About this season
Exploring the achievements of the greatest figures of the 20th century. The public vote for their favourites, ultimately deciding who is the greatest icon of them all.
Episodes (8)
1. Leaders
Aired 8 January 2019 • 60 min
During his illustrious broadcasting career, Sir Trevor McDonald has interviewed many of the top politicians of our time. In the first episode of Icons, he argues that a political leader deserves to be crowned the public's icon of the 20th Century. From the darkness of 1940s Blitz Britain to a hopeful new South Africa, Sir Trevor tells a story of four iconic leaders: Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela.
2. Explorers
Aired 9 January 2019 • 60 min
The second in series charts the story of exploration in the 20th century with the public deciding who the greatest explorer was.
3. Scientists
Aired 14 January 2019 • 60 min
Exploring the achievements of the greatest figures of the 20th century. Chris Packham assesses the lives of Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Alan Turing and Tu You You.
4. Entertainers
Aired 15 January 2019 • 60 min
Exploring the achievements of the greatest figures of the 20th century. Kathleen Turner looks at Charlie Chaplin, Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe and David Bowie.
5. Activists
Aired 21 January 2019 • 60 min
Exploring the achievements of the greatest figures of the 20th century. Examining the lives of Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller and Martin Luther King Jr.
6. Sports
Aired 22 January 2019 • 60 min
Exploring the achievements of the greatest figures of the 20th century. Exploring the legacies of sports stars Pele, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King and Tanni Grey-Thompson.
7. Artists & Writers
Aired 29 January 2019 • 60 min
Exploring the achievements of the greatest figures of the 20th century. Lily Cole looks at Pablo Picasso, Virginia Woolf, Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol.
8. Live Final
Aired 5 February 2019 • 60 min
The live final of the series exploring the achievements of some of the greatest figures of the 20th century. The public vote for who they believe should be called the greatest.