Secrets of Britain

From PBS - Unlock doors to secret rooms and learn surprising facts about the famous Tower of London. Standing guard over the city of London for nearly 1,000 years, the formidable Tower of London has been a royal castle, a prison, a place of execution and torture, an armory and the Royal Mint. This program unlocks the doors to secret rooms, talks to the people who do the jobs no one sees and reveals some surprising facts about one of England’s most famous icons.

From PBS - Step inside London’s premier department store. Two words are synonymous with Selfridges: luxury and London. However, Selfridges was the brain child of an American – Mr. Harry Gordon Selfridge – whose life is depicted in the current MASTERPIECE miniseries Mr. Selfridge. The real, flamboyant Mr. Selfridge brought about a complete revolution in the way that Londoners shopped, introducing a new American retail model which made shopping less of a practical pursuit and more of a luxurious adventure. But there was another side to the story - Harry’s private life. When it began to seep into his business, the effect on him and his store was devastating.

From PBS - Get inside the most famous police headquarters in the world. No police institution in the world captures the public imagination in quite the same way as Scotland Yard. Today, the name is synonymous with London’s Metropolitan Police, one of the oldest detective forces in the world. From Britain’s most famous serial killer to the biggest jewelry heist in history, we reopen classified files to reveal how a century and more of crime detection has sown the seeds of modern-day policing. We follow crime historians as they retrace the steps of Scotland Yard’s earliest detectives and enter a grisly world of treachery, violence and murder most foul.

From PBS - On the surface, London is a buzzing, modern metropolis — but underneath lies a secret, hidden world, all but forgotten by the millions of people above. This program uncovers 2,000 years of subterranean history: a world of ancient caves and perfectly preserved Roman remains; mysterious rivers and gruesome plague pits; impenetrable vaults and top-secret bunkers. Digging deep, the program unearths some of the most extraordinary stories of the darkest part of the city.

From PBS - Her Majesty's Secret Service is the world’s oldest and most famous spy agency. Home to the legendary Agent 007, James Bond, it has been at the centre of international espionage for over 100 years. Now we reveal the truth behind the covert operations, the tales of treachery and the double-agents who've risked their lives. With interviews from the major players in British espionage we expose the dangerous secret world of real life spies.

From PBS - Westminster is the heart of London; the seat of true power in Great Britain and the place where modern democracy is born. The rich group of architectural treasures on the north bank of the river Thames – Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the clock tower known as 'Big Ben' - bears witness to one thousand years of power struggle between Crown and People. With unprecedented access we delve deep into the corridors of power to discover their secrets.