Seven Wonders of the World

This program presents the stories of the works of architecture regarded by the Greeks and Romans as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statute Of Zeus, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Pyramids of Egypt and more.

Greece, a land of breathtaking beauty and light. A land where science, art and inspiration from the gods combined to produce some of the world's greatest marvels of architecture and design. The ancient Greeks used buildings and structures to reflect the variety of life at the core of their civilisation - they built the first theatres, staged the first sports events and worshipped in some of the most spectacular temples ever built.

Noted scholar John Romer takes us on a tour of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This program presents the stories of the works of architecture regarded by the Greeks and Romans as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statute Of Zeus, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Pyramids of Egypt and more.

The Romans saw the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as the crowning achievements of their predecessors. Through stunning on-location and re-created visuals, learn how and why they were built and how they dazzled the ancients.

Documentary discussing the seven manmade wonders listed by Philo of Byzantium 2000 years ago: the Colussus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus at Olympus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the temple to Artemis at Ephesus, the pyramid of Giza, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Explore with host John Romer, the influence of ancient eastern civilizations. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, in what is now Iraq, were rumoured to be part of the palace of Nebuchadnezzar. Today, scientists believe that the exotic gardens were actually more fable than fact. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesusm in modernday Turkey, was built to honour the mother goddess. She was a powerful force for many different people - the Romans knew her as Diana, the Anatolians as Kybele - and her temple was one of the holiest shrines in Alexander the Great's world

Host John Romer ventures to the sites of two ancient cities created by Alexander the Great - cities that were considered among the most beautiful and unusual the world had ever seen. We also explore the culture and environment that created several of the seven wonders. This episode examines two unparalleled testaments to the power of the era: The Pharos (Lighthouse) at Alexandria, which stood more that 300 feet, making it the tallest structure of its time, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, which was considered one of the greatest tombs ever created. The Mausoleum's perimieter was not decoreated with icons of ancient gods, as was the custom of the time, but with ennobled and enlarged figures of real people. These statues are thought to have been an inspiration for the citizens - telling them they could be as great as the gods.

Explore the birth of the iage of "The New Man" in human hostory. Delving into the legends if the Colossus od Rhodes and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, host John Romer demonstrates how these monuments projected a new vision of the human form into the popular consciousness. A mmoth figure of ivory and gold, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia ruled over the Olympic games. Before this venerable statue lay a huge, shallow pool of olive oil, which reflected light onto the figure. The Colossus of Rhodes was built with sheets of bronze and stood guard over the island of Rhodes. Perhaps the most astounding aspect of both monuments was that the sculptors modelled their faces in the image of man. Today, this image is mirrored in our own Statue of Liberty,

Author and archaeologist, John Romer, contemplates the mystical aspects of the Seven Wonders, exploring the enduring fascination of the only surviving Wonder, the Pyramids. John then focuses his attention on the city of Rome which had become a magical city, surrounded by a wall of iron enclosing seven hills, one for each day of the Creators rest. There were 365 squares in Rome, 365 streets, 365 palaces for the popes and each palace had 365 steps and each step was covered with bread enough to feed the world. It was a dream of poor people. imagining a legendary past. A past of endless wealth and wonder. Ghosts of Wonder demonstrates how the story of the Wonders is also the story of the modern imagination and has John Romere travelling from Australia to New York to illustrate how people are still haunted by ghosts of the ancient past.

He's one of America's most cherished myths... and one of its most wrong-headed. America's Robin Hood who robbed not only the rich but the poor and defenseless as well, always saving the treasure for himself.

Celebrated as one of the masters of the short story, Frank O'Connor was also an important translator of classical Irish poetry. Cork poet and writer Liam O'Muirthile tells O'Connor's forgotten story. He argues you cannot understand O'Connor's voice in English without understanding his natural writing voice, which is rooted in Irish.

A look at Sather's life and comic career and the impact his death had on his friends, family, and the greater world around him. We get comments from Stiller, Gallen, Wilson, Ferrell, and filmmaker Judd Apatow. We get some thoughts about Sather - the character co-creator who died in 2004 - as well as the development of Zoolander.

Portrait of Charles Trenet. Twenty years after his death, this documentary offers a new look at the artist. When, in 1956, the singer appeared on television, he was 43 years old. And it is a man of 60 or even 70 years old that today's audience has known. The first Charles Trenet, the one who transported France when he was 25 or 30 years old, remains largely unknown. Yet it was this kid of genius who, at the age of 25, invented French chanson. But the archives that are scattered throughout this portrait also show that he invented a certain idea of joy. For joy in Trenet was a sport, a daily gymnastics.

MOULOUD GAID

Like it or not, porn is here and it is harmful. In this controversial film, award-winning filmmaker Justin Hunt dissects the impact of pornography on societies around the globe, from how it affects the brain of the individual, to how modern technology leads to greater exposure to youth, to watching it literally tear a family apart. In what may well be one of the most devastating issues in modern culture, this film will break down the damage that porn is doing to us a human race and leave you thinking that it's clearly time that we start taking porn addiction a bit more seriously.

Xu Xin’s film “Dao Lu” (China 2012) offers an exclusive “in camera” encounter with Zheng Yan, an 83 year-old veteran of the Chinese Red Army, who calmly relates how he has navigated his country’s turbulent history over three-quarters of a century.Born to a wealthy family in a foreign concession, Yan joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1941 because he sincerely believed in the socialist project, and in its immediate capacity to free China from the Japanese yoke and eradicate deep-rooted corruption.

A biographical drama that profiles the life of Hal C. Banks, a controversial American labour union leader, who came to Canada in 1949 to lead a violent fight against the rival communist shipping union. He once ruled the Canadian shipping industry, but his brutal tactics would bring his downfall.

In a revealing documentary, Mike Leigh, director of Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake and Abigail's Party among many others, talks to Alan Yentob about a unique body of work and a lifelong struggle to make films on his own terms. On day one of a Mike Leigh film, there is no script, no story and the actors do not know if they will even be in the final film. It is a process that has yielded some of cinema's most celebrated performances, and Leigh's new film Mr Turner is already winning critical acclaim. Actors including Jim Broadbent, Eddie Marsan, Sally Hawkins, Lesley Manville and James Corden give fascinating insights into the director and his distinctive method of working.

Clarkson and May, in a seriously modified Toyota, take on Hammond and his dog sled in a 450 mil race to the North pole as they drive over thin ice to face in-tent hostilities, polar bear fear and desperate food fantasies.

J.A. Bayona portraits in "9 days in Haiti" the daily life of the Caribbean country and how it struggles against poverty, with the help of children of school IDP camp Corail-Cesselesse.