RISE AND FALL: NEW CIVILISATIONS SERIES ANNOUNCED FOR BBC TWO

Next year sees a new iteration of the epic series Civilisations, building on the success of the original and its 2018 reincarnation.

This time, with the help of experts and museum curators, we’ll unpack the story of how art and artefacts left behind by great civilisations can explain how powerful societies in the ancient world suddenly collapsed. From war, to dictatorship, to climate change and pandemic, Civilisations: Rise and Fall (w/t) sets out how the forces that brought about the end of civilisations in the ancient world still threaten us today.

Elsewhere, BBC arts series Arena re-launched last year, working with some of the UK’s leading filmmakers and championing the best of British documentary-making and creativity, with films on subjects ranging from Caroline Aherne to Kae Tempest to Coco Chanel, and more.

Ahead of the famous strand’s 50th anniversary in 2025, a series of new films have been commissioned exploring a range of subjects, from ballet superstar Steven McRae, broadcaster and musician Clemency Burton-Hill and the opera singer Maria Callas, to the legacy of Loaded magazine and the legendary Roger Moore.

With the acclaimed new documentary strand In My Own Words currently airing on BBC One exploring the lives and careers of some of the UK’s leading cultural figures, such as Billy Connolly, Hanif Kureishi, Jilly Cooper, Jackie Kay and Alison Lapper, a new series has been commissioned for 2025. There is also a very special single film with Alan Bennett, made to coincide with his 90th birthday.

Following the success of their transformative Italian Grand Tour – with an average reach of 2.7 million viewers across the series, the biggest audience for a BBC Two title on iPlayer so far this year – Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark are back for a new adventure in 2025.

This time the duo will explore the art and culture of India. Rob and Rylan’s Passage To India (w/t) will delve into a new realm of art, culture and life-altering experiences inspired by E M Forster’s novel, published 100 years ago.

For Holocaust Memorial Day in 2025, a special single film will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The Last Musician of Auschwitz is an extraordinary but little-known story of music made amid the terrors of the Holocaust.

Plus, The Read, where acclaimed actors combine with classic literature and breathe new life into iconic stories, launches its third series this autumn.