Documentaries

AI Confidential with Hannah Fry Seen on the 11th April 2026, 3 Episodes, BBC Programme: AI Confidential with Hannah Fry Broadcaster: BBC Format: 3-part documentary series Date watched: April 2026 Status: Completed Overall reaction I found this series deeply thought-provoking, especially because I work in AI myself. It did not simply inform me; it challenged me. Across the three episodes, it made me reflect on AI not only as a technological force, but as something that can shape cognition, relationships, movement, care, exclusion, and dignity. What stayed with me most is that my reaction is not anti-AI. It is more precise than that: I came away feeling more cautious, more responsible, and more aware that AI is never neutral in practice. It can support human life, but it can also narrow it. Episode 1 — Echo chambers, cognition, and emotional use of AI This was probably the most shocking episode. It made me much more aware of the effects of AI-driven echo chambers. It did not only ...

Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen (2022) Seen on the 13th April 2026, 3 episodes BBC. Programme: Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen Broadcaster: BBC Format: 3-part documentary series Year: 2022 Date watched: April 2026 Status: Completed Overall reaction I really liked this documentary. I already knew Agatha Christie in the general sense in which most people know her — as the mystery queen, through a few films and through the cultural weight of her name — but this series brought her back into focus for me as a person, not just as a brand. Lucy Worsley’s project is explicitly to explore Christie as a complex woman whose life and work reflected the upheavals of the 20th century, and that came through very clearly.  What pleased me most was not only being reminded how prolific Christie was, but discovering again how extraordinary she was. She came across as rebellious, unconventional, inventive, and much more modern than the stereotype of a merely res...

Rome: A History of the Eternal City (2012) Seen on April 3rd 2026, 3 episodes. Programme: Rome: A History of the Eternal City Broadcaster: BBC Format: 3-part documentary series Year: 2012 Date watched: April 2026 Status: Completed Overall reaction This was a very good documentary. I liked the way it tried to tell the story of Rome as a narrative rather than as a pile of disconnected periods. It is obviously very difficult to cover everything Rome means in only three episodes, but I thought the structure worked well. By the end, I felt I could almost divide a future visit to Rome into three great historical-spiritual layers corresponding to the series itself: ancient sacred/pagan Rome, Christian Rome, and papal/Renaissance/modern Rome. That broad tripartite arc matches the programme’s own framing around Rome’s power being shaped and maintained by religion over time.  Episode 1 — Ancient Rome My reaction The first episode deals with ancient Rome, from the founding story of Romul...