Athens 2004: Olympic Opening Ceremony (Games of the XXVIII Olympiad)

The history of surfing is like one long ride in which surfers relay the baton to each other across the years on a single, endless wave. In order to understand how this ancestral Polynesian tradition was able to span the globe and the eras until it became a competitive sport and eventually won a place at the Olympics, we’ll plunge into its history through the exceptional stories of those who allowed it to survive and be reinvented.

The opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics took place at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia, on 7 February 2014. It began at 20:14 MSK (UTC+4) and finished at 23:02 MSK (UTC+4) This was the first Winter Olympics and first Olympic Games opening ceremony under the IOC presidency of Thomas Bach. The Games were officially opened by President Vladimir Putin. An audience of 40,000 were in attendance at the stadium with an estimated 2,000 performers. The ceremony touched upon various aspects of Russian history, and included tributes to famous Russians, such as Peter Tchaikovsky (1840–1893), Ukrainian-born Russian humourist, dramatist, and novelist Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852), filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein (1898–1948), ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky (1889–1950), and patron of arts, and founder of Ballet Russes, Sergei Diaghilev (1872–1929).

The story of the 1980 United States Olympic hockey players, a group of amateurs from around the country who were whipped into a cohesive unit by controversial coach Herb Brooks to win a gold medal at Lake Placid during the winter games.

Live coverage of the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics which took place in the evening on Friday 19 July in the Centennial Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, United States.

This colorful documentary chronicles the events of the 1968 Winter Olympics in France. The events made international celebrities of skater Peggy Fleming and skier Jean-Claude Killy for their gold-medal performances. The camera accurately catches the speed of bobsleds and downhill racers and ski jumpers as they race for the gold. President Charles DeGaulle is shown observing the action over 13 days, which saw France earn the best performance to date in the winter games.

Relive the Paris 2024 Olympic Games through the journeys of eight remarkable athletes who pushed past limits, defied expectations, and inspired the world. Featuring Noah Lyles, Faith Kipyegon, Jack Robinson, Huang Yaqiong and Zheng Siwei, Leon Marchand, Olga Kharlan and Cindy Ngamba.

The Top Gear team hit Norway for a Winter Olympics special in which they attempt Olympic events, but with cars. In a world first, the team fire a rocket-powered Mini off a ski jump, Jeremy and James tackle the biathlon with the latest 4x4s, Richard stages a game of car ice hockey, and the new Jaguar XK races a speed skater.

For seventeen fleeting days, the mountain wore a crown of glory. This documentary is not about those days, but about the whispers that echo in the wind long after the last torch is extinguished. We journey through time, witnessing the mountain's silent transformation - years of preparation etched in its slopes, scars of change left on its ancient form. Through intimate interviews with the locals who witnessed the transformation and the professionals who shaped it, we piece together the mountain's Olympic journey. We'll hear firsthand accounts of the years of preparation, the challenges faced, and the lasting impact on the landscape and community.

Alison Brown and Charlie Simonds plan this film at Britain's oldest naturist club, Spielplatz. It’s then off to the Greek Mediterranean and Crete to discover Kalypso Cretan Village. They meet up with friends, Jocelyne and Regis, to investigate why this resort has become so popular.

Let's Not Live Like Slaves

It was perhaps the most spectacular flourishing of imagination and achievement in recorded history. In the Fourth and Fifth Centuries BC, the Greeks built an empire that stretched across the Mediterranean from Asia to Spain. They laid the foundations of modern science, politics, warfare and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever seen. This series, narrated by Liam Neeson, recounts the rise, glory, demise and legacy of the empire that marked the dawn of Western civilization. The story of this astonishing civilization is told through the lives of heroes of ancient Greece. The latest advances in computer and television technology rebuild the Acropolis, recreate the Battle of Marathon and restore the grandeur of the Academy, where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle forged the foundation of Western thought.

This is the true and astounding saga of the Spartans at Thermopylae. It is among the greatest tales of war ever recounted. All the glory and grit of these warriors' last stand is captured in this exceptional documentary. It is almost impossible to understand how 300 Spartans managed to hold off the million-man Persian army for even a moment, much less seven days. To a man they paid with their lives but their stunning Last Stand assured that their sacrifice would resonate throughout history. Transporting dramatizations and incisive graphics put you in the heat of the battle and show the lay of the land. The complications and strategies of the conflict are revealed through careful analysis, and critical moments are reconstructed to show exactly what happened. Discover what the Spartans were fighting for, what made them capable of such heroics and what drove them to such sacrifice.

Escaping the dreary wet weather of 1930s England, an eccentric family uproot and ship themselves to the sunnier climes of the Greek island of Corfu.

During Summer 2000, the mayor of the Greek island of Lesbos tried to ban 26 lesbians from arriving on a package holiday from the UK; but he ended up biting off more than he could chew. This programme follows the love, lust and laughs over the course of their holiday as the women drink, dance and snog their way around the island. Despite being shadowed by the papparazi and some negative islanders, nothing can stop our women from fighting for their right to party.

GCN's James Lowsley-Williams and GMBN's Blake Samson are trading in their usual bikes for ones with much smaller wheels, as they try their hand at two variations of the incredibly varied sport of bicycle motocross. We'll explore the history of BMX to learn about the rise, fall and rebirth of one of cycling's most explosive forms. From racing on the track to landing tricks in skate bowls, what does it take to make it to the top level of BMX?

As soon as the summer is over and the cicadas turn silent, Niki is going to France for documentary film studies. She therefore buys a video camera and together with her boyfriend they film moments from their summer holidays in Peloponnese, which might be their last.

This impressionistic portrait of the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics pays as much attention to the crowds and workers as it does to the actual competitive events. Highlights include an epic pole-vaulting match between West Germany and America, and the final marathon race through Tokyo's streets. Two athletes are highlighted: Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila, who receives his second gold medal, and runner Ahamed Isa from Chad, representing a country younger than he is.

Over twenty-five hundred years ago, the ancient citizens of Athens, Greece built the most magnificent temples that mankind has ever been inspired to create. These towering shrines, shrouded with unworldly spirits, were home to mysterious cults that performed bold sacrifices and evoked unspeakable wonders. And yet, from the citadel of the Acropolis came the very hallmarks of civilization, ideas that remain today the highest testament to the nobility of man -- democracy, science, philosophy and theatre. Through stunning film, interviews with experts and vivid reenactments, you'll explore the haunting mysteries that still lie buried in the mystical world of Ancient Greece.

At the 1996 Atlanta Games, the Magnificent Seven became the first American women to ever win gymnastics team gold. Sixteen years later, in London, the Fierce Five joined them in the history books. Relive all the excitement as Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross take the lead from the first rotation and never look back on their way to gold. Follow Gabby Douglas on her way to the podium to make it three straight American gold medals in the individual all-around competition. Every individual event final is featured on this DVD, including Aly Raisman's historic gold-medal performance in the floor exercise, her bronze on the balance beam, as well as McKayla Maroney's silver medal in the vault.

The history of the ancient neighborhood of Colonus in Athens, by a novelist and script writer who lives in modern-day Kolonos.