History Channel

Martian Mania: The True Story Of The War Of The Worlds

The History Channel – Saturday 28 July, 10.30pm

This special commemorates the infamous Orson Welles broadcast that panicked America. On October 30th, 1938, the worst nightmare of panicked stargazers became frighteningly real. A radio announcer offered running commentary as invading forces from another planet attacked Earth with alarming fury…..

“Black smoke, drifting over the city…people in the streets…running towards the East River…Thousands of them, dropping like rats, falling like flies.”

When it was all over, there was devastation and outrage. Not at the renegade aliens, but at the man who unleashed an unprecedented hoax on an unsuspecting public – Orson Welles. As a result of his infamous “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast, lives were transformed, laws were changed, and the world would never be quite the same again. This is a true tale every bit as fantastic as the H.G. Welles novel on which it was based, filled with astounding stories and intriguing secrets. Presented by Academy Award winner, James Cameron.

Channel Premiere: Area 51: The Real Story

The History Channel – Saturday 21 July, 10.30pm

Why do “Black” helicopters patrol the night searching for intruders? Why do people claim that what was once alien technology is now human technology being developed inside a secret hanger? In order to answer these questions, we need to take a journey… It has no official name, expect for the nickname it was given after a numbered square on an old Nevada test site map. This program will show you a world of top secret black aircrafts… covert military bases that don’t exist on any FAA or US Geological survey map… strange conspiracy theories… accusations of close door alien autopsies and the reverse engineering of flying discs.

Channel Premiere: The British Empire In Colour

The History Channel – Sunday 15 July, 8.30pm

For 200 years, Britain was the most powerful nation in the world. From Canada to India, from Australia to Nigeria, from the Caribbean to South Africa, the British Empire once ruled over a third of the people on earth. Newly-discovered film, all in original colour, reveals how the British viewed their imperial possessions along with personal letters and diaries describe the experiences of the rulers and the ruled in this three part series.

Channel Premiere: Marie Antoinette

The History Channel – Saturday 14 July (Bastille Day), 10.30pm

Marie Antoinette has gone down in history as a frivolous, callous queen who epitomized the decadence of the French monarchy and paid the ultimate price at the guillotine. Blind to the poverty and suffering of the French people, the Austrian-born ‘Madame Deficit’ was notorious for her extravagance, her promiscuity with both men and women, and for plotting against France. From behind this lurid picture, the real Marie Antoinette has begun to emerge. Drawing on original documents and contemporary analysis, this program explodes the myth of the vilified Queen of France. This is the compelling and very human story of an undoubtedly flawed woman, who was caught up in the tidal wave of revolutionary France, and who never said, ‘Let them eat cake’.

Channel Premiere: Stolen Treasures

The History Channel – Saturday 7 July, 8.30pm

This program follows the investigation into illegal smuggling of an ancient Egyptian headstone through the antiquities underground – from its unexpected discovery at a Cairo construction site in 1994 to a Park Avenue apartment in 2002. Scotland Yard, the FBI and international art-theft detectives pursue a cocky British antiquities trader, a New York gallery owner, and wealthy Lebanese art dealers.

NZ Premiere: Dangerous Missions
The History Channel – From Thursday 12 April, 7.30pm

Heart stopping episodes like COMBAT MEDICS and AIR RESCUE take viewers to the front-line, great heights and extremes as highly trained experts are deployed on dangerous missions. In many cases, it is just another day at the office.

NZ Premiere: Outwitting Hitler
The History Channel – Wednesday 11 April, 7.30pm

Tells the remarkable story of how an art student escaped from a concentration camp, and continued to survive all attempts to be captured by the Third Reich.