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Cracking the Code

8 episodes 96%4KCC

Secret messages, war rooms, and brilliant minds that changed history.

Explore the codes that shaped wars, exposed spies, challenged criminal networks, and opened new ways of understanding human life. This series reveals how gifted codebreakers turned baffling strings of letters and numbers into world-changing insight. Sign up to see the hidden battles behind some of history's most consequential secrets.

Episode guide

8 episodes
1
1The Mob Code
The Mob Code reveals the story of one of history’s greatest codebreakers: Suburban mom – Elizebeth Friedman. Against the odds, she cracks the codes which bring down the Mob, saves countless lives in WW2, and prevents a Nazi invasion of America – armed with just a pencil and paper.
50 min
2
2The Killer Code
The Zodiac Killer Code reveals the desperate bid to catch America’s most mysterious serial killer. Will breaking his complex coded messages finally unmask the Zodiac and lead to his capture?
50 min
3
3The Japanese Super Code
The Japanese Super Code reveals the US efforts to crack Japan’s unbreakable WW2 code following the horror of the attack on Pearl Harbour. But can one Naval Officer with a penchant for crosswords really stop the Japanese onslaught and turn the War in the Pacific in America’s favor?
50 min
4
4The Lost Civilization
Decoding a Lost Civilization reveals the monumental challenge of deciphering a mysterious ancient language. Unlocking its secrets is a 50-year obsessive journey that rewrites history.
50 min
5
5The Gang Code
The Gang Code reveals the criminal gangs across the world using highly encrypted phones to stay under the radar. The police are always one step behind until a team of investigators works out how to turn the phones against the criminals and catch them red-handed.
50 min
6
6The Cold War Code
The Uncrackable Spy Code reveals America’s top-secret team of codebreakers who crack the Soviet Union’s unbreakable code to unmask spies at the very highest levels of Government.
50 min
7
7The Code That Won The Great War
The Code that Won the Great War reveals the encrypted German telegram that could save Britain in its darkest hour. But can a team of eccentric geniuses decode the message in time? And will revealing its contents damage Britain’s relationship with its ally, America, forever?
50 min
8
8The Human Code
The Human Code reveals the rollercoaster ride of cracking humanity’s most complex and important code – the Human Genome. Unraveling its secrets pushes modern science to its very limits - pitting molecular biologists against big business in the race to stop mankind’s own genetic code from being sold.
50 min
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