BBC History magazine is an authoritative and informed history publication examining and re-examining key historical events, turning points in history, wider trends within history, and different eras as a whole. It publishes articles written by experts in their field on all periods of history, whether that's Ancient Egypt, Tudor England, or the Second World War, and brings cutting-edge historical research and new theories to a wider audience in an accessible, engaging format.

A simple theme, an awesome tour-de-force. Ultimate Killers tells story of assassins and arsenals far scarier than you see in the movies. The series is presented by Steve Leonard (co-presenter of "Vets in the Wild" and "Vets in Practice"). Steve runs the gauntlet with the world's most deadly natural born killers, using six categories; speed, strength, toxicity, strategy, defence and capacity for man-eating. He and his crew travel the world in search of the deadliest animals - deadly in terms of their strength, speed, venom and pure killing ability. Steve swims with killer whales, stalks with lions, hunts out snakes, and dives with killer-jelly fish to let us experience, first-hand, the killers at work. In one episode, Steve meets an army major who happily offers arm to a scorpion and a centipede to judge which has the more painful bite. By the end of the series, Steve judges from a phalanx of lethal animals six he believes to be Ultimate Killers.

Talking to Billy (Documentary)
BBC 2 Northern Ireland (Digital)
Sunday 5th February 2012 on at 21:00 to 21:30 (Already shown)
30 minutes long
A programme celebrating the first screening of the 'Billy' plays, 30 years after their first network broadcast. Filmed in early 1980s Belfast, the dramas were a first for many involved, including Kenneth Branagh and writer Graham Reid. In this documentary, the cast - including James Ellis and Brid Brennan - share their memories of the landmark dramas that will always remain close to their hearts.

Amateur astronomers are scanning the night skies looking for asteroids, comets and supernovae, and making vital discoveries in our quest for knowledge. Meanwhile space missions produce millions of images, but who is to say which ones are truly unusual and interesting? It is a job that computers struggle with, but one in which humans excel. This, more than ever, is the age of the amateur astronomer, and Sir Patrick Moore explains how everybody can play a part whilst also enjoying the beautiful cosmos.

Scientists are expecting a fit of violent activity on the sun which will propel billions of tonnes of superheated gas and pulses of energy towards our planet. They have the power to close down our modern technological civilisation - e.g. in 1989, a solar storm cut off the power to the Canadian city of Quebec. Horizon meets the space weathermen who are trying to predict what is coming our way, and organistions like the National Grid, who are preparing for the impending solar storms.

Scientists are expecting a fit of violent activity on the sun which will propel billions of tonnes of superheated gas and pulses of energy towards our planet. They have the power to close down our modern technological civilisation - e.g. in 1989, a solar storm cut off the power to the Canadian city of Quebec. Horizon meets the space weathermen who are trying to predict what is coming our way, and organistions like the National Grid, who are preparing for the impending solar storms.

It's one of the greatest stories ever told. The legend of Helen of Troy has enchanted audiences for the last three thousand years. In May this year a Hollywood film staring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom will be launched in Britain. But is there any reality to the myth? Horizon has unprecedented access to the scientist with the answers.

Every two minutes a house in Britain is burgled, and for years Nottingham has suffered the highest burglary rates in the UK. But the citys police are fighting back, and are now capturing the burglars on camera. They are installing hidden minicams inside ordinary homes, which record the thieves in action. They call them capture houses, Nottinghams new weapon in the fight against crime. But is this new technology as reliable as the police think And should the police be allowed to set traps for burglars

Vladimir Putin, after eight years as president of Russia and four more as prime minister, is stubbornly holding onto power. He has announced his intention to return as president and declared his party the winner in parliamentary elections that are widely seen as fraudulent. In Moscow 100,000 protesters have taken to the streets in the largest demonstrations since Putin took office. Putin began his career as a KGB spy but when he became president, he made himself a valued ally of the West. How did he do it? And what made Washington and London turn against him?