In this episode of Forbidden History, we are joined by historian Tracy Borman. Tracy heads to Chicago to discover how Al Capone rose to infamy, from club bouncer to the most notorious gangster in history, uncovering the two sides to his personality.

Cast List:

Tracy Borman - Historian

Tony McMahon - Historian and Author

Dominic Selwood - Historian and Author

Eric Meyers – Narrator

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In this final episode of our three-part series, we explore the modern battle over the Parthenon sculptures as a clash between the idea of shared global heritage and the pull of national identity, as Britain and Greece stake competing claims to history itself.

Cast List:

Dominic Selwood: Journalist

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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In Part II of our Parthenon trilogy, we follow Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin as he secures the sculptures and begins their fraught journey from Athens to Britain. Imprisonment, financial ruin, and fierce public criticism surround him as the marbles arrive in London. Almost immediately, they ignite heated debate in Parliament and among Britain’s cultural elite.

Part III is released this Thursday.

Cast List:

Dominic Selwood: Journalist

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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Long before it became a global controversy, the Parthenon was the ultimate statement of Athenian power.

In Part I of our three-part special, historian Dominic Selwood takes us back to 5th-century BC Athens. Join us in exploring its construction under Pericles, its role as a temple and imperial treasury, and the powerful sculptural programme designed by Phidias. From the metopes and frieze to the towering statue of Athena to the changes that different cultures made to them.

This is Part I of a three-part series. Part II, examining Lord Elgin and the removal of the sculptures, releases tomorrow. Part III follows the day after, exploring the legal and cultural debates that continues today.

Cast List:

Dominic Selwood: Journalist

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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In World War II, the U.S. Army’s 761st Tank Battalion, known as the Black Panthers. They fought not only Nazi Germany but also the racism within their own ranks. Sent into some of the fiercest battles in Europe, they built a combat record that stunned and impressed their commanders. Yet for decades, their story was largely overlooked.

Cast List:

Dr. Ed Lengel: Chief Historian, National Medal of Honor Museum

Selena Carty: Cultural and Ancestral Historian

Dr. Robert Jefferson: Associate Professor of History, University of New Mexico

Wayne Robinson: 761st Historian

Shalina Patel: Historian

Private E.G McConnell: Self

Staff Sgt. Floyd Dade: Self

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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In this episode, we dive into the world of the Condottieri, the mercenary captains who shaped the politics and battlefields of Renaissance Italy. We explore their shifting loyalties, ruthless strategies, and the lasting legacy they left on European warfare…

Cast List:

Tim Sutherland: Archaeologist

Dr David Nicolle: Author & Military Historian

Dr Toby Capwell: The Wallace Collection

Dave Hewitt: White Rose Armourie

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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In this episode, we uncover the surprising, sometimes contradictory sides of Isaac Newton, from his plague‑year breakthroughs to his mystical obsessions and turbulent personality. He was far more than the inventor of calculus and the man who explained gravity - he was also a secretive alchemist, a biblical scholar, a financial speculator, and a fiercely private thinker whose curiosity knew almost no bounds.

Cast List:

Dominic Selwood: Author, Historian & Barrister

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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In this episode, we take a deeper look into a clandestine CIA project from the Cold War-era, MK-Ultra. Mind control, drug use, and a potential link to Charles Manson are just a few of the topics that shadow this story, with its eventual exposure reshaping the public’s trust in government intelligence agencies. 

Cast List:

Tony McMahon: Former BBC news producer, author, print journalist and historian 

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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This week we’re revisiting an earlier episode of Forbidden History that you may have missed. In this episode, we take a look at the historical evidence of Jesus’ crucifixion, from the realities behind the legend, to piecing together what we know for certain and what is missing. We explore how little detail the Bible truly contains – including no reference to a cross – and the lack of archaeological evidence.

Cast List:

Karen Bellinger: Anthropologist, archaeologist, and historian

Dr Andrew Boakye: Lecturer in Religions & Theology at the University of Manchester

Janina Ramirez: A cultural historian, broadcaster and author based at the University of Oxford

Tony McMahon: A former BBC news producer, author, print journalist and historian

Dominic Selwood: A historian, barrister, bestselling author, novelist and frequent contributor to national newspapers including The Independent, The Spectator and The Daily Telegraph

Peter Stanford: Writer, editor, journalist and presenter, known for his biographies and writings on religion and ethics

Gunnar Samuelsson: Author and Associate Professor in New Testament Studies at the University of Gothenburg.

Bena Mantel: Licensed tour guide, lecturer and archaeologist.

Peggy Brunache: Historian, archaeologist and lecturer at University of Glasgow

Israel Hershkovitz: Anatomist Professor at Tel Aviv University

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In this episode we take a look at the D-Day landings of World War II. From the overlooked battlefields to the details of the combined arms allied operation, this episode questions what we think we know about one of history’s most iconic military operations. Including a daring commando raid behind enemy lines, that was instrumental to the seizure of the beaches. 

Cast List:

Geoffrey Wawro: Professor of Military History

Peter Caddick-Adams: Historian

Martin Davies: Author

Stuart Lawrence: Historian

Rudy Passera: Military Historian

Eric Meyers: Narrator

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This week we’re revisiting an earlier episode of Forbidden History that you may have missed. We take a look at the tragic murder of the last Tsars of Russia, the Romanovs, in 1918. This episode explores the decline of Tsar Nicolas as ruler, the grizzly deaths of him and his family, and the conspiracies that surrounded their deaths in the following years.

Cast List:

Helen Rappaport: Author & Historian

Guy Walters: Author & Historian

James Sherwood: Writer & Royal Correspondent 

Christopher Warwick: Royal Biographer & Historian 

Andrew Cook: Author, Historian & former British civil servant

Eric Meyers: Narrator 

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