Race Across The World and Louis Theroux Interviews among new BBC Factual and Arts slate – Royal Television Society |

When showcasing the new series at a special event, Kate Phillips, BBC Director, Unscripted, said: From stand-out documentaries like the Real Mo Farah and Freddies Field Of Dreams, to the BBC Proms and the launch of Frozen Planet II, the team here are at the very top of their game, bringing audiences high impact, uniquely public service content at its very best.

"Weve got plenty more to look forward to in the months ahead and Im excited to unveil such an impressive array of diverse new content featuring big and upcoming talent, and bringing us new perspectives, incredible access and big moments for everyone.

The third edition of the Race Across The World will be the most extreme to date, as the five pairs of travellers will have to race across an entire continent.

Starting from the very edge of the Pacific in Vancouver, they will have to travel 16,000km through six time zones at ground level to the Atlantic coast in St John's Newfoundland.

Using just the cash equivalent of the airfare (no air travel or any modern conveniences, including phones, internet or credit cards, are allowed), the pairs must race through the very edges of civilisation to reach the finish line quickest and win the 20,000 cash prize.

Louis Theroux goes behind the scenes and in conversation with stars of British entertainment.

Each of the six episodes will see Theroux visit one of: Stormzy, Dame Judi Dench, Rita Ora, Bear Grylls, Yungblud and Katherine Ryan.

He'll explore their lives and careers in settings both personal and intimate, often in the company of their families.

First up is Stormzy, who Theroux joins on his biggest tour to date.

Forensics is back for a third series, once again following West Midlands Police as they use cutting edge science to bring criminals to justice.

As well as the homicide and CID teams featured previously, this series will explore new territories: from gun crime and ballistic testing to major fire investigations.

In a one-off special, Stacey Solomon and her family and friends will show us how to have a magical Christmas on a micro budget.

Said Solomon: Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year! There's no better feeling than giving someone the perfect gift, especially when it's one I've made at home with my little helpers. DIY gifts mean so much more and save a bit of money too, as do hand-crafted decorations which we love making for our tree."

As well as hand-making gifts and decorations, Solomon will transform the barn next to her Pickle Cottage home into a Christmas grotto, where she will throw a festive party for heroes in the local community.

The story of the hugely influential designer and entrepreneur, Virgil Abloh, whose aesthetic transformed the fashion industry.

Black and white, men and women, anti-fashion and high fashion: Abloh knew that nothing was binary and everything was open for exploration.

His first fashion label, Off-White, turned streetwear into high fashion by tearing down the walls of the white haute couture world. He later became Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton menswear, one of the first Black men to head up a couture house, while designing shoes for Nike, furniture for IKEA and cars for Mercedes-Benz.

But the documentary will start from the beginning, when he worked as Kanye West's Creative Director and witnessed his struggle to break into high fashion due to racism and snobbery. Abloh made it his mission to change all this - to show what difference Black people could make when listened to.

DJ Benji B, model and DJ Honey Dijon, rapper Headie One, singer songwriter Louis III, model and poet Kai-Isaiah Jamal and menswear designer Katie Eary are among the contributors who will pay homage to the designer, who died in November 2021 at the age of 41 following a private battle with cancer.

Historian Simon Schama looks back at the dramatic history that has played out in the decades of his lifetime.

Born in 1945 on the night of the bombing of Dresden, he was part of the generation determined to rebuild the world from the ashes of war. Across three films, he will reveal the vital role of artists, writers and musicians in fighting for the values they hoped would define the post-war world: democracy, equality and the dream of plenty.

Among others, George Orwell and Vaclav Havel to Nina Simone and David Hockney, Charlie Chaplin, Ayn Rand and Rachel Carson all issued warnings about assaults on democracy and the trade-off between capitalism and the fate of the planet.

The series will also hear from contemporary artists boldly engaging with current affairs, including Margaret Atwood, Ai Weiwei, Nadya Tolonnikova, Armando Iannucci and Edward Burtynsky.

In a three-part series, Lucy Worsley investigates the most successful novelist of all time, Agatha Christie, whose novels, plays and short stories defined the detective genre for over a century.

The real woman behind the literary persona was one of the most famous and most complex of the 20th century. And as she lived through two World Wars and several scientific and social revolutions, Worsley will look at Christie's life and life's work with her expert historian eyes to also tell a dynamic history of the 20th century.

A drama-documentary starring Seroca Davies as trailblazing poet, playwright and campaigner Una Marson.

Marson joined the BBC's Empire Service during World War II where she became the first broadcaster to give voice to Caribbean writers and intellectuals, thus broadening the cultural horizons of a global audience accustomed to hearing only English accents.

She also became the first Black writer to script a play for London's West End while championing women's and civil rights as an activist.

The one-off documentary will use her writing, correspondence and her BBC personnel file to give proper insight into her life and work.

A new modern adaptation of the much-loved ballet combining animation and live action dance.

Vito Mazzeo stars as cosmetic surgeon Dr. Coppelius, whose promise of superficial beauty poisons the town. Swan (Michaela DePrince) sets out to reveal the truth about the popular newcomer who puts her community and the life of her beloved Franz (Daniel Camargo) in danger.

Ted Brandsen has choreographed the piece, set to an original score composed by Maurizio Malagnini and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Biologist Liz Bonnin visits the mass dinosaur graveyard in the Badlands of Wyoming, USA, to see what new insights into the Jurassic age it can offer.

Across two parts, she joins the international team of leading palaeontologists for a crucial fortnight of digging. Storms are threatening to destroy the fragile bones, and it's not long before the site closes for winter.

Together they must race to unearth as many of the fossils as possible, from those of the giant herbivores like Diplodocus to the ferocious Allosaurus.

The site also holds a wealth of other evidence, including footprints, plants they ate, and signs of more carnivorous behaviour, allowing them to piece together the life stories of each dinosaur.

Professor Hannah Fry will explore the wonders of modern technology and tell some of the mind-boggling stories behind it for a new six part series.

From contactless payments to smart devices with the power of supercomputers: the future has arrived. But we've become so used to these gadgets and inventions that we've forgotten to notice just how genius they are.

For each episode of The Secret Genius Of Everything, Fry will take one modern wonder apart to find out how it works and its often unbelievable origin story, be it the food delivery apps built on technology developed for nuclear missiles or online payments revolutionised by the rise of X-rated websites.

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Race Across The World and Louis Theroux Interviews among new BBC Factual and Arts slate - Royal Television Society |