenarios, reliving their journeys through first-hand experience and showing us how to survive through some of the world's most desolate landscapes.

Classic books are considered with a fresh eye. Returning to the authors' original manuscripts and letters, expert writers and performers bring their personal insights to these great works.

The documentary - featuring a combination of rarely seen archival footage, new segments filmed on location worldwide, and interviews with leading international experts - also uncovers the untold story of the central role Irish Americans played in the lead-up to the rebellion. Although defeated militarily, the men and women of the Easter Rising would wring a moral victory from the jaws of defeat and inspire countless freedom struggles throughout the world - from Ireland to India.

In this unique take on British history, Professor Alice Roberts explores Britain's rich and varied past through the stories of individual towns and cities. In each programme Alice studies one key period in history by delving into the secrets of a historic town that encapsulates the era, providing an accurate impression of what life was really like at key moments in our turbulent past. At the climax of each programme, cutting-edge CGI reveals the entire historic town in all its former glory.

Explore the Bush family’s internal dynamics: the influential matriarchs, sibling ambitions and unceasing competitive spirit which drove them to power. Through archival footage and interviews with historians, journalists, political figures and Bush family members, the series reveals a story of triumph, tragedy, heroism, faith, and an evolving conservatism.

Through extensive archive and expert interviews this series explores the stories behind mankind's greatest engineering disasters.

From the producers of "The Kennedys," this six-part miniseries tells the incredible, dramatic and emotional tale of the British Royal Family known as The Windsors. Using stunning archive and interviews with insiders and experts, the series weaves together the true story of the Windsor dynasty.

The story of bookshop owner, Dog and his best friend, Pug. Whenever they have a problem or a question, they look for the answer in one of their beloved books.

The true stories of the successes, failures, thrills and miseries that accompany the kind of wealth that ordinary people can never understand. Using a combination of powerful interviews, unique archive and atmospheric visuals, Rich & Shameless goes behind the public facade to reveal the dangers of great prosperity.

Follows the cold case and controversial investigation into the murder of Beverly Lynn Smith in her home in Oshawa, Ontario. Woven together from first hand accounts, expert interviews, family archives, and rare access to key participants, The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith is an unpredictable tale that explores the unrelenting enigma of ethics and accountability in this provocative criminal case.

Sex: A Naughty History, an original series from HISTORY, follows actress, singer and presenter Amanda Holden and bestselling author and historian Dan Jones as they explore how, through the ages, sexual behavior has influenced civilizations. The series uses archival footage and drama reconstructions-which Amanda Holden and Dan Jones participate in-to highlight the best sex stories in history. Amanda and Dan also meet experts in the history ofsex, including sex historian Dr. Kate Lister, author of "ACurious History of Sex," international lecturer in Dominance Studies Anne O Nomis, author of "The History Arts of theDominatrix," and the late Jacqueline Gold CBE, general manager of Ann Summers, in her very last television interview.

This new CBC documentary series uses contemporary interviews and archival footage to chronicle Canada’s long history of anti-Black racism, including episodes on police brutality and the rise of hip-hop music.

Each episode opens up a cabinet of curiosities to reveal the strangest-but-true stories in human history, brought to life through dynamic recreation, compelling graphics, and arresting archival. From Boston’s Great Molasses Flood to a man who survived being struck by lightning not once, not twice, but SEVEN times, these seemingly tall tales all actually happened, and our cast of experts dives into the historical record to tell you how and why.

American writer and reader Connie Martinson interviews authors on their latest publications.