HISTORY highlights november 2020

GRANT

Sundays from 8 November at 20.30

Executively produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

At the time of his death, Ulysses S. Grant was the most famous man in the world and stood alongside men like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the pantheon of American heroes. However, today Ulysses S. Grant is largely forgotten, his rightful legacy tarnished by a fog of myth, rumor and falsehood.

Grant tells the remarkable and quintessentially American story of a humble man who overcomes incredible obstacles, rises to the highest ranks of power and saves the nation not once, but twice. With a seamless blend of dramatic scenes, expert commentary and beautifully enhanced archival imagery, this three-part miniseries uncovers the true legacy of the unlikely hero who led the nation during its greatest tests: the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Born into a humble family of abolitionists, Ulysses S. Grant was never destined for greatness. At a time when the nation is being ripped apart over the issue of slavery, Grant marries into a slave-holding family and is forced to confront his own feelings about equality. As the country falls apart around him, Grant bounces from job to job, at one point selling firewood on the streets to buy food for his family. Just a few years later, this quiet, unassuming man is in command of a million men, and it is his ingenious strategy and bulldog determination that wins the Civil War, re-unifies the Nation and helps bring freedom to 4 million former slaves.

Widely regarded as the greatest general of his generation, Grant is called to duty again to serve as president. In the face of huge obstacles, Grant reunifies a fractured nation, battles the KKK and emerges as a champion of civil rights and equality for all Americans. Grant’s meteoric rise is one of the unlikeliest stories in American history, but it wasn’t luck, it didn’t just happen by accident and it wasn’t easy. With gritty depictions of brutal battles, risky gambles, crushing setbacks and triumphant victories, Grant will take the viewer inside the moments that defined Grant and forever changed our nation. Ulysses S Grant is played by British actor Justin Salinger (Doctor Who, Ripper Street, Dracula). (3x120”)

HITLER’S GOLD

Thursdays from 19 November at 20.30

Who Financed Hitler? Where did he get the money and the backing to achieve power in 1933 Germany? This eye-opening mini-series unearths Hitler’s money trail, and exposes his secret partners, and money managers which enabled him to finance his success and become the most powerful man in Europe. Hidden treasures, bank accounts, and much more. This series unravels the covert financial web that Hitler spun across Europe and around the globe to bankroll his dream of world domination. (4x60”)