Gürtel scandal: Spain's Watergate

On Christmas Eve 1950, four young Scottish students took the 'Stone of Destiny' from Westminster Abbey in London.The symbolic stone had been taken from Scotland to England centuries earlier and had sat beneath the Coronation Chair in the abbey ever since. In 2018, Anya Dorodeyko spoke to the late Ian Hamilton who took part in the daring escapade in order to draw attention to demands for Scottish home rule.(Photo: Ian Hamilton. Credit: BBC)

5 Maj 20239min

In June 2001, more than half a century after being driven into exile by communists, Bulgaria’s former King Simeon II made a dramatic comeback by winning the country’s parliamentary election. In 2018, Farhana Haider spoke to Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha about his remarkable journey from child king to prime minister.(Photo: Former King Simeon II of Bulgaria. Credit: Luc Castel/Getty Images)

4 Maj 20238min

In 1661 in England, following the restoration of the monarchy, the body of Oliver Cromwell was dug up for ritual execution. Cromwell had overthrown King Charles I and ruled as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.In 2014, Vincent Dowd spoke to civil war historian Charles Spencer.(Photo: The death mask of Oliver Cromwell. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

3 Maj 20238min

Jean-Bédel Bokassa crowned himself Emperor of the Central African Republic in a lavish ceremony on 4 December 1977.He'd already been president for several years since taking power in a military coup - but he wanted more. In 2018, Janet Ball spoke to his son Jean-Charles Bokassa.(Photo: Jean-Bédel Bokassa at his coronation. Credit: Pierre Guillaud / AFP via Getty Images)

2 Maj 20238min

In 2012, archaeologists from the University of Leicester discovered the lost grave of King Richard III under a car park in Leicester in the English East Midlands. Richard was the King of England more than 500 years ago and for centuries was portrayed as one of the great villains of English history.He was killed in 1485 leading his army in battle against a rival claimant to the throne, Henry Tudor. After the battle, King Richard III's corpse was stripped naked and paraded around before being hastily buried in a church within a friary in Leicester.In 2020, Alex Last spoke to Dr Richard Buckley who led the archaeological team that dug up the remains.(Photo: Remains of King Richard III. Credit: BBC)

1 Maj 20238min

Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953 was a watershed moment for television as millions watched the ceremony live.But it nearly never happened as the UK Government initially refused to allow TV cameras inside Westminster Abbey.The late Peter Dimmock, the BBC’s former head of outside broadcasts, looks back on the challenges the corporation faced.Former maid of honour Lady Jane Rayne Lacey also shares her memories of the day with Vicky Farncombe, including the part that felt “too sacred” to televise.(Photo: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: Getty Images)

28 Apr 20239min

The Met Gala takes place annually on the first Monday in May. In 1995, Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour chaired the huge fashion celebration for the first time that takes place at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Anna changed the date of the celebrity bash from December to May and is the driving force that transformed the event from a society dinner to the star-studded affair labelled “fashion’s biggest night”. The shindig has been attended by stars including Rihanna, Beyoncé and Madonna. Fashion podcaster and former Vogue International editor Suzy Menkes tells Alex Collins about her memories of the gala as it became a global sensation.(Photo: Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala wearing a dress designed by Guo Pei. Credit: Getty Images)

27 Apr 202310min

On 26 April 1998 leading human rights campaigner, Bishop Juan Gerardi, was attacked and killed in his home, just two days after presenting the conclusions of a major investigation into abuses committed during Guatemala’s civil war. Bishop Gerardi’s report blamed the country’s military and paramilitary forces for the deaths of most of the 50,000 civilians killed during the conflict. Ronalth Ochaeta, who worked alongside Bishop Gerardi, tells Mike Lanchin about the murdered bishop’s life-long quest for justice.A CTVC production for BBC World Service.(Photo: Bishop Juan Gerardi. Credit: ODHAG)

26 Apr 20239min