THE HISTORY OF US: SIMON SCHAMA TO FRONT BBC CULTURAL HISTORY SERIES

A major new cultural history series, The History of Us (w/t) is planned for 2025, which finds Simon Schama looking back at the origins of the culture wars which have dominated the headlines in recent years.

He’ll show that fierce arguments over who we are have always been at the centre of British life and have helped fuel our greatest asset, our creativity.

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.