This second series continues to feature the largest, most impressive examples of engineering. But it’s more than just that. Each programme tells the story of how engineers developed the technology that makes them possible. 
The first programme covers the Gotthard Base Tunnel beneath the Alps, which at 57km will be the world’s longest when it’s completed. 
Civil Engineer Ed McCann makes an engaging guide through the problems of making tunnels, and their ingenious solutions, complete with demonstrations that can get pretty messy. Current footage, reconstructions and illuminating graphics show how engineers meet the challenges of an industrialising world. 
10 hour-long films uncover the mysteries of the biggest telescopes, dams and space stations – and other giants.

For a lighter take on the same subject, this six-part comedy series is set in a pathology lab. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it stars former Doctor Who Peter Davison as Dr Anthony Webster, a pathologist who loves his work perhaps a little too much. His colleagues are an unlikely enough set of misfits to give pathology a bad name all over again, but there should be some laughs along the way. Tracy-Ann Oberman and Geoffrey Whitehead co-star.

One of the more sobering anniversaries of the summer: 6 August marks the date of the first use of atomic weapons. This two-hour special uses drama and documentary to tell the story of the first bomb and its impact on the people of Hiroshima. With unique access to documents from the time and the involvement of General Paul Tibbets who flew the Enola Gay bomber.

In shipping, 120 tonnes may not seem that big, but when that’s just the propeller, you know you’re dealing with serious scale. The propeller in question is from the biggest container ship in the world. In proper international scientific units that 120-tonne prop is four football pitches long. Other stupendous constructions will include the largest oil rig ever built and a Las Vegas complex that includes three hotels, two skyscrapers and a casino.

Peter Curran explores the habitats, customs and beliefs of scientists. He finds some evidence to back the stereotypes, including a mathematician who’s worn the same T-shirt for six months, and that the most junior researcher’s most important duty is making the tea. But he also uncovers a sense of community under all the competition and hierarchy. And gets invited to the Astronomers’ Barbecue at Jodrell Bank.

Besides the strong message about conserving endangered species, the main attraction here is Bruce George, Australian snake charmer. He travels through Asia and Australia on his Harley Davidson, catching crocs and eyeballing cobras, reminding us that butch bikers can love wildlife too. Along the way we learn how venomous animals fit into the ecosystem, how Tasmanian Devils catch the deadly disease that is killing them and how elephants grow up healthy.

The discovery that children’s body parts had been kept for research without their grieving parents’ consent caused a scandal 10 years ago. Pathology became a vilified profession. Even now, post mortem rates are at an all time low, so Sue Armstrong set out to investigate the fallout from the Alder Hey crisis. Can pathologists continue their work in the new climate of suspicion and regulation? And if not, what is the outlook for developing new treatments and investigating deaths caused by negligence or murder?

Sick of costume dramas on Sunday nights? Then curl up on the sofa with some prehistoric drama – giant killers from millions of years ago, recreated with CGI and lots of roaring. In the sea, a 50-tonne Megalodon could have swallowed you sideways, with its two-metre-wide jaw. In the air, the Terror Raptor ruled South America, killing prey with one blow of its beak. But ugliest of all was the Entelodont, or Hell Pig, which rampaged across North America for 20 million years. Look, it’s Hell Pig or Lark Rise, you decide.

If you’re enjoying a seaside Bank Holiday, don’t tune into this weekend's shark-fest (with programmes on each night until 30 August). But if, on the other hand, the recession is keeping you at home, you might enjoy these graphic scenes of holidaymakers being devoured by carnivorous fish. Highlights include the true story that inspired Jaws, when a New Jersey beach became a hunting ground in 1916. For more serious insights into shark behaviour, join Les Stroud in Deadly Waters or follow a team of experts on a night dive in Shark After Dark.

It’s often said the ancients knew the secrets of modern science. This series intends to find out what was known, and how much of it passes the tests of modern evidence.

First, maxillo-facial surgeon Iain Hutchison investigates the cosmetic surgery practised in India over 2000 years ago. Cutting off the tip of the nose was a common punishment, and reconstruction techniques using skin flaps were centuries ahead of Europe.

Later in the week, we learn about Babylonian maths with Marcus du Sautoy, and Aristotle’s weather prediction.