Television series
Ancient Worlds
Richard Miles guides you through 6,000 years of civilization—from Mesopotamia's first cities to Rome's collapse. This is archaeology as narrative adventure: he walks through ruins, unearths evidence, and shows how choices made millennia ago still shape us. Ideal for anyone curious about how we got here, and why it matters.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like history told through big sweeping questions and a presenter who walks you through ruins and sites, rather than dry dates, and you enjoy the long view of how cities and empires got started.
Skip it if you want deep archival detail or scholarly argument, since this is a sweeping survey that covers millennia in six one-hour episodes and rarely lingers anywhere for long.
What it asks of you: Six hour-long parts and a steady march through thousands of years, so you need to hold a lot of centuries in your head and keep the chronology straight.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Civilisations2018
Simon Schama traces art and culture across continents and centuries, finding the human story inside aesthetic movements. Visual, ambitious, and genuinely moving about what beauty tells us about ourselves.
But Nine hours is a commitment, and some episodes drift into philosophy when you wanted more concrete history. The focus on art rather than politics might feel incomplete.
The Ascent of Man1973
Jacob Bronowski's legendary series about how human thought evolved through science and culture. Each episode is a small masterpiece of clarity and wonder. Essential viewing that hasn't aged a day.
But The production values are distinctly 1970s, and the pacing is slow by modern standards. Some science has moved on since it was made.
Connections1978
James Burke traces how a single invention leads to another, showing the accidental logic of progress. Endlessly rewatchable. You'll never look at history the same way again.
But The production is very dated, and some connections feel stretched to make a point. It can feel more like entertainment than rigorous history.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Ancient Worlds
More like this (3)
A History of Ancient Britain2011
Simon Schama again, but tighter and more focused than Civilisations. He's brilliant on how geography shapes destiny, and how ordinary people experienced the big moments.
But Heavy British focus means less about the civilizations that influenced Britain. Some sections feel designed for existing history enthusiasts.
Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town2010
A laser-focused study of one place at one moment, using archaeology to reconstruct daily life in extraordinary detail. Intimate and haunting.
But The narrow scope might feel limiting if you want broader context. Very UK-focused in perspective and pacing.
Pyramid2002
A meticulous dive into how ancient engineers solved impossible problems with rope, wood, and ingenuity. Respectful of both the ambition and the mystery that remains.
But Very narrow focus. If you want broader Egyptian history, you'll need to look elsewhere. Some theories are speculative.
People
Cast
Richard MilesPresenter