The First World War

To Arms The chain of events that led to the beginning of the Great War, including an insight into Britain's reasons for joining

Under the Eagle The early months on the Western Front, and how the German plan to take as much ground as possible in the opening engagements was thwarted at the Battle of the Marne. As the Allies rejoiced in halting the enemy advance, the scene was set for years of trench warfare - during which shocking stories of civilians being brutalised by German soldiers outraged the world.

Global War The global impact of the conflict, assessing Britain's efforts to save India from invasion by boosting the Allied forces with native troops as well as soldiers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Plus, an investigation into the high mortality rate among black soldiers, many of whom joined the French offensives in Europe.

Jihad How the Ottoman Empire became a major force on the German side, tying up Entente troops across the Middle East and forcing the British into a humiliating defeat at Kut, south of Baghdad. Many Turks saw the war as an opportunity to win back lost lands and hoped it would be the first step toward establishing a new empire. Also examined is the impact of the call for a jihad against the Allies, issued from a Constantinople mosque in November 1914.

Shackled to a Corps The conflict on the Eastern Front, which saw soldiers battle for years in harsh conditions, enduring avalanches and frostbite as well as relentless enemy action across terrain from the Urals to the Alps. Both sides came close to achieving total victory, but faced many of the horrors of 20th-century warfare.

Breaking the Deadlock A fresh appraisal of the Western Front covering the period 1915-17. German storm troopers emerged, artillery became more important than machine guns or tanks and more than 200 generals were killed in action, shattering the myth that many hid behind the lines. The programme reveals there was a succession of minor truces between rival forces and not just a brief instance at Christmas.

Blockade The evolving naval and intelligence war during the First World War, which saw enemy submarines turn the North Sea into a no-go area. The British responded with a blockade of Europe, and America threw its full support behind the Allies after a deciphered telegram revealed Germany was urging Mexico to attack the United States.

Revolution The wartime employment of spies, blockades and intelligence-gathering, which proved just as important as battleships at a time when governments faced continuing risks of mutiny, low morale, strikes and civil disobedience. Agents were sent to create unrest among the enemy, including the British-sponsored Arab Revolt led by Lawrence of Arabia, and Germany's support of Irish independence by supplying arms for the Easter Rising.

Germany's Last Gamble The penultimate episode explores Germany's bid to end the conflict by launching a massive offensive on the Western Front, masterminded by General Erich Ludendorff. Within days the British Fifth Army was in retreat, Paris was under shellfire and defeat seemed inevitable. However, the plan ran out of steam as supplies and strategic options dried up and German troops became war-weary, hungry and demoralised.

War Without End Documentary charting the final months of the First World War, which saw the Allies learning to pull together using a co-ordinated command structure and the mass-production of high-tech weapons, while the Germans remained on French soil, believing victory to be inevitable.