LEONARDO

Semi-dramatised documentary series on the life and works of Leonardo Da Vinci from his illegitimate birth to the unveiling of his masterpiece, The Last Supper. Presented by Alan Yentob, starring Mark Rylance

BBC One Director Sarah Aspinall, Tim Dunn, Nick Rossiter

CATASTROPHE 535 AD

Part 1: The Day the Sun Went Out

For nearly a century, humans forgot their glorious past and huddled in a state of ignorance and fear. Scientists now believe that the early Dark Ages may have been triggered by an actual event that occurred around 535 A.D. At the center of a stunningly complex chain of events seems to be “a loud bang” – a volcanic explosion equal to “two thousand million Hiroshima size bombs.”

PBS Director Gary Johnstone