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Is It Real: Touched By Jesus
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Friday 2 April, 8.30pm
Christians have tried to reach out and touch him for 20 centuries. Now, three controversial claims about Jesus are put to the test, to see if he can harm as well as heal. Can believers experience his pain and suffering on the cross through stigmata? Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene, and did they have children? And does the Shroud of Turin contain the actual blood of Christ? Scientists and sceptics alike are on the scene, conducting laboratory tests, fibre analysis and carbon 14 dating - even revealing the secrets behind a couple of tricks. But can they discover the truth of the matter?
Mega Factories: Subway Car
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Tuesday 30 March, 7.30pm
Follow the creation of the car that moves millions. The R-160 Subway car is the newest member of the New York City Transit fleet - bringing 21st century safety and technological innovations to a mass transit system over 100 years old. These innovations include LCD screen maps, a passenger emergency intercom system, soundproofing and a braking system that actually generates electricity and returns power to the third rail. It starts as sheets of metal in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where human skill, fire and steel come together to build the body shell. After a month-long voyage, the body arrives in Hornell, NY, for final assembly, motor installation and testing. Once assembled the R-160 weighs nearly 85,000 lbs and contains 24 miles of wiring. This car is built to last 40 years, to withstand the force of 1.6 billion riders per year, and survive in one of the world's toughest environments - New York City.
Fight Science: Fight Like An Animal
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Monday 29 March, 9.30pm
Some of the oldest fighting styles in martial arts are based on the animal kingdom's most effective fighters. The movements of the snake, the crane, the praying mantis, the monkey and the tiger have inspired kung fu masters for hundreds of years - but how do humans really stack up to their animal counterparts? Experts bring a menagerie of nature's best athletes into the lab to determine if a martial arts master can really fight like an animal.
Shark Men: Off The Hook
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Monday 29 March, 8.30pm
With just three days and three tags left, the great white expedition team amps up to tag their next sharks. But bait is running low and tensions high. A big biter takes the line and battles for over an hour. They then come across a fresh seal kill with a big shark dining on it. Can they lure the great white onto their line and onto the boat?
Robberies Of The Century
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Saturday 28 March, 8.30pm
They did it for money, for fame and for thrills. They used disguises, cunning and bravado. Some travelled through foreign lands, leading top detectives on a wild pursuit around the world. Some got away with millions, others captured within days. They're the leaders, followers and masterminds behind the 20th century's greatest robberies.
Beneath Alcatraz
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Thursday 18 March, 8.30pm
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, June 1962. In the still of the night three prisoners - Frank Lee Morris, Clarence Anglin, and John Anglin - attempt the impossible. Desperate and dangerous, they escape from Alcatraz. Only traces of their bold breakout were found in the frigid San Francisco Bay. The three men were never seen nor heard from again. Until now their fate remains a mystery. Did they survive their bid for freedom or did they lose everything to the San Francisco Bay?
