Son of a Gun, or how Sam Colt changed America

The revolver created the image of the rugged, self-sufficient Westerner but he was umbilically tied to the new urban factory. The "Wild West" only lasted 15 years, but the cultural effect of its iconic weapon would remake American identity. I wrote, directed and narrated for the BBC and Sony Home Video

watch

Before Columbus
BBC Timewatch

Following the 19th century reports of "Welsh speaking Indians" in North Dakota, this follows the legend of a Welsh prince to the Mandan of North Dakota, who send an investigator to Anglesey.

View film

Evidence of Vikings: BBC Timewatch

Were the Vikings bloothirsty savages, or was that propaganda. And was the fiercest saga warrior simply driven mad by bone deformations?

Watch film

Lords of the Maya
BBC Timewatch

The excavation of a burial inside a Mayan pyramid reveals the life and death of their cities

See the film

The Terror

Celebrating the bi-centenial of the French Revolution, this BBC film looks at why the revolutionaries did not end slavery until Robespierre insisted.

Watch film

Ireland's Opportunity

One of two films I made for the BBC for the bi-centenary of the French Revolution. The IRA was its longest surviving revolutionary movement

Watch film

And God Blew

My first venture with Terry Jones, in which he examines great historical events blown totally off course by dramatic weather events, and with the help of leading historians unveils the purpose of the hidden hand.

See film

Drake's Last Voyage: BBC Timewatch

Why did Francis Drake'e final voyage lead to disaster? The film uncovers new evidence of the reason for a tragic end

See the film

Form the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers' Warning

The documentary in which the Kogi appeared from their mountain to give their memorable wake-up call to industrial civilization

Watch film

ALUNA

The Kogi demonstrate the interconnections of the living world in a desperate plea to our reckless industrial civilization to recognise the foundations of life.

See film

GLADIATORS: The Brutal Truth

Terry Jones makes a practical investigation of the role of gladiatorial combat in Roman culture, and discovers why the "barbarians" put a stop to it,

Watch now

The Story of One

The journey from the number one to the number zero, and beyond. Devised for BBC1 by the team behind "Walking with Dinosaurs" and presented by Terry Jones, I was the historical advisor and co-writer.

Watch video

The Surprising History of Sex and Love

Presented by Terry Jones. Originally a 90 minute commission from Discovery Channel US. They dropped it with horror when they saw the rough-cut. The problem was not sexual content but the evidence that the Israelites worshipped a goddess. It was shown in this shorter version by Discovery UK, and won the Royal Television Society Southern Region award. Terry believed it was his best documentary.

Watch film