Iran and the West

A riveting three-hour BBC series about the relationship between Iran and the "West" over the last few decades. It clearly sets out the chronological history, but what makes it great are the interviews with major players, including Khatami, Vance, Rafsanjani, de Cuellar, Albright and Larijani. These personal accounts of vital meetings, brinkmanship, exasperation on all sides - even straightforward low comedy - are fascinating. Behind-the-scenes negotiations, shifting allegiances and politicians or diplomats being outflanked by unforeseen events put the familiar (and often baffling) news stories in context, together with great use of archive footage.

I can't recommend it highly enough, especially in the light of current events.