Michael W. Andrews

They were the knights of medieval Japan, an elite warrior class that held the reins of power and the fascination of the people for more than 700 years. Masters of sword and bow, driven by an unforgiving code of ethics, they proved ferocious in combat. They beat back foreign invaders and fought each other for land, status, honor and glory. The Samurai explores the extraordinary legacy of martial artistry, ceremony, self-discipline and tenacity in battle that reaches to this day. Modern-day samurai explain the ways of life in the Bushido, while scholars detail the pivotal events in their centuries-long history. From the heyday of the Heian Period (794-1185) to the inevitable decline that followed the opening of Japan in 1853, this is the definitive study of some of world's most famous fighters.

Born in 1829, Geronimo was a peaceful young Apache. However, that ail changed one night when his mother, wife, and three children were killed by Mexican soldiers. On that fateful night he became one of the boldest warriors of all time. Originally, Goyathlay, "One Who Yawns", Geronimo became the most famous Apache for standing against the U.S. government and for holding out the longest. In 1876, Federal authorities captured and forced Geronimo and his band onto a U.S. reservation at San Carlos, Arizona. It was described as "Hell's Forty Acres". He soon escaped to roam Arizona and New Mexico. He was pursued relentlessly by more than five thousand U.S. troops. Exhausted and hopelessly outnumbered, Geronimo surrendered in 1886 to live out the rest of his life imprisoned in Oklahoma.

Detailed and fascinating documentary telling the history of the famous German battleship of World War II. The urgent British hunt and the German ship's efforts to escape are described through vintage film and recollections of both British and German veterans of the battles.

Davy Crockett, the celebrated hero, warrior and backwoods statesman was born in 1786 in a small cabin on the banks of the romantic Nolichucky River, Tennessee. He was more than a simple woodsman in coonskin cap. He enjoyed political success when elected on the United States' Congress and where he championed the rights of squatters. However, when he failed to be re-elected in 1835, he set off for Texas to find wealth and prosperity. He soon joined a company of American volunteers to fight the despot Santa Anna and his Mexican army at San Antonio. In March, 1836, all of the 189 brave Americans, including Davy Crockett, lay dead on the ground, but with them also lay over one thousand five hundred Mexicans who had died at their hands.

Crazy Horse - the young, mystical leader of the Sioux has come to symbolise Indian resistance to the white advance westward. His leadership in the 1876 defeat of Custer's 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn made him the most famous Indian warrior in America, a reputation he holds to this day. Ironically, like many revered soldiers, Crazy Horse was a controversial and often despised figure among his own people and the white world. His demise was a sad one. Betrayed by his own people he was eventually bayoneted in the back whilst being held by his former friend Little Big Man. However, he will forever be remembered for leading the Sioux to their greatest victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

James Butler Hickok - lawman, scout, frontiersman, gunslinger and professional gambler. His contemporaries called him "Wild Bill" and Elizabeth Bacon Custer called him "physical perfection". Who was the man who became a legend in his own time? Hero or hooligan, lawman or outlaw, man or myth? Follow in the steps of the man who lived the legend, from his humble beginnings in Homer, Kansas, to the gold rush fields of Deadwood, South Dakota, and the fateful day in 1876 when he drew the infamous "dead man's hand".