John Holdsworth
2021Edwardian Insects on Film
John Holdsworth
Charlie Hamilton-James, David Attenborough
In 1908, amateur naturalist and pioneering filmmaker Percy Smith stunned early cinema goers with his footage of the juggling fly. Hailed as the father of Natural History film, Smith was a hugely influential visual pioneer, inventing many techniques that are still used today. Being both a genius and an eccentric, we follow his life from his earliest films, to the collapse of his house from his mould experiment to his ultimate suicide. We also meet Natural History icon Sir David Attenborough, who was so amazed by Smith’s films in the 1930s that they inspired him to get into natural history.
Edwardian Insects on Film
Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey
John Holdsworth
Simon Armitage
Virginia Woolf said that Homer's epic poem the Odyssey was 'alive to every tremor and gleam of existence'. Following the magical and strange adventures of warrior king Odysseus, inventor of the idea of the Trojan horse, the poem can claim to be the greatest story ever told. Now British poet Simon Armitage goes on his own Greek adventure, following in the footsteps of one of his own personal heroes. Yet Simon ponders the question of whether he even likes the guy.
Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey
No Sex Please, We're Japanese
John Holdsworth
Anita Rani
In a world where people panic about the rising global population, Japan is facing a very different future which could see their population shrink by a third in just 40 years. One reason is that the Japanese are not having enough babies and the causes of that form the basis of Anita Rani's intriguing journey.
No Sex Please, We're Japanese
To Catch a Serial Killer with Trevor McDonald
John Holdsworth
Trevor McDonald, Jon House
Sir Trevor McDonald presents this documentary which explores the extraordinary pursuit of serial killer Christopher Halliwell by detective Steve Fulcher.
To Catch a Serial Killer with Trevor McDonald
My Years With The Queen
John Holdsworth
Lady Pamela Hicks, India Hicks
In this one-off documentary for ITV, Lady Pamela Hicks talks for the first time on television about her incredible life growing up within The Royal Family and her close relationship with The Queen. Lady Pamela is the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, great great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, cousin to Prince Philip and second cousin to The Queen. She is uniquely placed to document her memories of her years with The Queen, whether as her childhood friend, bridesmaid or as her Lady in Waiting.
My Years with the Queen
A303: Highway to the Sun
John Holdsworth
Tom Fort
Writer Tom Fort drives the 92-mile length of the A303 in a lovingly-restored Morris Traveller. Along the way he has many adventures - he digs up the 1960s master plan for the A303's dreams of superhighway status; meets up with a Neolithic traveller who knew the road like the back of his hand; gets to know a section of the Roman 303; uncovers a medieval murder mystery; and discovers what lies at the end of the Highway to the Sun.
A303: Highway to the Sun
